Articles Archives - Page 6 of 8

July 7, 2021

Miss your gym buddies?

We train stronger together. Working out with friends pushes us harder and keeps us accountable. So in 2019 we launched the UK’s first live leaderboard HIIT workouts, with Fiit Club. These classes let you train with people around the world in 60+ scheduled workouts a day.

Now, as Covid-19 continues to affect group classes in gyms — we’re taking things one step further.

We’re really excited to announce our newest feature, that lets you create your own group class! You choose the trainer, class, time and guest list. We bring the best workout you can get (in or out of the gym).

You can create a group class from any of the 500+ on-demand (or training plan) workouts in the app. From 10 minute stretches and yoga flows to 40 minute equipment classes, the options are endless. Simply tap the ‘Schedule group class’ button on your chosen class and pick a time and date that works for you (at least 15 minutes before you want to work out).

As the host, you’ll get a unique class link you can share with as many people as you like, wherever they may be. Have everyone join the lobby at least 10 minutes before the class starts.

You’ll see your scheduled group class, start time and guest list under the ‘Schedule’ tab (and so will your guests once they’ve booked in).

Will there be a leaderboard?

You bet. Cardio classes include a live leaderboard so you can challenge your friends to the top. But if you’re not one for friendly competition, you can easily swipe it away. If you’re not tracking your stats with a device, you won't appear on the leaderboard either.

For strength workouts, we don’t want you sacrificing your form over Points. It’s quality reps over quantity every time. So we haven’t added a leaderboard, but you’ll still see your rep count on the screen — and you’ll be able to compare it with your friends’ scores in a post-workout leaderboard.

As you know, the Rebalance studio is all about finding calm on the mat. So you’ll flow together, without scoring points.

July 1, 2021

How to get your retirement back on track

The uncertainty caused by the pandemic was particularly unwelcome news for people approaching retirement, but there are ways to strengthen your financial plans.

For millions of older workers, who can see retirement approaching on the horizon, recent pension provider statements might not have made encouraging reading.

At the beginnings of the Covid pandemic, nine out of 10 pension funds experienced a loss. (1) The situation has improved as stock markets subsequently recovered from the initial shocks. But people’s day-to-day money situation has also taken a hit, with November 2020 research by LV= finding 40% of people aged 55-64 (2) say their finances were worse than three months earlier.

One in four of this age group has seen a fall in income from work, which could reduce how much they can save towards retirement. Especially as only 3% of 55-64s are putting any spare money they have into a pension.

Start feeling more confident

If you’re feeling concerned about your ability to retire, you’re in good company. Schroders research in November found 41% of global investors (3) are worried they won’t have enough money to retire. 43% of people aged 51-70 are anxious their retirement income won’t prove enough.

So, what could you do to start feeling more confident? Well, the first thing is to start seriously looking at your retirement ambitions and how much money you’re going to need.

For example, it’s worth looking at your current spending habits and how it might change. After that, you can think about the fun stuff you’ll want to do in retirement and the costs that may be involved.

How do your plans stack up?

With a clearer idea of your outgoings, it’s time to look at the health of your savings, investments and pensions – and how much income they could provide you. There’s also the state pension to factor in.

If you’ve changed jobs over your career, you might have amassed several pension pots that you’ve forgotten all about – these could boost your income. January 2021 research from Interactive Investor (4) found one in eight of us don’t know how many workplace pensions we have.

Any gap between your likely spending needs and the level of savings is the key area to address. It’s important, to also remember that your retirement will hopefully last for many years, and your needs might change over time. So, your retirement provisions need to last you.

Speak to a professional

With so much at stake, getting an expert to help you plan retirement can make a real difference. That’s why a lot of people speak to a financial advisor in the final few years before retiring. They have the know-how to review your plans and forecast your retirement spending needs, so you can get a more accurate picture of where you stand.

As financial advisors we are able to advise you on making stronger plans and help you develop a suitable strategy for transitioning into retirement, giving you the peace of mind you deserve!

June 15, 2021

An Adventurers Experience with Depression

Of those that know me or have stumbled across me online, many will know that a few years ago, I set off to cycle around the world.

