Original Blog Posts Archives - Page 2 of 10

Small business spotlight – Michael Wallner

As you know I always love to champion small businesses and I love different forms of art so this month I’ve chosen to spotlight Michael Wallner.

I love his focus on London architecture and my beloved River Thames.

I’ll hand this over to Michael …

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I LOVE the city, I love architecture, I love colour, and I love being an artist – the perfect way to combine my passions.

I create art inspired by the city using unusual materials including aluminium, reclaimed wood, copper, vintage windows, and magnets, as well as neon and light installations.

‘Go With The Flow’, my most ambitious artwork is made of pewter and features a real-flowing river Thames. And if you watch closely, you might just see a whale and a shopping trolley float past.

My latest collection celebrates the beauty of the city through the shapes and colours that define its character. London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Miami, and Dubai all feature in my portfolio.

The Creating

My art is created by digitally manipulating and painstakingly colouring my own photographs to and printing them on whatever material I can find. I’m constantly on the lookout for the most unusual views and angles for my work. Much of my art is created from aerial photographs, taken while hanging out of helicopters with the doors off.

Becoming an artist: how a hot chocolate changed my life

I switched careers completely at in my mid-forties, having spent more than twenty years in the media industry working on entertainment programs, talk shows, documentaries, animations, and a children’s novel.

But creating original and innovative art was always my true calling. My passion for pictures began when my Dad gave me my first camera as a young boy and the love of all things visual has stayed with me ever since.

Then a hot chocolate changed my life. A few years ago I found a leaflet in Konnigans restaurant in South London. The leaflet advertised an art show at Wimbledon Art Studios – a creative community of more than 250 artists nearby.

I was blown away by the quality of the art and the warmth of the artists I met that day. When I got back home I sat down with a cuppa and mulled things over. If I was going to be a proper artist I needed to be part of this creative family. At that moment my Dad skyped me, like a guardian angel! He gave me that final dose of confidence to ‘go for it’. A month later I moved into my own studio – and that was ten years ago!

It’s never too late

My story shows that anything is possible – it’s never too late to follow your dream. I’ve never regretted it and I love being part of such a creative and diverse world.

Exhibitions: I usually take part in ten shows a year. In 2021, five fellow artists and I opened ARRTI Gallery, converting an empty shop into a sparkling new gallery in a shopping centre. Which attracted more than 18,000 in 9 months.

This year I’ll be exhibiting at The Affordable Art Fair with Degree Art in Hampstead and Battersea, and The Other Art Fair in London, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Our next studio show at Wimbledon art Studios will be May 11-14th.

You can sign up for news, complimentary tickets, and 10% off my art at www.michaelwallnerart.com or follow me on Instagram @michaelwallner_art.

xx

Reading, Wellness & lifestyle

Book review of the month – One Moment by Becky Hunter

Hi! I’m Helen Gambarota and I am delighted to be back with Jo’s Weekly Workout Family to share my love of books with you.

I am a total book nerd and an avid reader and a compulsive book buyer, although I do need to slow down on the book buying as there are piles of books all around the house. I started reviewing books on Instagram as @BestBookFoward almost 4 years ago and I love chatting about books and sharing my passion for reading.

Each month I bring you my recommendation of a must-read book. I read a variety of genres so it could be anything from fiction, non-fiction, romance, historical fiction or a thriller and I really hope that you’ll enjoy each of them as much as I do.

If you’d like more book inspiration you can find my reviews on my Instagram account which is @BestBookForward, on Facebook or on my website bestbookforward.org

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I have been debating what book to recommend to you this month for days now. I kept chopping and changing because I just didn’t feel like I’d found the right book. About ten minutes ago I finished One Moment by Becky Hunter and I just knew it had to be this month’s recommendation.

One Moment asks us the question if you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, would you change the course of history or do it all again?

The story is about two best friends, Scarlett and Evie. Scarlett leaves her flat one morning after an argument with Evie; it should have been the most important day of her life but in a few short hours her life will end.

Although Scarlett’s life is cut short by a tragic accident she is able to stay and watch her loved ones seeing how her death affects them.

“Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much. I flew through it in no time at all!”

The story is told from both Scarlett and Evie’s perspectives which really allows you to feel the incredible friendship they had and how much love there was between them.

One Moment is a poignant story of friendship, love, loss, grief and hope and it was just an absolute joy to read.

I really hope that you will love it as much as I did.

One Moment is out in hardback, this month I have included the link to my bookshop.org account.

Buying from Bookshop.org helps to support local bookshops with a donation from each sale going directly to independent bookshops (and an even smaller percentage to me!). You’ll also be able to find my favourites reads of the year so far here.

