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Gym goers offered smart summer drinking tips

Fitness experts at BreakingMuscle.com have given their top tips for maintaining fitness goals whilst drinking alcohol by making smart, simple changes.

Every fitness journey, whether it’s increased muscle mass, fat loss or a sustained healthy lifestyle, requires a level of dedication and perseverance.

That’s why it can be difficult to see alcohol consumption as part of a fitness regime due to its side effects, however, drinking socially is certainly achievable without sabotaging personal health goals.

With a bit of forward planning and a few simple hacks, having a good time and staying in shape can go together hand in hand.

A spokesperson for BreakingMuscle.com said: “For those looking to enjoy a drink in the hot weather with friends whilst maintaining the body they desire, it can feel like an impossible task.

“However this is not the case, with a few smarter choices we can limit the effects of hangovers, control calories and plan workouts that fit around social events.

“Of course, there are some types of alcohol that have a higher caloric value than others. But it doesn’t have to be a chore to make drinking fit in with a healthy lifestyle. Staying on track with fitness goals does have its importance, but enjoying time with friends and family shouldn’t have to be sacrificed because of this.”

BreakingMuscle.com’s top tips for balancing fitness with drinking:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Staying hydrated throughout the night is just as important as staying hydrated during a workout. Keeping water intake up whilst drinking can help to prevent any negative side effects the next day. Try drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic drink, if this isn’t possible ensure to drink plenty of water before heading off to bed.

Take a day off

It can be tempting to get straight back into the gym the day after a few drinks but this isn’t always the best idea. It’s more than okay to have a day off and relax, trying to smash a workout whilst not feeling a hundred percent can actually do more harm than good. 

Fill up on macros

Unfortunately, alcoholic drinks aren’t known for the vitamins and minerals they provide, they actually deplete the body’s supply. In the hours pre and post drinking, try to eat fruits and veg that are rich in macronutrients. Smoothies, nuts and bananas are just a few examples of quick foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals to fit in before or after a night out.

Choose wisely

It may feel as though alcoholic beverages have no calories in them but many drinks can be very deceiving. Be wary of cocktails and mixed drinks as they will contain a higher number of calories than beer and wines.

Light over dark

When choosing a tipple, try picking light spirits like gin or vodka over whiskey and spiced rum. This is because darker spirits contain toxic compounds that can contribute to a nastier hangover.Set a limitIt can be easy to overindulge when out socialising with friends. However, for those who may find it difficult to get back on track after a heavy night out, setting a limit can help provide clarity moving forward in the gym. Setting higher limits should not induce guilt, but should be used to inform healthy amendments to that week’s training routine. 

Steer clear of sugar

Where possible try and swap sugary mixers and cocktails for diet or sugar-free alternatives. For example, try swapping a gin and tonic for a gin and soda water, the taste might not be quite the same but it can make sticking to a calorie goal much easier.

Post-drink snack

Kebabs, burgers and pizzas are often the most popular post drinking snack but the calories can start to add up after a few drinks. Preparing food at home after a night out can be a great way to not overspend on calories at the end of the night.

Children In Scotland will spend only 40% of time outside this Summer

As kids across the UK enjoy the summer holidays, new research carried out by Micro Scooters suggests that the majority of the 6 weeks will be spent indoors with as little as 2 hours per week being spent outdoors. 

Micro Scooters is committed to reintroducing the delight in the great outdoors, and encouraging children to find the fun in spending their summer holidays outdoors; playing, joking and having unforgettable adventures. 

Wholly invested in making a positive impact on the planet, Micro Scooters, with its range of scooters for all ages and easily transportable, have invested in thorough research ahead of kids’ summer holidays, which is the prime time for children to take part in outdoor activities. 

The alarming findings reveal that when those surveyed were asked about how parents spent their free time as a child, more than 3 in 4 say that they spent most of their time outdoors playing. This is in comparison to their own kids and how they spend their time now in 2022. 1 in 2 (50%) of those surveyed said most of the activities take place indoors during the school holidays and throughout the year.