What fewer will know is that the trip almost never happened due to issues with my mental health.

Two days into a training ride, I had a breakdown and had to go home. Over time, I lost all will to exercise, became scared of social interactions and, eventually, just hid behind my bed (literally). As a result, Laura and I had to cancel our round-the-world plans.

The fact that I had written extensively about cycling around the world but never mentioned depression was deliberate. I write about expeditions, not about myself. I don’t write about my personal life just as I don’t write about politics or sport.

But when I came to write the book about our trip, I found it was impossible to give an honest account without discussing the problems I faced.

With the Sun on Our Right: Prologue extract

As part of our preparation, we decided to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats. We had done several cycle tours before but thought that we should see how it felt to go away, knowing that the experience might be extended for a year or more. On the second day, however, Laura looked over her shoulder to see me pushing my bike uphill. She was perplexed. I had never needed to get off and push before.

‘You alright, love?’ she asked.

‘I just don’t seem to have the energy.’

This was odd because I rode my bike all the time and had recently set the Guinness World Record for the longest distance cycled on a rickshaw. That had involved pedalling a huge, iron tricycle 1,000 miles from Scotland to London. As such, cycling up a hill, even a Cornish one, should have been fine.

When evening came, for some unknown reason, I could not face camping. Normally, I viewed camping as an opportunity, not a hardship. I loved nothing more than sleeping on top of a hill beneath the stars, but that night, I could not bring myself to do it. I was almost scared of it and Laura eventually had to find us a hotel.

We started on our bikes again the following day, but when we reached a town, I told Laura that I could not cycle any further and needed to sit down. She went off to get me some food (knowing that hunger was often the source of my problems), and by the time she got back, I was sitting on the floor with my head in my hands, crying.

I prided myself on never giving up. I was constantly looking for challenges and always driving myself harder. In Oman, for example, I used to ride a loop of the local oil compound every morning before breakfast and cycled so hard that when I slumped over my bike after achieving a personal best, passers-by would stop and ask if I was OK.

But that had started to feel futile. What was the point of riding my bike in circles, just to beat my own time? And what was the point of riding a bike across Cornwall? Why bother riding a bike at all?

Those feelings had been building for several months. Years of working at home, on my own, had been taking a toll. I often had no human interaction for days at a time and I had not been making a lot of money either, which, combined with the recent loss of a key client, ate away at my self-esteem.

These issues all came to a head in Cornwall, and the only response I could muster was to sit on the floor, crying.

‘What’s wrong, love?’ Laura asked when she came back from the shop.

‘I don’t know,’ I replied, ‘but I need to go home.’

*****

The doctor told me that I had depression. I was expecting that but pressed him on what was physically wrong with me.

OK, but why am I so tired all the time? Why can’t I run or cycle anymore?’

‘You don’t understand,’ he said. ‘That’s the depression too.’

I tried to pretend that this would not affect our plan to cycle around the world.

‘I’ll be alright once we get going,’ I said.

For years, I had been looking forward to this trip. I was not willing to accept that this was an illness that would prohibit me from disappearing on my bike for a year. I just convinced myself that everything was still on track for our departure.

But the evidence was in front of me. As well as having no will to exercise, I became scared of social interactions. I would dwell on the slightest negative comments for days and, eventually, just avoided talking to people. It got to the point where I felt the need to physically hide. Laura came into our bedroom one day to find me curled up in a ball behind our bed, with my eyes clamped shut and my fingers rammed into my ears. I felt completely overwhelmed and needed to shut the world away.

This odd defence mechanism grew into a habit. It became so normal that I even hid behind the bed when my parents came to visit, and sometimes Laura would have to bring my dinner to eat on the floor, curled up in the corner of our bedroom. A year earlier, I had crossed a desert, run an ultramarathon and broken a world record. Now I was reduced to hiding under beds.

Still, I could not let myself believe that anything would get in the way of our big trip. It was the one thing that I was holding on to and I was not yet ready to let it go. I insisted that I would be fine, and we pressed ahead with planning our ride around the world. But when Laura tried to hand in her notice at work, she was crying so much that her boss suggested she take a little longer to think about it. She knew that I was not in a fit state to go travelling and, slowly, she helped me realise that myself.

