Have you ever wanted to work out at home and skip the hustle and bustle of to your local gym? Have you ever wanted to save time and avoid a commute to a gym? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you might prefer building your very own home gym and Littlewoods can help you with that.
Enjoy working out alone
Home gyms are convenient. You work out in the comfort of your own home, with no-one watching you. If you juggle a lot of responsibilities and like working out alone, you may find a home gym fits your needs. Sometimes the hardest part in building a home gym is avoiding buying too much. Striking a fine balance between what you use and what you don’t need is the key.
What kind of workouts do you do?
Start out by asking yourself what sort of workouts will you be doing every day of the week? How often do you workout? Consider the intensity and frequency of your workouts. Next, decide what sort of equipment you need based on your workouts. Do you need equipment for cardio or strength training? Do you need medicine balls or dumbbells? Does your equipment need to be high-tech or do you prefer basic equipment? The final part is choosing a good retailer to buy your equipment from. A good sports retailer is Littlewoods, who sell all you need, with expertise and knowledge.
High impact cardio
To get started, for cardio workouts or if you just enjoy running, try out the Dynamic T3000C Motorised Treadmill with auto incline. It features 12 versatile programs, 3 modes, and 15 incline levels. Speeds range from 0.8 km/h to 16 km/h to ensure you are always pushed you to your limits. An inbuilt speaker is provided so that you can listen to your favorite tunes while you run. You can read more about it on www.littlewoods.com.
Strength training
For strength training, you can buy the York 20kg dumbbell set. They come in black cast iron and the weights are adjustable. This can add versatility to your strength workouts, and these are great for beginners too.
Low impact cardio
You may also consider getting a Work Star Shaper Magnetic Exercise Bike for low impact cardio workout sessions. It comes with a height-adjustable saddle and the magnetic resistance is quiet and smooth. It’s a perfect gym bike for your home since it doesn’t make any noise during workouts.
Keep it simple
The most important thing to keep in mind is to start simple. Don’t buy tons of equipment; start with the golden three strength, cardio, and low-impact. Once you improve your fitness levels and feel that you need more variety, you can start adding other options. For now, this should get you started on your fitness journey.
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Common Cold and Allergy Symptoms
Read moreGetting a cold is one of the most frustrating things. You have to deal with a runny nose and a constant series of sneezing. Moreover, a cold may be accompanied by a cough or vice versa. It makes things worse when you have to go to school or office. You may end up contaminating the workplace and infecting a whole lot of other people. We sometimes confuse an allergy for a cold as an allergy too causes congestion in the nose and leads to a runny nose. If you are sneezing and coughing, the first thought that comes to mind is a cold. These symptoms could be a sign of an allergy as well. Confused whether it could be cold or allergies symptoms? Read on to know about the similarities in both conditions.
Similar cold and allergy symptoms
An allergy occurs when the immune system has an adverse reaction to a substance or a series of substances. When you are exposed to an allergy trigger (which varies from person to person), your immune system releases histamines. The release of histamines to counter an allergen leads to the symptoms of an allergy. While allergies and colds do share some common symptoms, they are entirely different. Wondering if there are any common cold or allergy symptoms? Yes, indeed there are. Here are a few symptoms that occur in both cases:- Watery eyes
- Nasal congestion
- A runny nose
- A sore throat
- Coughing
- Sneezing
A common cold may cause some other symptoms, but it is not accompanied by rashes on the skin or a sensation of itchy eyes. Over 50 million Americans experience allergies every single year. Some of the most common allergens in the country are tree grass and weed pollen. These are seasonal allergens and may be difficult to detect at times. Other year-round allergens include the following:
- Certain food items like eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and milk
- Dust mite
- Animal saliva or dander (house pets like cats or dogs may cause this)
- Mold
If you are suffering from cold or allergy symptoms, visit a doctor immediately to figure out whether it is caused due to a cold or due to an allergen. It is best to determine what you are allergic to as soon as possible to avoid going through these episodes on a regular basis.
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The Best 401(k) Retirement Plan Practices
Read moreA 401(k) retirement plan is one of the best tools for working people and employees of a company for creating a secure retirement fund. For employees, the advantages are pretty obvious earnings and contributions to the 401(k) are tax deferred and secondly, employers tend to provide matching contributions to the 401(k) account (ranging from 0-100% of employee contributions). Listed below are the best practices for an employee’s 401(k) retirement planner:
Think about a Roth 401(k): Employees can invest taxed money in a Roth 401(k). Hence, those funds aren’t taxed when you withdraw them during retirement. If you’re beginning with a low salary which will rise later, it’s better to take the tax hit before than later. Alternately, if you expect your income to decline, a regular 401(k) will suit you better. The best thing will be if you have access to and can afford and contribute to both types, thus hedging your bets.
Sticking to the plan: It’s easy to create a long-term investment plan and change it frequently. However, the ideal asset allocation strategy is to choose a mix of funds and stick to the plan even if the market falters it will pay off in the long run.
Investment advice fees: Free investment advice never hurts. However, if you’re paying someone a percentage of your portfolio to guide you through the choices and the process, you should understand that if you’re a young investor with limited assets, it’s probably not worth it. Instead, go in for the free guidelines and online calculators that many companies offer, to start with.
Not touching the 401(k) before retirement: Dipping into the 401(k) nest egg is tempting, but do not so it. Not only will you end up paying taxes and extra fees, but you’ll also lose out on possibly compounded returns. Leave your 401(k) alone so that your profits can be reinvested, which will enable your nest egg to grow exponentially year after year.
Rolling over funds when quitting job: If you are quitting your job, it is very tempting to ask the employer to cut you a check for the 401(k) money, but it’ll cost you huge amounts in penalties and taxes. Instead, leave the account as it is to gain maximum from it. However, if you are asked to leave the company’s retirement plan altogether, roll the funds into the 401(k) at your new job or into an IRA. That way, your retirement nest egg continues to grow and is safe.