Close to all (90%) of the over 65s surveyed, stated that the majority of their time was spent outdoors, but only 1 in 3 of the 18-24s surveyed said they spent most of their time outside, highlighting the gradual change in habits amongst children. However, the alarming decrease may lead to the young population ditching the outdoors altogether in the next 10 years. 

Yorkshire ranked the worst with only a third spending most of their time outdoors, as Greater London ranked the best with over half of kids spending most of their time outdoors. 

Micro Scooters is encouraging kids to go outdoors this Summer. After so long being forced to keep our children indoors, Micro Scooter’s mission is to get kids out, laughing, playing and being kids once again. Their mission is to keep children entertained and active but, most importantly, full of fun, laughter and joy during the summer holidays, whilst helping them to lead an active lifestyle which is good for mind, body and soul.

Ben Gibson, Managing Director of Micro Scooters commented “It feels like fun has been somewhat on the back burner for the last few years and kids have struggled with school closures, constant hand washing and video lessons so this summer feels like the perfect time for them to break free and remember how to have fun. 

“There are so many benefits to getting outside to play, from health and fitness, to mental health and even helping sleep so we hope that we will see these figures go up as kids start to spend more time outside this summer.”

Scooting provides many benefits across all ages, including core conditioning with the activity strengthening the core and engaging the stabilising muscles, as well as endurance building which builds muscle strength along with cardiovascular fitness to help you go further. 

The correlating data shows that 80% of children only spend 2-3 hours a week outside playing, cycling or scooting, with a number of the cities surveyed showing just one hour a week, including Manchester. 

The UK is in agreement that lack of outdoor activities such as scooting is the main cause of a rise in child obesity, two thirds stated inactivity for being responsible for the rise in obesity, with a half of children spending the majority of their time indoors.

The Government’s obesity strategy seeks to halve the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2030, with a focus on encouraging individual behaviour change, product reformulation and restricting unhealthy food marketing, however the UK isn’t in agreement with this approach, with only 5% stating that a poor education on health is the main contribution to the concerning rise. 

Micro Scooters was founded in 2006 by two mums, Anna Gibson and Philippa Gogarty, after they discovered how much easier it was to get from A to B with their young children using tough, lightweight scooters instead of buggies.  

The product range, which offers something for kids of all ages and abilities, starts with Ride On Scooters that are perfect for helping children from 12 months onward to get mobile, then moves on to the Mini Micro range which has been engineered around the specific needs and proportions of 2 to 5 year olds.  

For those ready to embrace riding on two wheels, Micro Scooters’ innovative range of ultra lightweight balance bikes are designed to help young children build balance, coordination and confidence.

As they continue to thrive, kids can move up to the Maxi Micro and Deluxe products and finally try out a stunt scooter.  These are non folding scooters that can be used for tricks and jumps at the skatepark. Thanks to their lightweight design, they are equally at home on everyday journeys as they are performing tricks.

Micro Scooters encourages all children to start or continue to scoot, with the activity providing many benefits for children. Micro Scooters has launched the Play For Life campaign to provide guidance on how to support children in building confidence in their physical ability that will last a lifetime. 

Visit https://www.micro-scooters.co.uk/ to shop the range now. 

Artist J.O.T. and Royal Yacht Britannia

Following the successful ‘Meet The Artist’ event that took place earlier this week at the FROM WASTE TO WALL exhibition held at the Image Collective Gallery in Leith, James Owen Thomas (also known by his initials J.O.T.) arranged to meet Laura McCall, marketing manager of The Royal Yacht Britannia & Fingal Hotel Ocean Drive Leith.

The exhibition takes place directly opposite Britannia’s Visitor Centre and James was delighted to present Ms McCall with a framed original collage Emblem for the Royal Yacht Britannia. 

Laura received a personal tour around the art exhibition before inviting James for a tour on board the Britannia.  As a COP26 One Step Greener ambassador and environmental artist, James was very impressed with Britannia’s environmental commitment to eliminate, reduce, reuse and recycle waste and he hopes to collaborate with Britannia and Fingal on future projects. 