With time and treatment, I got better and, the following year, we set off to start cycling around the world (which is what the rest of my book is about).

Why I am writing this now

It’s easy to portray a certain version of yourself through social media. In my case, I just show the adventurous side and I do that to encourage others to undertake adventures themselves.

However, presenting a professionalised persona risks perpetuating an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation in which adventurers with slick websites make it look like adventure is only for professionals with specialist skills and corporate sponsors. It is not.

That is the reason I publish the costs of my expeditions and the earnings of my website. It shows that my trips are not expensive or funded by sponsorship. It is also why I showcase other peoples’ adventures (like these guys crossing the Wahiba and everyone who’s won my grant). I want to ram home the message that anyone can have an adventure and that, just because I have a blog, I’m no different.

I hope that, through my website, people will see that it is OK to go on an adventure without expedition experience and without corporate sponsorship. And I hope that by adding to the chorus of adventurers* speaking about their mental health issues, people will realise that that’s OK too.

(*Like Sarah Outen, Emily Chappell, Kev Shannon, Juliana Buhring and Jake McManus, to name a few off the top of my head)

June 10, 2021

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Nick’s Story

Biggest stressor?

My biggest stressors are definitely work related – I am a problem solver and tend to want to dive into problems to get them resolved as quickly as possible. That uses up tremendous amounts of energy. When in my type of role, it can be better to take a marathon vs sprint mentality given that “problems” are ever present.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

Like everyone I have times when I can manage the stress effectively and then other times less so. Additionally, I am an anxiety sufferer. It is therefore hugely important to my well being that I have a way to manage my mental and physical health. So I have two main approaches – one is to focus on the mental aspects and the other the physical. Starting with the latter, I always ensure that I have a physical goal that I am working towards such as entering races or competitions, that require me to train and therefore ensures I dedicate time to getting away from work.

I have two main approaches – one is to focus on the mental aspects and the other the physical

In recent years I’ve entered events like the Henley Swim Marathons, London Marathon and Otillo SwimRuns – all of which ensure that each week I need to carve out at least 6-7 hours worth of training time and to keep eating healthily.

From a mental health perspective – and it sounds cliche – but it's good to talk. It never works for me to let things stew inside – much more effective for me has been speaking to close friends, family and folks I work with, to share experiences and hear how common my experience is for others and so share ideas and techniques to manage your mental wellbeing.

For me, the best antidote is knowing you’re not alone in how you feel and hearing other perspectives. So for me the perfect combination is to sign up to these annual races and competitions with friends so you can train together, socialise and talk!

For me, the best antidote is knowing you’re not alone in how you feel and hearing other perspectives

What do you gain from your competitions?

Mostly it's all about peace of mind. I don’t enter competitions with the focus of winning against others, it's about personal challenges and goals, then enjoying the experience. I can’t describe the sense of wellbeing I get when I find myself in hidden and beautiful parts of the country of the world, that I wouldn’t have otherwise seen if I hadn’t entered a race or competition that scared me.

On top of that I spent my twenties carrying injuries, having surgery on a pair of dodgy knees and with an unhealthy focus on work, I gained a significant amount of weight. In 2012 when my daughter was born things had to change and by changing my focus away from work and getting healthy - I shifted 40lbs and have kept it off since. So having these physical challenges helps me not only mentally, but gets me away from the desk and keeps the weight off!

My health and wellbeing aims...

My aims really all boil down to the pursuit of happiness. Life is never simple nor consistent and can’t be “controlled” so my aim is to do what’s necessary to live in and enjoy the moment so I don’t miss what matters most. Family, friends, connections. Work and health stressors have the power to make you focus on the direct opposite of what’s good for you, making you worry about things that have either happened or might happen. So managing stress, giving myself some slack and focusing on being present are the aim!

June 10, 2021

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Gavin’s Story

Biggest stressor?

