A Little Edge-ucation: Choose The Edge to Shape Up for Summer

It seems as though we’ve barely finished gorging on hot cross buns and Easter eggs and already our thoughts have become consumed by the impending holiday season. Although undoubtedly my favourite time of year, summer welcomes a few very scary prospects: Summer Ball, swimwear, shorts, skirts and showing some skin.  No longer can we hide under fur coats and woolly jumpers. No longer can we make excuses about it being too dark and cold to leave the house.  The time has come to shed said layers and if that prospect makes us feel more uncomfortable than a sober game of Never Have I Ever, we should probably do something about it. Some girls seek a little confidence boost before daring to bare their bodies and partaking in some light exercise could be enough to do just that.  If you’re brave enough, our very own on-campus sports centre could be the best place to shape up ready for flashing the flesh come June.

Open 16 hours a day (on weekdays), seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, The Edge could rival the newest and most expensive gyms around.  It boasts the largest fitness suite of any UK university, the largest indoor sports hall in Leeds, 4 different class studios, state-of-the-art squash courts, a brand new climbing wall and a 25 metre, 8-laned swimming pool. Best of all, it’s extremely well catered for girls:

“The Edge is a great training environment for females. The Fitness Suite boasts from more female personal trainers and gym staff then you tend to see in other gyms plus we have over 125 cardio machines to burn those weekend cocktails. Many of our classes are perfect for toning and fat burning such as Zumba, Gorgeous Glutes and Fab Abs plus we have women only swim times on offer throughout the week.” - Helen Loftus, Assistant Health and Fitness Manager

Want to know more? Let me explain:

The Fitness Suite

The high-tech gym based upstairs in The Edge comprises of 200 stations including cardio and resistance machines, a warm up area, a stretch area, a dedicated induction zone and specialist fitness equipment including Power Plate machines. The vast array of cardio machines, both traditional and new, all contain an Active Wellness TV which provides Freeview channels through a 19inch monitor; catching up on 90210 has never been easier. For the more musically motivated, each machine has an iPod dock and inbuilt radio.

The Technogym equipment functions using a Wellness Key system, meaning all your workouts are recorded, privately, on your own TGS key. You can use this key to calculate your workout duration, calories burnt, weight lifted and it can even provide you with a personalised exercise program to follow. These clever tools are brilliant if you have specific goals to achieve, like burning off that extra portion of chips Flames forced you to order last night.

If you’re worried about exercising in front of lots of people then fear not, the suite is roughly set out so that the weights and resistance machines tend to be one side of the room, and cardio machines towards the other. Alternatively, if you go before 1pm or after 6pm it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a little quieter.

Classes

The sports centre has 3 dedicated class studios as well as the former fitness suite Cromer Terrace, the large hall not far from the union. Classes can be booked 2 days in advance and from the comfort of your own home, both online and over the phone.

For me, being motivated in the gym is a truly horrendous task. The beauty of taking an exercise class is that you can’t really leave - someone is with you every step of the way, pushing, challenging and encouraging your every move. With over 125 classes a week during term time there should be no problem finding one that suits you perfectly. Classes range from high intensity cardio classes like Kieser Cycle and Body Combat, the super-toning BLT and Pilates all the way through to the fun-filled Zumba and Aqua. Literally whatever mood you’re in, The Edge has a class for it.

The Pool

It may sound unimaginable but going for a fresh swim after a heavy night can really do wonders for a sore head (although not a broken dignity, sorry) and leave you feeling almost brand new.  Once you’re done the poolside sauna or steam room provide a prime opportunity to sit back, relax and sweat out all those nasty tequila shots. The pool has over 100 hours of lane swimming available through the week and even a girls-only swim session, which at the moment runs every Tuesday 10.45-11.45am.

I know what you’re thinking - you don’t fancy spending the rest of the day looking like a drowned scarecrow reeking of chlorine. Luckily for us, there are hairdryers, mirrors and plugs for hair straighteners in the changing rooms so you can fix up before leaving. What’s more, the pool has a special UV system which means it uses just half the normal amount of chemicals, so you should leave relatively smell-free!

Edge members can swim for free but if you don’t have access to the gym or pool, you can swim pay-as-you-go for about £4.00. The Edge also currently offers 12 swims for the price of 10, so no budget-related excuses.

Something a Little Different

If conventional methods of exercise don’t quite float your boat there are a few other options to consider at The Edge. You can hire a squash or badminton court, use the sports halls or even try a taster session or beginners course on the climbing wall.

The Verdict

So if you’re panicking that you’re Summer Ball dress won’t quite zip up, or having horrific visions of hitting the beach dressed in a Fruity onesie, just a few hours at The Edge could just give you the confidence boost you need to feel amazing in whatever you wear from now on.

Whether you’re a fresher with an unused membership, a second year wondering if it’s worth investing in next year or even just considering a pay-as-you-go option, The Edge has something for you and you’d be a fool not to make the most of it. I can assure you that if you do, it will probably be the cheapest and nicest gym you’ll ever be a member of.

You can find everything else you need to know by visiting The Edge Website.