These are his thoughts exactly as James describes how the art he creates has all been made from recycled items. 

He said: “If what I can do will encourage and inspire people to re-use and recycle, then hopefully we can look forward to a more environmentally-friendly future.” 

James’ exhibition at the Image Collective Gallery, 2nd Floor, Ocean Terminal continues until 30th September and he can be contacted via his website www.jamesowenthomas.com or by email art@jamesowenthomas.com

1 in 5 key worker households have children living in poverty

  • Around 1 million children with key worker parents are living below the breadline, research shows
  • In some parts of Britain more than two-fifths of kids in key worker households are living below the breadline
  • Poverty levels “likely to get worse” as ministers hold down pay
  • Key workers in the public sector facing another year of real-terms pay cuts

ONE in 5 (19%) key worker households have children living in poverty, new TUC research has revealed.

The research, which uses the government definition for key workers, shows that the number of kids growing up in poverty in key worker households has increased by 65,000 over the past two years to nearly 1 million (989,000) in 2022.

It forecasts that in 2023 that number will rise again to 1.1 million unless ministers take further action to support families.

North East hit hardest

The analysis – undertaken for the TUC by Landman Economics – highlights how in some regions of the UK more than two-fifths of children in key worker households are now living in poverty.

Key worker families in the North East (41%) have the highest rate of child poverty followed by the North West (29%) and London (29%) and the East of England (24%).

Scotland (8.3%) and Wales (8.9%) have the lowest rates.

Worse set to come

The TUC warned child poverty rates among key worker households are likely to get worse.

Ministers have announced another of year of real-terms pay cuts for key workers in the public sector.

The union body says this will have a devastating impact on frontline workers after a brutal decade of pay freezes and cuts:

  • Hospital porters’ real pay will be down by £200 this year 
  • Maternity care assistants’ real pay will be down by £600 this year 
  • Nurses’ real pay will be down by £1,100 this year
  • Paramedics’ real pay will be down by over £1,500 this year 

And ministers are calling for wages to be held down for some key workers in the private sector too.

The TUC says the additional support announced by the Treasury this year to help families with energy bills will be offset by cuts to real-terms pay and other rising living costs.

Risk of recession

The TUC says government calls for widespread pay suppression will reduce household spending and demand as the UK teeters on the brink of recession.

The union body highlighted how at the same time key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city bonuses are rocketing.

TUC analysis published in June month revealed that bonuses in the financial and insurance sector grew by 27.9% over the last year, six times faster than average wages in the same period, which grew by 4.2%.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our amazing key workers got us through the pandemic. The very least they deserve is to be able to provide for their families.

“But the government is locking too many key worker households into poverty.

“Ministers’ heartless decision to hold down pay will cause widespread hardship and put the UK at greater risk of recession.

“After the longest wage squeeze in 200 years we urgently need to get more money in the pockets of working families. This will help people get through this cost of living crisis and inject much-needed demand into our economy.

“It is particularly galling that as key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city executives are enjoying bumper bonuses. Once again ordinary working people are being forced to carry the can for a crisis made in Downing Street.”

Support needed for key worker families

The TUC is calling on the government to guarantee decent living standards by:

  • Raising the national minimum wage immediately.
  • Giving all key workers a fair pay rise that meets the cost of living
  • Funding the public sector so that all outsourced workers are paid at least the real Living Wage and get parity with directly employed staff.
  • Boosting universal credit to 80% of the real Living Wage
  • Significantly increasing benefit payments to children and removing the two-child limit within social security.  

