Hi-Tec Luca Revisited and Reviewed

Hi guys, this post is so so far behind schedule, life in Lilybobomb Towers has been crazily manic recently, we have had illnesses, life changing events, Kitchens being fitted and all sorts of other frustrations; including not being able to actually reach my computer for the last two weeks due to the contents of our kitchen needing to be stored around the house until the work is finished.

We are here for now though so thought I best grab Marc and get this written, You can see the unboxing of the trainers HERE and see Marc's Initial thoughts on them.

Marc has thoroughly tested these trainers, he has been walking, running, the gym, and around town in them a number of times and they have held up fantastically.

I asked him to give me a brief review of them and he told me to let you all know that, they are incredibly light weight and very comfortable, they handled his long walk to work, much better than he had expected them to as he usually ends up with blisters and sore spots on his feet, and running was a breeze.

Marc suffers from bad back pain and hard soled shoes aren't always an option for him, although we both prefer to keep our trainers for exercise, sometimes trainers are the best option for him to manage his pain.

As you can see from the photo's below, although the blue is very bright, because the rest of the shoe is black they do not look too garish when wearing them with his casual clothing out and about.

Don't you just love the unpainted half removed floor! a kitchen refit is incredibly stressful, I do not recommend it!

I do have some other pictures but they are currently stuck on my mac surrounded by boxes, if I ever make it back in there I will try to add them on here for you.

Hi-Tec really have come on leaps and bounds since I was a teenager refusing to wear them for PE because they weren't what everyone else was wearing, heat over to the website and take a look for yourself HERE.

Marc has decided to set up his own blog focusing on his interests, he is a gamer, loves reading and films and also will talk about his life being a plus size man! I will keep you updated in case it is of interest to any of you.

Mhairi and Marc

Menswear - Hi-Tec Luca Trainers Unboxing

Good afternoon ladies and gents,

Every now and then I like to mix it up a bit and do a little post for the men in our lives or for my male readers.

A while ago I was given the opportunity to review a pair of mens Hi-Tec trainers for my husband, he was given the opportunity to select a pair he liked and they kindly sent them out to us.

Now this post should have gone live ages ago but unfortunately, with all the huge changes happening around here recently with the homeschooling and preparing for a new kitchen as well as various illnesses! I have fallen behind schedule with so many of my posts so first of all so so sorry to the wonderful James at Blogger opps and to HiTec as well.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, the trainers arrived and we were very impressed, even our resident teenager said they looked pretty good!

This post will just be a bit of an unboxing and then I have a full review scheduled to go live on Sunday with Marc's overall impression of the trainers, and how they have held up to his uses for them.

So on with the unboxing photos of the Hi-Tec Luca

I like the packaging it is clean and simple, I cant stand crazy brightly coloured in your face packaging (Nike take note) I just feel like well how much of what I am paying goes into producing this OTT packaging.

Nicely Boxed.

My husband loves bright colours on his trainers, so these really stood out to him, the blue is a really nice colour and although it is bright it isn't too in your face.

They are a nice shape and incredibly light, the upper is material with a slightly rubberised feel around the toe area at only £39.99 I think these are a brilliant option for the gym or training.

Marc has been putting them through there paces with various activities over the last few weeks so I will give you the full review on Sunday. 

Head on over to the Hi-Tec website for a look around they have some lovely Womens options too.

Mhairi

xxx

Shock Absorber - Sports Bra Review

A little while ago, I was offered the chance for my sister and myself to review a Shock Absorber Ultimate Gym bra, mine still has not arrived yet due to stock issues and my sisters review was delayed due to her having some difficulties, but we are back on track now and ready to get our asses fitter and healthier!

Below is my sisters review in her own words.

It feels magnificent. I love the look. It appears on first glance like it could go into battle and win. The material is soft and silky against my skin, and very comfortable. Sadly, that's where my praise stops. 

I asked for a 36F, which was going by my own natural size. However, it's a nightmare to do up.

At first I thought I'd misjudged the size, but honestly, it needs two people just to fasten the back. I tried front fastening which I've seen my own mum do a million times, but I'm a back fastener. I managed with the main clasps, but the second clasp - which I assume to be essential in the whole 'keeping the puppies steady' thing, just couldn't be closed. The trouble is, I'm a single parent, I live alone with my children who cringe at the sight of my socks, let alone a bra, and I would likely go to the gym alone, so who do I ask to fasten me up?