Wrist pain exercises – a guide from Jo

Do you suffer with wrist pain??😫

Then you will definitely want to try these alternative positions and wrist pain exercises to hopefully alleviate the symptoms 🥰

1) Alternative Pilates positions

The wrists are made up of 8 small bones and 2 long bones and the wrist itself consists of several ligaments and tendons that help to provide strength and flexibility to the hand.

Sometimes the wrists are weak or sore in some positions whilst exercising. 😩

So here are 6 alternatives you can try.

🤗 Roll your mat up at the end, put your heels of the hand on the rolled up section. This takes some of the weight out of the wrist by decreasing the angle of the wrist.
🤗 Roll up a towel and once again put the heels of the hand on the towel to decrease the harsh angle of the wrist.
🤗 Use weights where you can hold the weight with the knuckles facing downward and the wrist directly above the knuckles, this keeps the wrist nice and straight.
🤗 Do the same as above but just on the knuckles.
🤗 If the exercise allows come down onto the forearms with the arms either in prayer or sphinx position.
🤗 Get some yoga blocks to put under the heel of the hands.

You can watch my video explanation below too …

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jo Tuffrey Online Workout Club (@jotuffreypilates)

2) Stretch the wrists

1.👋 Flexing the wrist and Hold for 10 secs 3x
2.👋 Extending the wrist and Hold for 10 secs 3x

You can watch these exercises below …

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jo Tuffrey Online Workout Club (@jotuffreypilates)

3) Mobilise the wrists

1.👋 Flexion & Extension of the wrist..10 reps
2.👋 Radial & Ulna deviation of the wrist…10 reps
3.👋 Supination and Pronation of the wrist…10 reps

You can also watch these exercises below …

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jo Tuffrey Online Workout Club (@jotuffreypilates)

Do you want to join the Workout Family and workout with me? Find out more about the Club here.

Jo ❤️

My thoughts on consistency & fitness

Consistency is the Key…🥰

Every month I’m so proud of what my workout family achieves 💪🏻🙌💥🥵🥰

This month many have completed or about to complete the January Programme, and although I’m super proud of the achievements made and the stories I hear of the physical and mental changes this has had on people….. I’m super proud of the consistency of effort as I don’t just set a programme for January…

I set a programme every month of the year as I appreciate we all work at different times and at different rates so I just don’t like the pressure of the ‘New Year new you’ mentality.🙄

We all have our ‘down days’ and our difficult days when frankly even getting to the end of the day in one piece is an achievement so getting the bombardment and guilt of not achieving an exercise class/programme is the least of our worries!🥹

So to those that have completed January.. Well done and to those that have exercised at a slower pace this month, well done!

I will always have your back ( a-nice toned one at that) as there are still 2 new classes released every week and 11 months of carefully choreographed programmes to come!

Hence why I have called February’s Body sculpting programme that starts Monday ‘Forgiving February’ 🥰. because ….

“You Yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
-Buddha

Do you want to join the Workout Family and workout with me? Find out more about the Club here.

Jo ❤️

Reading, Wellness & lifestyle

Book review of the month – Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

Hi! I’m Helen Gambarota and I am delighted to be back with Jo’s Weekly Workout Family to share my love of books with you.

I am a total book nerd and an avid reader and a compulsive book buyer, although I do need to slow down on the book buying as there are piles of books all around the house. I started reviewing books on Instagram as @BestBookFoward almost 4 years ago and I love chatting about books and sharing my passion for reading.

Each month I bring you my recommendation of a must-read book. I read a variety of genres so it could be anything from fiction, non-fiction, romance, historical fiction or a thriller and I really hope that you’ll enjoy each of them as much as I do.

If you’d like more book inspiration you can find my reviews on my Instagram account which is @BestBookForward, on Facebook or on my website bestbookforward.org

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If you’re anything like me you’ll be finding this month slightly tough and so I really wanted to pick out a book that would bring you some joy and banish those January blues so allow me to recommend Becoming Ted by Matt Cain (Out 19 Jan). Let me tell you a little bit about it.

Ted Ainsworth has always worked at his family’s ice-cream business in the quiet Lancashire town of St Luke’s on-Sea.

But the truth is, he’s never wanted to work for the family firm p- he doesn’t even like ice-cream, though he’s never told his parents that. When Ted’s husband suddenly leaves him, the bottom falls out of his world.

But what if this could be an opportunity to put what he wants first? This could be the chance to finally follow his secret dream: something Ted has never told anyone.

I read this back in September around the time that the Queen died and I was feeling really sad, but every time I picked this book up I felt calm and happy and I found it actually quite healing.

Ted’s story is about following your dreams, finding yourself and learning to love again and is an absolute joy to read. I have loved all of Matt’s books and I always keep an eye out for what is coming next as I think he just has such an incredible talent for creating characters you’ll love and stories that will warm your heart.