Children in poverty in key worker households by UK nation and region in 2022

RegionTotal number of children in key worker familiesNumber of children in poverty in key worker familiesPercentage of children in poverty in key worker families
North East170,58670,31141.2%
North West600,325174,49529.1%
Yorks & the Humber434,33547,65911.0%
East Midlands426,33549,15011.5%
West Midlands396,75693,15623.5%
East of England490,577115,56323.6%
London661,487189,69128.7%
South East811,614125,84815.5%
South West362,53943,28711.9%
Wales249,78922,2858.9%
Scotland445,82637,0058.3%
Northern Ireland146,35320,78714.2%
Total5,196,522989,23719.0%

Additional funding for three 75th anniversary Edinburgh festivals

Celebrating Scotland’s world-leading cultural brands 

To mark the 75th anniversaries of the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Film Festival, £2.1 million in Scottish Government funding will support anniversary programmes.

This year’s Edinburgh International Festival will also include a special appearance of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, one of three free concerts –  including opening and closing events – staged thanks to this additional funding.  

A showcase of the largest Made in Scotland event at the Fringe will demonstrate the best in home grown talent with 27 artists, companies and ensembles performing. The Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is back in its August slot for the first time in over a decade, includes a line-up of over 80 new feature films.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The culture sector is renowned for its creativity and resilience so I’m delighted to see the Edinburgh Festivals back with ambitious and diverse programmes following the pandemic.

“With over 3,000 shows to choose from over the next few weeks, there really is something for everyone and many of these shows are free. As well as gallery exhibitions, film screenings and author events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, there are live performances of theatre, dance and music.

“For people who are not in Edinburgh or unable to attend in person, they can support the festivals by buying tickets to view, or live stream content, online.

“Edinburgh has an incredible 75 year pedigree of offering the best in world-class talent across all genres so I would encourage people to take the opportunity to sample this abundance of culture we’re so fortunate to have on our doorstep.”

Director of Festivals Edinburgh Julia Amour said: “Everyone at the Festivals has greatly welcomed the Scottish Government’s PLACE Resilience Fund – including these awards for our three founding festivals celebrating their 75th anniversaries – as their financial and wider support is crucial not only to our ongoing recovery but also to our continuing ambition to bring increased opportunities to artists and audiences throughout the country, while also showcasing Scotland as a contemporary, creative, outward looking nation.”

Vandalism at Trinity Primary: Appeal for information

POLICE are appealing for information following vandalism at a school in North Edinburgh.

The incident took place at Trinity Primary School on Newhaven Road at about 1.30pm on Friday, 29th July, during which over £5000 worth of damage was caused to school equipment.

A thorough investigation is ongoing and anyone with any information is urged to contact Police via 101, quoting incident 2591 of the 29th July 2022 or anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

BP profits tripling show ‘broken’ energy system

Climate campaigners have said that BP reporting a tripling of quarterly profits shows that the UK energy system is ‘fundamentally broken.’ The oil giant today announced profits of £6.9 billion ($8.45 billion) in just 3 months. 

Meanwhile, energy consultants have forecast that energy bills could reach over £3,600 per household. 

BP have said they will use these record profits to pay out to their shareholders as well as buy back shares in the company from investors. Share buybacks are a way of increasing the value of shares for shareholders.

BP continues to invest in fossil fuel projects such as the Murlach oil field which will further ‘lock us into’ this broken energy system for decades, increasing company profits even further at the expense of people and the planet, campaigners say.

Climate scientists and energy experts have warned that we cannot afford any more investment into fossil fuel extraction if we are to limit dangerous climate warming to 1.5ºC. 

Recent research revealed the oil and gas industry has made over $52 trillion in profit over the last 50 years.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Oil and Gas Campaigner Freya Aitchison said: “This announcement of yet another obscene profit for BP is a clear sign that our energy system is fundamentally broken.

“Rising energy prices are a key driver of the cost of living crisis which is plunging millions of people in the UK into fuel poverty, yet bosses and shareholders at BP are getting even richer by exploiting one of our most basic needs.”

“BP is also worsening climate breakdown and extreme weather by continuing to invest and lock us into new oil and gas projects for decades to come. Instead of allowing these companies to continue causing social and environmental devastation to boost their profits, we need to overhaul our energy system to rapidly phase out oil and gas.

“A fair and fast transition to renewables must ensure that everyone has access to affordable and clean renewable energy.”