Now, please don't let this deter you, because I have to say, that despite what I consider to be small short comings, I would still recommend the bra. It's so ridiculously comfortable, I'm considering going up a size just to have one to sleep it. The best thing is that - even without the second clasp being fastened - I don't bounce about all over the place. There are no black eyes, no discomfort, and I feel totally comfortable in it. I have an exercise bike at home and I tell you, it's quite refreshing not to be jangling all over the place. I jumped up and down and there was only minor movement. 

Post pregnancy, I've been left with poor elasticity (I consider these battle scars and I'm proud!), but that can be incredibly uncomfortable in daily living, let alone during a work out, so this bra is brilliant. If I can just master putting the darn thing on, I know I'm on to a winner! My only advise is to double check the sizing. I think I'd have been better going up a back size and maybe down in a cup.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to try the bra out. I've been in a struggle with my weight and getting exercise can prove to be painful. I think the bra is really going to help in that department.

As you can see even with some minor issues she loved it and will be getting some serious use out of this bra, as soon as I get mine I will give you a full review of my experiences as well.

Mhairi and Claire

xxx

Disclaimer: Shock absorber gifted for review purposes

Mood Enhancing Gym

So yesterday I finally managed to get to my gym induction and get started.

It has been a bit of a nightmare to be honest, I had a horrific stomach bug the first time I was meant to go, then I rescheduled and realised I had double booked myself with a doctors appointment that I couldn't miss, so again I had to reschedule.

That is why I found myself at the gym at 8am yesterday morning looking like a zombie and feeling a bit daft as I had forgotten my glasses (I have only worn them full time for 10years) and feeling a bit strange in my new gym gear.

My main reasons for my gym  journey are to allow me to go forward with IVF and to help me become fitter as to be honest I am pretty unfit. 

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of the results of the gym in this blog as that is why I have started my second blog at BabyaChance so if the results are something you are interested in or the IVF journey in general head over to baby a chance and follow me for regular updates.

What I will do with this blog is tell you how I am coping with it all, as going to the gym can be a pretty terrifying prospect for some people, and also talk about what I wear and what works for me and what doesn't.

Something I do want to discuss is how the gym makes me feel, my mental health definitely gets a significant boost when I attend the gym.

The last few weeks has seen me feeling very down and suffering severe anxiety, and after I left the gym yesterday I felt up beat, happy and awake for the first time in a long time.

Now this isn't the case for everyone some people just hate the gym, but I have always loved it. 

In recent years I have not felt the confidence in myself to really go for it, but after my CBT sessions I have really begun to look at my life and the choices I make, most of my choices in the past involve avoiding any situations that scare me, which to be honest have meant I have been pretty much a hermit and my agoraphobia has become pretty out of control.

CBT allowed me to look at the gym and decide if there was a genuine reason for me to be frightened or if it was me creating a problem that wasn't there.

I have come to the conclusion that while the worry of being looked at for being overweight was a genuine worry, I realised that I am in no danger at the gym, I am there for myself and no one else, and that I want to get fitter as I am finding it harder to walk long distances and do activities I used to find easy, my weight isn't a huge factor in this as I found them easy even at this size, but right now I am so unfit I am struggling, my asthma is threatening to come back with a vengeance and my knees hurt after even short bursts or exercise.

I have had some fabulous sports wear sent to me which I will show you in a few posts, and it has helped me feel confident and prepared as in the past I have always flung on some ill fitting leggings or joggers and one of my husbands T-shirts and gone with it, but I always felt a bit drab and out of place, yesterday I felt pretty darn fabulous!

I hope you are ok with me posting about some of my experiences here, as this is my space and I love it and my readers, and feel it is a huge part of my life.

Most of that post was a little all over the place, so I am sorry if it is confusing.

I have some huge plans for 2013 to really challenge myself and push my boundaries to break out of my depression and anxiety cycle, but I will tell you about them another time.

Mhairi

xxx

Disclaimer: my Gym membership has been given to me as a gift from my local community gym to help me reach my goals.