I really hope that you’ll love Ted as much as I did, I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes, it just makes me feel happy when I think of this…

“For now – even if it’s only for an hour – I am a goddess! And I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!”

You can buy your copy from Amazon here, or from all good bookshops.

Meditation, Wellness & lifestyle

“True Self-Forgiveness – Live” – a guided meditation with Amanda

It’s time to bring you our regular meditation, courtesy of Amanda Penalver.

Amanda is a meditation expert and founder of True Rest®. Her work is devoted to challenging, inspiring & motivating her clients to live a more growth-full, rich & deeply fulfilling life.

Amanda offers True Rest classes & guided meditations to uplift, restore, replenish & re-energise you to live on purpose, fully awake, fully embodied & deeply connected.

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“True Self-Forgiveness – Live” – meditation

In this deeply relaxing, highly restorative Yoga Nidra-style meditation, we contemplate true self-forgiveness. Includes deep abdominal breathing and a body scan. This session was originally live-streamed in November 2022.

Find out more about Amanda’s brilliant work at mandypenalver.com

Reading, Wellness & lifestyle

Winners from the Best Book Forward 2022 awards

Hi! I’m Helen Gambarota and I am delighted to be back with Jo’s Weekly Workout Family to share my love of books with you.

I am a total book nerd and an avid reader and a compulsive book buyer, although I do need to slow down on the book buying as there are piles of books all around the house. I started reviewing books on Instagram as @BestBookFoward almost 4 years ago and I love chatting about books and sharing my passion for reading.

Each month I bring you my recommendation of a must-read book. I read a variety of genres so it could be anything from fiction, non-fiction, romance, historical fiction or a thriller and I really hope that you’ll enjoy each of them as much as I do. This month, it’s all about my awards.

If you’d like more book inspiration you can find my reviews on my Instagram account which is @BestBookForward, on Facebook or on my website bestbookforward.org

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The end of the year is fast approaching and what a brilliant year it has been for books. Over the last month, I’ve been running my book awards on Instagram and so for my final post of the year with you, I’m sharing all the winners from my Best Book Forward 2022 Awards. It’s a great stack of books, I think there is something for everyone and also if you’re struggling with present ideas maybe give the gift of a great read.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

When I read this back in March I knew it would be one of my top reads of the year and that it would come up in the Awards. Bonnie Garmus has taken the book world by storm with her award winning debut; Waterstones selected her as Author of the Year and it’s being made into a TV series. Over at Best Book Forward it was crowned Best Fiction, Best Debut and Best Cover. There is so much love for this book, if you haven’t read it you really are in for a treat.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

Another of my top reads of the year that I was delighted to see making it on to the Shortlists for Best Fiction, Best Historical Fiction, Best Debut and Best Cover. The Best Book Forward readers voted it as the winner for Best Historical Fiction. It is a wonderful read and it’s even has a very royal fan, as The Queen Consort also picked it as her Reading Room!

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Sophie picked up this year’s Best Romance and which made me so happy. Her book, a fun Regency romance, just filled me with joy. It is fabulous debut and I cannot wait to read her second book which comes out in May. If there’s a Bridgerton shape hole in your life then this is for you.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllistair

And finally, our Best Thriller of 2022. This book had me glued to its pages. It is a really fast paced, twisty and clever read that is actually quite thought-provoking. This is the first of Gillian’s books that I’ve read and as soon as I finished it and went and added all of her others to my list. It is that good.

I hope that you’ll find something here that you will love. I’ll be back in January with another recommendation for you, but in the meantime I wish you a happy and healthy Christmas.

Small business spotlight – Anna’s Family Kitchen

I found this cookbook through a friend and I have enjoyed cooking sooooo many recipes from it – they are really yummy and I wanted to share it with the world!

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Anna’s Family Kitchen is a fun family-friendly cookbook, which shares nutritious but minimal faff recipes with families across the country. Including more than 70 recipes, this book explores the variety of dishes you can bring to the table for any occasion. From lights bites to fakeaways and working smarter not harder in the kitchen, you can achieve fun and easy mealtimes every day.

BBQ Salmon Cowboy Salad

Anna’s Family Kitchen was inspired by the author’s love of food and desire to feed her family healthy, home-cooked, wholesome meals that are beautifully presented but don’t require hours of prep in the kitchen. Her cookbook showcases the reality of family life, and how to achieve fun and easy mealtimes that aren’t all-consuming.

Anna describes the book as the go-to cookbook for busy families, intending to transform cooking from an everyday chore to an enjoyable process. It includes over 70 recipes, created for families of all shapes and sizes, inspiring people to take a new approach to cooking.

