Lansinoh Family... a real family | Blog

Let me start this by telling you that this isn’t a paid post. I haven’t been asked to write this and I am not being compensated in anyway for writing it. I want to write this as I feel it’s important. As a society we are always quick to share when a company gets things wrong but do we ever shout about it when they get things really right? Well...get ready to hear me shout!

In my line of work I am lucky enough to work with a lot of different brands. Some of them are great, some of them are okay and some of them are awful BUT every now and again a brand comes along that you just click with. They become more than a brand that you work with. You become cheerleaders for each other. You get to know the people behind the name and you learn about their lives and their background. You develope a special  working relationship that you know has been different because  when your contract ends and you (and they) still want to work together. It’s a rare thing to find now days in a world of number chasing and competition but when it comes along it is really magical.

Blaze - the amazing new HIIT class at David Lloyd Clubs | Review

Some of you may think I am really odd for saying this but I love exercise and I love going to the gym. Going to a class or hitting the treadmill isn't something I do for weight loss or body image purposes (although it does help with both of those!), it's something I do because it makes me feel good. I love nothing more than getting my shimmy on at Zumba or venting the days frustrations at Body Pump. So when I was invited along to try out the brand new Blaze class that is on offer at my local David Lloyd Club in Southend, I jumped at the chance. 

Well, to be honest I wouldn't say that I jumped. More like I tentatively accepted the invited and started to get a bit nervous and excited as I'd heard that this class was amazing yet intense. I only had Smidge 5 months ago so I was a bit worried that I may need to get the tenner lady out BUT I shouldn't have panicked because the class was so brilliant and I loved it! 

Blaze is a brand new type of HIIT class which incorporates cardio, combat and strength. It is set in it's own purpose built studio which has state of the art treadmills, boxing equipment and weights. During the class you are guided around the three different stations whist lights and pumping music powers your through. Whilst you are doing the class you wear a Myzone band which measures your heart rate and the effort you are putting into your work out. These scores are converted into colours and percentages which are then shown on a huge screen in the studio, allowing you to see how much effort you are putting in and when. This means that the class gives the empathises on the effort you put in rather than on your overall fitness level which make it a great class for people of all shapes, sizes and fitness. The class give you the opportunity to burn up to 1100 calories in the 45 minutes and it works your whole body. 

As I said at the start, I was originally a bit nervous about going to a Blaze class. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up and that it would be too much for me but it really wasn't. The fact that you have so many instructors in there cheering you on and looking at your progress is amazing as it really keeps you motivated and the HIIT element of the class meant that I was able to go flat out and really work hard but then take a minute or so to get my breath back before starting the next session. 

If you are a David Lloyd Clubs member already then please try this class out. You will not regret it! I wish that I would have gone along sooner because I am now hooked. If you aren't a member of you local club then why not? We have been members now for over 2 years and we love it there. Blaze is just another reason why we go! 

Head over to the David Lloyd Clubs website to find your local club now! 

note: this is a collaborative post

Lenovo Smart Display...the extra pair of hands we all need! | Collaboration

Being a parent means you have to get really good at multitasking. You need to be a cook, a cleaner, a nurse, a entertainer, a house keeper, a personal shopper, an accountant, a mediator, a taxi driver, a personal assistant... the list could go on and on! But, what if I told you that there is now a product out there that can take some of the load? Something that can do some of your jobs for you and act like a second pair of hands? Well my fellow bedraggled, drained parents... let me introduce you to the Lenovo Smart Display with Google Assistant!

A couple of weeks ago Pickle and I headed to London to meet Kimberly Wyatt and the Lenovo team to learn all about the new Smart Display and to do some spooky Halloween cooking with the help of this revolutionary hands free technology.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery | Blog

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I think that 'they' lie and that it's not flattery, it's just bloody annoying. Now I am all for people blogging. I wrote a whole blog post about how 'everyone is a mummy blogger' and how I think that is a wonderful thing because blogging is an amazing outlet BUT if you want to start a blog then don't copy what others are doing. Find your own voice and way of doing things. Don't copy what someone else does.

Now I know that nothing in this world is truly original now days and I am sure that some could see what I do as copying some one in one way or another because as bloggers we all write about current affairs and our own experiences and sometimes they are very similar to others. But I feel that my bog and my social media channels show my style and my personality therefore making it different to others.

This is something that is so hard to explain so I've made a video which hopefully helps me to articulate what I am trying to say better...