In general, work is my biggest stressor. There is always more to do than time to do it, and we obviously are both in a competitive situation as well as ensuring that we deliver to the right quality in areas which are often new.

However, this stress is x2 when at the same time there is any level of stress at home, e.g. perhaps the children are sick and need care or any other items.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

The biggest relief I use to manage stress is to find some physical way of releasing it. While others may purge and exhale the stress through mindfulness, I tend to use exercise.

I am a keen cyclist and typically will get up 05:30 each morning to hit the bike and wake myself up as well as flush the system.

I am also a black-belt in 2 styles of Karate, and find the energy and physical nature of that to be very releasing.

Finally, cuddling with the children and reading books together during “Bookie and Cookie” time is the icing on the cake!

While others may purge and exhale the stress through mindfulness, I tend to use exercise.

What do you gain from your exercise?

I have had several back issues in my life, related initially to poor core stability during exercise and also through a fundamentally sedentary lifestyle and weight drifting upwards.

What this exercise does is it not only keeps the weight at the right ratio, but the movements in Karate strengthen the core and the bicycle allows multiple gentle mobilisation of lower back. Thanks to this, (and regular ministrations from Nikki Roy), my back issues have not been a problem now for a number of years. Touch Wood!!

There is always more to do than time to do it

My health and wellbeing aims...

Overall my aim for health and wellbeing is to be able to enjoy life. It’s very important for me to be able to be a physical role model for my children who will in turn grow up into a life much more sedentary than the previous generation.

I want to get stronger and faster on the bike, and am faster than I was 18 years ago.

I am absolutely a firm believe in ASICS (not the shoe brand but still!). Animo Sana in Corpore Sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body. Achieving this life balance gives me the ability to manage work stress, achieve my health goals, and in being more relaxed, be a more fun and participative husband and father to my family!

June 10, 2021

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Steve’s Story

Biggest stressor?

The biggest stressor I find is to be running a small business while trying to make ends meet in the current difficult retail environment. This is made even more difficult by the Brexit uncertainty and the proliferation of online retail, this year more-so, with the enforced lockdown closure which us and many businesses have had to endure....

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

To combat the stress, and to keep a good work/life balance, I enjoy exercise and also teach martial arts (been training in a Japanese style, Shorinji Kempo, for over 35 years) after many years of being a “gym body” the last few years have seen me getting back into cycling in a big way (used to cycle in my late teens but had almost 20 years off the bike) now cycling around 100 to 200 miles every week. I also so callisthenics workouts 2 or 3 times a week instead of gym training, to keep the body fit in addition to the cycling.

I enjoy travelling, but more the long weekend city breaks than the week or two lazing on a beach.... a long weekend is just enough to recharge the batteries. Although this last year there has sadly been no travelling, that just leaves more time for the bike....

Also a great de-stressor is to get a good book, and a cat (other pets are available) on your lap and just chill out for a couple of hours.....
A physiotherapy and/or sports massage session regularly can also help to de-stress the body and ease those muscles you are working to de-stress the mind....

What do you gain from your physical exercise?

For me, physical exercise is an essential part of keeping my mental health as well as my physical health. Other people may find other ways to maintain mental health and stability, whether it’s seeing friends, socialising, alcohol, food, anything..... it doesn’t matter as long as it works for you and doesn’t have a negative effect on others, then it’s great.....

For me, physical exercise is an essential part of keeping my mental health as well as my physical health

My health and wellbeing aims...

Looking to the future, I just hope that I can maintain what I’ve got. We all suffer ageing in different ways and I’m already suffering arthritis in my hips but by keeping up the exercise routines I’m hoping to be active well into retirement.....

Life is a challenge to everyone, it’s how you face that challenge and try to overcome it that will give you a fulfilling and enjoyable existence.

June 10, 2021

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Tom’s Story

Biggest stressor?

The biggest stressor for me is balance across all aspects of my life. With a busy job, a young family and now that things are opening up again, the opportunity to see friends and family, play sports and travel more, I find it very hard to make sure I am achieving the right balance. I find that trying to achieve that balance often leaves me feeling that I am doing everything badly, or at least not to the level that I should be, which in turn can sometimes cause stress and anxiety.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

There are a number of things that I do to try and achieve a good balance and reduce stress and anxiety as much as possible.