January Bites: Ten Tips for Rescuing Winter Skin

So although I submitted my monthly HerCampus article to the editors almost 3 weeks ago, it's not been put onto the site yet. Normally I would wait untill after it's been uploaded before posting it to my blog but at this rate it will be severely out of date! Enjoy....

So 2012 has already begun. At this moment in time you’re probably sick of being surrounded by tinsel and fairy lights, bored of the daily banquet of turkey sandwiches and Quality Street, fed up of irritating younger siblings and nagging parents and tired of being so worried about the impending exams that you’re yet to actually start any revision. Whether you’re one or all of these things, your skin will almost certainly be paying the price.

Stress, cold weather, poor diet, excessive drinking and lack of sleep are just some of the many factors that can leave the body particularly weak and run-down come January and us students seem to bear this brunt much more than most. Unfortunately, when our bodies are drained and our lifestyle is hectic our skin screams it. While we can easily cover a few mince pie induced pounds under an oversized jumper and a couple of shameful NYE eye-bags under thirteen layers of concealer, the sad state of our skin can be much more difficult to hide.

Understandably, an arduous skin-care regime may seem like the last thing any student feels like committing to this month, but it appears January really is the time our sorry epidermises need a little refresh and revival the most.  For that reason I give you ten easy, inexpensive tips for rescuing your January skin. I can’t promise you’ll end up with a complexion quite akin to Halle Berry, but unless you fancy sporting a balaclava for the next 28 days, they could be worth a try:

1) Exfoliate - Winter skin can be much more sensitive than usual and while you don't want to over-exfoliate or irritate the face, a gentle micro-exfoliant will help keep the skin silky smooth and radiant. Try The BodyShop’s Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (£12) or something a little cheaper such as  St Ives Elements Micro Dermabrasion (£3.99), which promises to do the job just as effectively.

2) Watch the Temperature - To keep the skin hydrated, be sure to wash your face with lukewarm water rather than hot, as this will only dry the skin out even more. It’s also important to moisturize your face immediately after washing, as this is when your skin is more likely to lock in that much-needed moisture.

3) Drink Water, Water, and More Water – No doubt you’ve heard this one more times than you’ve set foot on Campus, but drinking sufficient water is extremely important. With water fountains on every level of Edward Boyle and now also installed in the Brotherton Library, there is absolutely no excuse. Plenty of water helps keep the body hydrated and we all should aim to drink 8 glasses of water every day.

4) Body Butter-Up – Cold weather can seriously dehydrate and dry out the skin and consequently a good moisturizer or thick body butter is vital for soothing and replenishing; a rich emollient like shea butter acts to form an invisible barrier and helps prevent surplus water loss. My personal favourite is Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula  (£3.77) as it’s exceptionally cheap and smells incredible. I also love Bliss Lemon and Sage Body Butter (£20.50); a little more expensive, but if your student loan can stretch to it, worth every penny.

5) Get Your Glow Back - To snatch back your much missed healthy summer colour, exercise and a good night’s sleep are the ultimate natural ways to boost that longed-for lustrous complexion. Alternatively, go for a glow–boosting product like Soap & Glory Glow Job  (£9), which provides a healthy bronze veil of wash–off colour.

6) Skin Super-Foods – Dairy products such as natural yogurt, goat’s milk and cottage cheese are packed with essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium. Snacks such as blueberries, strawberries, nuts and sunflower seeds are also brilliant as they have extremely high nutritional value. Salmon contains many fatty acids that are essential to keeping your skin from drying out and if you can fathom facing another Christmas-esque dinner plate, turkey isn’t too bad either. Spinach, sweet potato and carrots are cheap and cheerful vegetables to enliven your skin and what better excuse to make something more indulgent like carrot cake, roasts or coleslaw.

7) Cut Down the Caffeine - Can’t live without your morning Starbucks? Rely on your Red Bull mixer to keep pulling out Beyoncé dance moves past 1am? You may have to reduce this intake severely in order to avoid the high levels of caffeine and sugar that can cause oily spots and rob your body of moisture. Green tea is one of the best natural alternatives to caffeine; it will still give you a pre-lecture energy boost and could also modestly increase metabolism, bonus!

8) Multi-Vitamins - Taking multi-vitamins is a sure-fire way to get fundamental nutrients in your system without having to worry about breaking the bank during the weekly food shop. Some are more specifically tailored towards targeting the skin, like Holland and Barratt's ‘Skin Hair Nails' formula (£7.69 – 60 caplets) which I’ve been taking for around 3 months. Although I can’t say they’ve made an enormous difference to my skin just yet, the condition of my hair has definitely improved and I’m hopeful that the rest will come with time.

9) Be Make-up Vigilant – Wherever possible reduce your daily face paint and work the more natural look. Swap your heavy, suffocating foundation for something lighter like a tinted moisturizer; this one from Nivea (£2.03) will provide good coverage and let your skin breathe. For particularly sensitive skin, use hypo-allergic, naturally coloured cosmetics for make-up; the fewer pigments, the less irritating property.

10) (Attempt to) Make a Face Mask – Fun, cheap and a fantastic source of procrastination. There are millions of recipes online and there’s sure to be one perfect for utilizing whatever’s hiding in the back of the fridge. Here’s a simple OatmealFacemask to try and an even simpler Egg YolkFace Mask to get messy with.

