Exercise

There's no getting away from it.  To effectively lose weight, keep the weight off and stay fit and healthy, you must exercise regularly and keep an eye on your weight.

Guidelines for type and quantity of physical exercise can be found on the NHS 'Live Well' website here...

The NHS website also provides a weight calculator that calculates and explains 'healthy weight', BMI's and provides practical weight loss information.  Find it here...

We have found that variation in type and length of exercise has helped us maintain enthusiasm.  Therefore, we bought a few different exercise items to help.  Also, we felt the need to track our weight regularly and accurately, so weighing scales are a must.  When buying these items, we had an emphasis on value for money.




Weider Crunch Trainer
This crunch trainer helps with sit-ups, so you can work on those abs/flabby tummy bits.

It has a padded headrest, integrated mat and fold away arms for easier storage.

Can be found for under £15 delivered from various websites online.  We bought ours from Amazon UK.



Confidence 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer & Bike
This trainer can be configured as a cross trainer or exercise bike.  It comes with a digital readout that tracks speed, time, distance and calories burned.  You can adjust the resistance on the pedals to make exercise easier/harder.

The foot rests are a bit flimsy and ours snapped off.  I reattached with some nuts and bolts and penny washers - much stronger now and we have had no further problems.

Can be found for under £80 delivered from various online sources.  We bought ours on Amazon.


Mountain Bike
Lots of online and 'high street' shops and supermarkets sell mountain bikes fairly cheaply.  Ours were from Halfords.

Spend as much as you want to spend.  In our case, we managed to get a couple of good quality bikes for £120 each, but sub £80 models are available and are perfectly adequate.

Don't forget some security locks/chains, lights and a water bottle!  Shop around for these.

Weighing Scales
We invested in digital scales that also give 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of a pound readings  - those mini achievements are just as important as whole pounds and/or stones!  We went with a nice glass/chrome set, only because they matched our new bathroom nicely!  Ours were from Argos, Weight Watchers branded and priced at £18.  You can get decent scales sub £10 if you shop around.

Remember to weigh at the same time of day every time and wearing either very light clothes or nothing at all!