Exercise is hugely important to me, and running in particular - I find running helps me to reduce stress, as well as giving me time away from devices, to make plans and priortise my time. I try and exercise at least 3-4 days a week.

I started doing 15 minutes of yoga every morning, it gives me a bit of space before starting the day.

Yoga - I started doing 15 minutes of yoga every morning during the second lockdown, and it is now a key part of my routine for reducing stress. I do it as soon as I get woken up by the kids and while they are still entertaining themselves and it gives me a bit of space before starting the day.

Attention - One of the areas I am working hard to improve on is a focus on attention. It is so easy to try and multi-task in today's world, but you always get a better outcome when you provide your full attention to one task, especially if that is an interaction with someone at work or your children. I am trying to bring this into my life as much as possible.

Massage - With all the exercise, I also have regular massage sessions with Body Mechanics which really helps to keep me de-stressed and relaxed.

I am more focused on making sure I take the best care of my body, and my mind and maximise the enjoyment I get out of life

What do you gain from your management techniques?

Focusing on my wellbeing, by making sure that I make time in my week to do things that are important to me, has the multiple benefits of keeping me motivated, keeping me focused, de-stressing me and making my life more enjoyable.

My health and wellbeing aims...

My key health and wellbeing goals have changed a fair amount over the last few years. I used to have very specific targets and times I wanted to achieve for runs or triathlons, whereas now I am more focused on making sure I take the best care of my body, and my mind and maximise the enjoyment I get out of life.

A middle aged man walking in a mountain valley

June 5, 2021

How Exercise Helps You Stay Younger For Longer

Ageing is often associated with loss of energy, strength and mobility. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As countless generations have proved, you can move and feel just as well at 80 than 30 — provided you put in the work.

That doesn’t mean stocking up on overpriced anti-wrinkle creams or undergoing painful procedures. The only science-backed way to reverse the ageing process (in body and mind) is as simple as it is affordable.

Exercise to stay strong and mobile

You might be shocked to learn that from as early as our mid 30s, we start to lose muscle mass and bone density. We get weaker and more prone to bone fractures.

It’s estimated that up to a quarter of adults over the age of 60, and half of those over 80, have significantly thinner arms and legs than they did in their youth. Worse still, 4 out of 5 adults aged 50 or above are suffering from at least one chronic condition.

Daily activity becomes harder and we risk losing our independence — precisely at a time in our lives where we should be enjoying it the most.

The good news is regular exercise is an extremely effective way to stave off (and even reverse) the ageing process.

In a study conducted by the University of Birmingham and King’s College London, 125 amateur cyclics, aged 55-79, were put through a series of tests and their results compared to a group of similarly aged adults who weren’t active. The study showed that muscle mass and strength did not decrease in those who had exercised regularly, nor did their body fat or cholesterol levels increase with age — as was the case for those who hadn’t exercised throughout their life. The cyclists’ immune system also showed zero signs of ageing, unlike that of their more sedentary counterparts.

Another study followed a group of runners aged 55-72 and found the length of their telomeres (the protective caps on the strands of DNA) hadn’t shortened at all. In fact they were virtually the same as those of 18-32 year olds. So exercise keeps us young — right down to our DNA.

Exercise to look younger for longer

Working out naturally gives you a younger-looking complexion. By increasing your blood flow, which carries oxygen blood flow, which carries oxygen to working cells around the body, exercise cleanses your skin from the inside. And it doesn’t take much. McMaster University found that women over 65 who trained for 2 hours a week, over a period of 3 months, had the skin composition of women 20-30 years younger.

Dr Mark Tarnopolsky, professor of pediatrics and exercise science at McMaster, set out to prove the significant impact exercise can have on our health — even when introduced at a late stage in life.

“Exercise is something we should be doing not just for our hearts and brains and to lower cancer risk…but also to make our skin healthier. 30 minutes, 3 times a week is all it takes.”

