Planning meals in advance helps take some of the stress away and enables you to visit the shops less frequently and buy in bulk – helping to save both time and money. But more often than not it is the pressure of what to serve up that causes the most concern. The combination of mums’ watching their weight, dads’ wanting a hearty helping, teenage girls’ experimenting with vegetarianism and growing boys’ with hollow legs is enough to send even the most talented chef into a state of disarray.

But fear not, there is a diet plan that caters for all these varying needs. The low GI diet, which is actually more of a lifestyle than diet, promotes overall health and well being as opposed to dramatic weight loss and is ideal for all the family.

The principles of the low GI diet is based on the slow release of energy which means that you stay fuller for longer (so you don’t need to snack) and the ways in which foods are cooked are healthier ideal if you’re watching the waistline, the food is (or can be as) hearty and wholesome as you wish, pulses and nuts are all key low gi foods so it’s perfect for vegetarians and as energy levels from low gi foods are released more slowly it means you’re energy levels are sky high!!
Other benefits of following a low gi diet include:

*Better concentration
*Helps regulate mood swings
*Weight control
*Helps maintain consistent blood sugar levels

For more information on the low gi diet or low gi recipe inspiration visit www.lowgidiet.org.uk

Get a free pass to Esporta which can be used at any Esporta gym across the UK. Click the link below to get your completely free gym pass.

Leisure Centres are generally owned by the local authority and are there to provide leisure and fitness facilities to people who live in the area. It is unnecessary to become a member of a leisure centre, you can visit once a year, or every week or even every day if you want to, and you will be charged a small fee to partake in whatever activity you choose. Leisure centres across the UK offer slightly different facilities just as fitness clubs and private gyms do, at the centre local to me, they have swimming, badminton, table tennis, squash, aerobics & other keep fit workouts, a weights & fitness room, and you can even book personal training sessions. Some larger leisure centres have running tracks, tennis courts and other outdoor facilities attached to them as well.

If you are in receipt of benefits or you are a student, or over 60, then you may be entitled to a reduction in the price you pay as well. This discount is normally done by supplying you with a leisure pass which you show each time you visit. These are given different names by different local authorities and to find out how this works in your local area, you will need to look it up on this website or contact your local council or leisure centre who should be able to tell you if you are eligible and how to apply.

Some leisure centres will offer a membership option. This generally means that you pay a fee to be a member for a month or a year and then within that time frame you can use facilities on that site either for free, or at a reduced rate depending on the scheme and the activity you wish to participate in.

The difference in cost between joining a Private Gym and working out at your local leisure centre can be huge and can save you literally hundreds of £’s a year in fees, so it’s very much worth while finding out what is available in your area. It’s difficult to give an actual saving as the prices vary up and down the country so it is best to contact your local leisure centre directly to find out prices.

Some leisure centres also offer other facilities that are less fitness related, such as coffee bar or café, sauna, or tanning booths. Again, to find out the full range of facilities available to you, you’ll need to contact your local centre directly. People with disabilities may find that if there is a swimming pool it is heated at certain times or that there are special sessions available to them. Also, some places offer different types of swimming at different times, so they may run adult only sessions where there are no kids allowed, or special exercise in water sessions for specific groups like pregnant ladies, or just that are open to everyone.

Joining a running club can be a great way to get fit, be sociable and increase your personal safety. There are running clubs in most London boroughs.

Amy went through her paces with the Mile End chapter of the Women’s Running Network.

The group meets weekly and caters for women of all running abilities. There’s a £12.50 annual fee, and it costs £2 per session.

The full article can be read at the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/yourlondon/fat_nation/fit_budget.shtml

This list gives you an idea of how many calories you might burn off doing different cleaning activities around the home. It’s based on being a woman of around 35-38 who stands approx 5’5” tall, and weighs around 12 stone, and it is just an approximation. Obviously if you weigh more or less than this, it won’t be truly accurate, but it’s a good guideline to get you started! The figures given are assuming you did each activity for 1 hour, so if you’re only doing 15 minutes of something you’ll need to adjust it accordingly!

Vacuuming – 195 calories
Dusting & polishing – 175 calories
Painting indoors – 65 calories
Gardening & weeding – 300 calories
Mopping floors – 195 calories
Washing the windows – 180 calories
Ironing – 115 calories
Washing the car – 235 calories
Walking up and down the stairs at a moderate pace – 510 calories

Now, comes the interesting bit. Normally, we try to make cleaning tasks as easy on ourselves as possible while still getting the job done, but if you want to give yourself a really good work out, then you can try changing a few little things and you will make the workout a little bit more thorough.

If you normally buy a spray bottle of polish, try getting a solid bees wax one instead, the extra elbow grease you’ll use working it into the furniture and getting a really good shine will help work those arm muscles and help you eliminate the old bingo wings!

Instead of using the old mop and bucket to clean your hard floors, why not get down on your hands and knees and give it a really good scrub. Pushing a scrubbing brush back and forwards while held in both hands and kneeling – moving from the middle instead of just your arms will work your upper legs and tummy muscles.

Cook up a storm – instead of going for simple things out of a packet, why not make it yourself, kneading bread, beating eggs, peeling and chopping vegetables, and rolling out pastry are all going to give you far more of a work out than just taking something from a packet in the freezer and plonking it on a baking tray!

Plan your housework so you have to alternate being up and downstairs (get that stair movement in!), strip the beds upstairs, put the washing on downstairs, remake the beds upstairs, then down again to clean the kitchen floor, and back up to vacuum the bedroom. Phew! You’ll soon work up a sweat running up and down, but think how good your legs will look afterwards!