The recipes are divided into five chapters, covering all aspects of everyday challenges faced in the kitchen. These include Light Bites & Snacks, Quick & Easy Weekdays, Weekends & Gatherings, Fakeaways, and Cook Clever, which is full of useful hints and tips to save money, batch cook ahead of time and utilise your freezer to make sure you aren’t wasting food!

Anna’s Family Kitchen also includes tailored tips and tricks to assist families in cooking nutritional but tasty dishes. Perfect for any home cook, it contains a diverse range of recipes that are easy to follow and cover all occasions. Almost every recipe can be adapted with easy swaps to cater to individual needs within the demanding task of feeding a family. Dishes include Beef Massaman Curry, Summer Roast Chicken, Harissa Hake & Couscous Traybake, Chana Masala and Foolproof Bread.

An excerpt from the book – Hoisin Chicken

BATCH COOKING/MAKE AHEAD/FREEZABLE

This crowd pleaser is a much easier, quicker and cheaper alternative to hoisin duck pancakes, plus you get more meat! Chicken thighs are roasted in homemade hoisin sauce then shredded, ready for loading into Asian pancakes or wraps with cucumber, spring onion and more hoisin sauce.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

8-10 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

Mini wraps or Chinese pancakes

1 cucumber, cut into batons

Spring onions, shredded

For the hoisin sauce

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp rice wine

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 clove of garlic, crushed

½ tsp Chinese five spice

¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

15ml water

METHOD

Blitz all the hoisin sauce ingredients together in a blender. Set half aside and pour the rest over the chicken thighs in a roasting tray. Cook the chicken in the oven at 180-200°c fan for 25 minutes.

Turn the chicken thighs over, making sure they are completely coated in the sauce, then arrange them skin side up and return to the oven for 25 more minutes.

Pull the chicken apart using two forks and serve with the wraps or pancakes, cucumber batons, shredded spring onion and the remaining hoisin sauce.

Tip! The sauce can be made ahead in a large batch, then refrigerated or frozen.

About the Author
Anna Stanford, is a self-taught cook and mother of three, started Anna’s Family Kitchen 4 years ago as a passionate hobby, creating recipes for her family and friends on Instagram and Facebook, and has now achieved a loyal following on social media. You can find more information about her and her recipes on her social media pages @annasfamilykitchen or on her website annasfamilykitchen.com

Anna’s Family Kitchen is a 192-page hardback and at the time of writing, retails at £18. It is available from Amazon here.

xx

Foot strength exercises

https://www.instagram.com/jotuffreypilates/

I’ve recently posted this series of foot strength exercises on Instagram and I got such an amazing response, I thought it would benefit more people here …

Foot strength exercises part 1

You can do these whilst watching TV …
Try these 2 favourite exercises of mine for your foot/body health as..
Toe spreading/ spacing improves balance, strength and flexibility and creates optimal toe alignment 🦶

👣Toe Spacing
👣Toe Spreading

Good foot stability and mobility is of the upmost importance in alignment of the whole body. As I always say,

“a tree always needs good roots to grow so, we need good foot alignment (from the ground up in order to ensure correct movement patterns in our bodies”

The fundamentals of the feet have massive implications further up the kinetic chain of the body.👣🦶

Try to do the toe spacing for 10 mins a night and start to see a change, creating strong mobile feet.

Foot strength exercises part 2

Try these 3 exercises as Toe spreading/ spacing improves balance, strength and flexibility of the foot and creates optimal toe alignment

1️⃣ Toe spacing and ankle rotations
2️⃣ The Toe wave
3️⃣ Big Toe isolations

In my classes online I always comment that for the majority of the day we shove our feet in shoes and boots, having no awareness of the implications of this on our overall body’s alignment. Footwear over time has weakened our feet causing all sorts of problems 👣🥹

The fundamentals of the feet have massive implications further up the kinetic chain of the body.👣🦶

Foot strength exercises part 3

IMPROVE MOBILITY IN DOING DAILY TASKS 👣

It was so wonderful to be mentioned in the The Times newspaper last week, talking feet 👣

Here are my final 7 exercises in my series of 3 for the feet.

As keeping the feet flexible and strong is so important to reduce not only foot and ankle pain but also improving daily tasks as the feet are the foundation of the body. So, good flexibility and strength of the feet and ankles helps in injury prevention.

🦶Toe elevated heel raises
🦶Heel raises ball between the ankles
🦶Toes elevation walk forward and back
🦶Ankle point and flex
🦶Ankle rotations both ways
🦶Calf stretch (gastrocnemius)
🦶Calf stretch (soleus)

Try these exercises for 1 minute each.

I really hope you find these helpful and if you’d like more of my tips for exercise and health, you can follow me for plenty more tips like this on Instagram …

Alternatively, if you’d like to put your toe in the water (see what I did there?) why not take a look at some of my free online pilates classes.

Enjoy ❤️

x