That’s just 2 Fiit workouts a week, 1 strength class and a rebalance session to stretch off and recover.

Exercise to keep your mind sharp and happy

In 2010, a meta-analysis grouped 24 studies that found significant proof of both the mental benefits of exercise, as well as the risks posed to those leading more sedentary lifestyles.

From Parkinson’s and MS to Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, physical activity was proven to reduce the risk of developing a host of neurological diseases. As well as preventing and treating depression and stress.

By training just 30-60 minutes, a couple of times a week, you’ll improve your chances of retaining memories, judgment, reasoning and learning skills in later life.

Exercise adds life to your years — not just years to your life. It changes the way you feel, think, look and move, in a safe and affordable way.

By combining strength training, HIIT and mobility classes, you’ll experience a wide range of benefits that keep your brain and ageing muscles from weakening over time — and your skin from wrinkling.

Image of a forest with someone walking towards to the trees

May 31, 2021

Walk Your Way to Mental Wellbeing with Stag Walkers

With many of our favourite pastimes closed off to us during lockdown, walking remained a simple but vital way for many of us to stay fit and de-stress.

As the country continues to gradually move out of lockdown, we are hopeful that we are finally moving on to better times. The impact of Covid-19 has been huge and devastating for a variety of reasons, especially with regard to mental health.

The awareness surrounding mental health has improved in recent years, but the potential remains to do more. According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health and behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety and drug use) are reported to be the primary drivers of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds. It is also estimated that one in six people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem.

The past year or so has been particularly difficult for people who have found themselves out of work due to lockdown, either because of redundancy or furlough. Having our day-to-day normality suddenly interrupted and the concern caused by new practices being put in place, not to mention the challenges of juggling a job with parenting and home-schooling, can place a huge burden on a person's mental health. Our pastimes and pleasures, such as playing sport, going to the pub or cinema or simply visiting friends and family, often play a vital role in helping us deal with the pressures of everyday life. But with many of those avenues closed off during the pandemic, walking has become something of a saving grace for many.

Lift Your Mood

Mental Health Awareness Week, which took place between 10th-16th May, provided some top tips on how to connect with nature to improve mental health. For example, visiting natural places like parks, gardens or forests can help you reduce your risk of mental health issues, lift your mood and help you feel better about things. Throughout the pandemic, increasing numbers of people have turned to walking, either for exercise, relieving stress or spending some valuable time with someone for a socially distanced catch up. In the second half of last year, the Ramblers, welcomed 30 per cent more new members than for the same period the previous year. The Ramblers is a charity whose goal is to protect the ability of people to enjoy the sense of freedom and benefits that come from being outdoors on foot.

There are thousands of miles of beautiful countryside to explore, and that is how members of Ramblers groups often spend their leisure time. Stag Walkers, for example, is a friendly and sociable Ramblers group aimed at people in their 20s and 30s across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Staying Connected

Despite not being able to meet up for group walks during lockdown, many of the group’s members have stayed connected by sharing photos from their solo walks. As well as the physical benefits, being a part of a group like Stag Walkers has further advantages when it comes to mental health. Face-to-face contact and just being able to talk to a friend now and again is extremely important to help us remain happy and balanced, whatever the day throws at us. This is something the Stag Walkers group remained conscious of as the group's Chair, Rebecca Dawson, explains:

“During lockdown we realised that many of our members might appreciate some virtual events to keep us all in touch. So, as well as online socials and the ubiquitous pub quiz, we also put on some virtual walking events such as our recent Icknield Way virtual challenge, and Land’s End to John O’Groats virtual group walk.”

Ramblers groups can also provide a relaxing and social way for people to familiarise themselves with new locations. Vicky joined Stag Walkers in July 2019 after moving to Letchworth in Hertfordshire. She said: “I knew nobody in the area so I was keen to explore and meet new people. I love being able to explore the countryside on a led walk and not have to check my map constantly. During lockdown the group has also been a real lifeline as I live on my own and even though group walks were suspended I was still able to meet up with members one-on-one for a walk.”

Thankfully for Vicky and her fellow Ramblers, group walks are back on - with appropriate Covid-safe measures in place.