The ‘Dukan Diet’: Another Fat-Free Fad or a French Revolution?

The student party season, although painfully premature, is fast approaching. For the more body conscious of you that may be considering trying to shift a few pounds this winter, let me introduce you to the ‘Dukan Diet’; invented and brought to the UK by Dr Pierre Dukan, loved by countless celebrities, numerous French women, the royal in-laws and my very own mother!

For many of us, the wild and care-free frivolities of Fresher’s week seem like only yesterday. Memories of hurling our loans at Topshop cashiers, falling out of taxis, spending numerous drunken hours in McDonalds and chundering before, after and during Fruity still seem fresher than a Bodington Common Room. (un)Fortunately it’s all about to come around once again, whether we like it or not.

For numerous female students, the inevitable prospect of an upcoming society/hall/work Christmas social means hunting down, or perhaps more importantly fitting into, that killer dress. While some may be blessed with a ridiculously enviable metabolism (I hate you), others will be hitting the gym harder than a rugby-tackled Varsity streaker. For the rest of us exercise-phobic individuals desperate to shift a pound or two, we may end up resorting to one thing, that oh-so-menacing ‘D’ word: a DIET.

So have you heard of the recently-famed ‘Dukan Diet’? As something I have tried, tasted and witnessed thanks to a very dedicated (and now very slim-line) mother, I share with you my thoughts and observations:

The ‘Dukan Diet’ Guidelines
The diet is based on a list of over 100 allowed foods, as well as four specific phases known as: attack, cruise, consolidation, and stabilization.
The initial attack phase is designed to enable dieters to rapidly lose 0 to 3 kilograms (up to 6.6 lb) in 2–7 days by kick-starting their metabolism. Dieters are allowed to eat as much as they want of 72 protein-rich foods. Tea, coffee and diet drinks are allowed, but no alcohol.
The cruise phase is designed to allow dieters to more gradually achieve the weight they aim for by eating protein-rich foods with the addition of 28 specific vegetables. The length of this phase is usually calculated as 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of weight loss per week, but this is based on specific personal conditions. Tolerated foods are also allowed as per the programme, but any weight gain will ban some of these
The consolidation phase is designed to help in preventing any future massive weight gain. During this phase, fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods are reintroduced into a normal diet, leaving two celebratory meals a week as directed by the plan
Finally, in the stabilization phase, dieters can essentially eat whatever they want without gaining weight by following a few rules: protein day once a week, eating oat bran every day and making a commitment to "take the stairs". According to Dukan, dieters shall follow this last phase for the rest their lives to avoid regaining weight.

All phases fully explained here: http://www.dukandiet.com/The-Dukan-Diet/4-Phases as well as in this short video...

In short, the diet is all about enduring an ugly few days of protein, protein and more protein and then gradually introducing the somewhat more exciting food groups as time goes on.

Having begun the plan with my Mum in January after a slightly over-indulgent Christmas, I have acquired pretty mixed feelings about the diet. I ashamedly lasted all of two days in the ‘attack’ phase. As serious bread, cereal and general carbohydrate addict I crumbled, literally, to freshly made bread and a pack of chocolate digestives.  The thought of another lunchbox brimming with ham and eggs after a measly bowl of Oatbran porridge made with skimmed milk, aka water, was all too much for me. I inhaled the calories I had missed out on in two days in the space of fifteen minutes. My Mum on the other hand heroically stuck it out and saw through every single protein-packed phase. She reached her target weight within eight weeks and has managed to keep it off ever since in the 'stabilization' phase.

When I ask myself if the diet is student-friendly I would definitely have to say no. It’s expensive (meat is not cheap), doesn’t condone alcohol (definite no then) and leaves you with a breath so bad you most definitely won’t be pulling on Friday night. Health-wise it’s also very questionable and has faced its fair share of media criticism. Surely no diet advocating copious amounts of diet coke and artificial sweeteners but limited fruit and veg can be healthy?

Nevertheless, there are some positives I have taken from my brief encounter with Dr. Dukan’s plan, some of which I feel have left me at a more stable weight throughout the year. In truth, I have found one of the diet’s super-foods, Oatbran, a god-send for good digestion and for making low calorie but delicious snacks (http://mydukandiet.com/recipes/chocolate-oat-bran-muffins.html). Health benefits have also proven fruitful for my mum, who has significantly lower cholesterol, blood pressure and has shed 1 ½ stone.

So if you are planning on dieting this season I'd urge you to research a little more into Dukan's method and have a real think about whether this sort of strict regime is really suited to you and your’ lifestyle. I wouldn't advise starting it and then giving in after 2 days as I did, but if you love nothing more than a whole chicken with no sides at Nandos, it could be worth a try.  I think it is a manageable diet for getting weight off quickly and potentially keeping it off, you just have to be extremely dedicated, and really really like meat.

Although I’ll always maintain the mantra that diets do not work, who am I to argue with the likes of Carole Middleton, Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Gisele Bundchen and my very own flesh and blood, who are living proof that they do!