Rebecca Dawson concluded: “For a walking group like ours, whose main purpose is to enjoy the great outdoors together, we’ve missed being able to do what we love. We can now look forward to welcoming back our members and anybody with a new-found appreciation for walking.”

Case Study: Will joined the Ramblers after a life-changing operation. This is his story:

“I had always enjoyed longer walks but there was a period in my life where walking was almost impossible. I could barely walk 100 metres let alone anything else. In early 2018 I had a life-transforming operation that gave me my life back. Though breathing wasn’t the only thing that I needed to get back on track. I had become incredibly insular and was barely coping with depression. So, late in 2018 I joined my local Ramblers group, Stag Walkers. It did a number of things for me as well as improving my physical fitness, but it gave me a social life back. Almost three years later I have made a great group of friends and I now have the confidence to lead walks and take an active role in helping to run the group. Stag Walkers has almost given me as much of a life as the life-saving operation did.”

Set (realistic) goals
Setting yourself personal goals can really help to keep you focused and keep you walking. Make sure that they are challenging, but realistic – and that you set a time limit so that you can tell if you’ve achieved them.

Take on a challenge
Signing up for a walking challenge is another way to give yourself a goal to aim for. Having an event to aim for and people sponsoring you will give you the encouragement you need to get training by walking more day to day.

Don’t do it alone
Walking with a friend or a group is a great way to keep motivated – you can help and encourage each other to keep going. If you set specific dates to go out with other people, then you’re less likely to decide against it at the last minute.

Find new routes
It’s great to get out and discover new places – with a group or on your own. You can find new routes by joining different Walking for Health walks around you.

Or if you want to branch out on your own, you can find routes to follow in your area using Ramblers Routes. They’re all developed by trained volunteers, so you know that you’re in expert hands.

Use technology and track your progress
It can be really satisfying to see the distance you’ve walked, the steps you’ve taken, or the calories you’ve burnt mounting up. If you have a smartphone, there are lots of great apps around to help you track how far you’ve walked and provide lots of other stats. Or you could use a pedometer or step counter to keep track of how many steps you’re doing.

I WANT TO BUY A BIGGER FAMILY HOME FOR NOW AND PROTECT MY CHILDREN NOW & IN THE FUTURE

May 26, 2021

Affinity Case Study: Purchasing a Bigger Family Home

This article first appeared as a blog on https://ifa-affinity.co.uk/

I want to buy a bigger family home for now and protect my children now & in the future

Our Client’s Situation:
Our clients have two young children together; they want their boys to be well looked after now, and in the future, should the inevitable happen. Whilst they love their current home, they had outgrown it and wanted to upsize and move out of the area to be closer to family. A key priority was a bigger kitchen as this would allow Mrs E to consider starting her own business in the future, baking cakes. They wanted to retain their current house as it had been their family home for the past 10 years+ and wanted it to form part of their children’s inheritance in the future.

Expert Advice:
We suggested raising a ‘Buy to Let’ mortgage which would provide them with a significant deposit towards their future new residential home. This means they could keep their current home & provide the opportunity to another family to rent the property, which is situated in a popular and appealing area and create their own memories. This Buy to let (BTL) mortgage would be serviced by the rental income they received and their new residential mortgage could be serviced by their earned income. This meant they could keep their first family home for their children to inherit in the future, whilst allowing them to upsize and making Mrs E’s plans of starting her own baking company a strong possibility in near future.

Our advice didn’t stop there; as family is very important to these clients and us at Affinity, we ensured their family, mortgage & main household income were protected by creating their very own bespoke protection portfolio. We used our industry-wide product knowledge and experience and applied it to their specific personal needs. Simple, honest & transparent advice in all areas!

Independent Mortgage Advice from Affinity Financial Advisors

Whether you wish to purchase your own home, invest in a buy-to-let property, raise money for home improvements or simply re-mortgage to get a better deal, buying a property and arranging a mortgage can be a stressful time. We cut through the complexities and get the best possible mortgage for your situation. We manage the application process right through to completion, taking the weight off your shoulders.

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