Category: Sport

1000 Mile Fusion Walk Sock

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Days Out, Family Life, Fitness, Gifts for Her, health, Mental Health Awareness, Mother's Day, Sport, Winter, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

May is National Walking Month and is the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and explore the countryside. I have set myself a challenge to do a walk every day in May as walking is not only a good form of exercise it is a great way to destress after a busy day at work. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country with plenty of good walks on our doorstep, so I am hoping that it won’t be too difficult a challenge!

When you are going hiking it’s amazing the difference a good pair of walking socks makes and this pair of Fusion Walk socks from 1000 Miles are going to be doing plenty of miles this month.

The socks are a double layered 3 /4 season sock with extra padding on the heel, toe and Achilles tendon areas. Combined with the high volume Merino wool, the socks offers warmth and volume, making the socks ideal for wearing from Autumn right through to Spring.

As soon as I put the socks on my feet I noticed how comfortable they are, and that’s before I even started walking! The Merino wool and Tactel mix gives a comfortable, breathable sock that wicks moisture away from the foot and elastane ensures a close fit that doesn’t slip or bunch in your boots  The ribbed cuff is a comfortable fit and not too tight around my leg and the socks are a mid-calf length and they fit nicely in both my walking boots and trail shoes meaning I can wear them for both hiking and fell running.

I was especially pleased when I saw the sizing of the women’s socks, the medium size is for UK sizes 6 to 8.5 and it’s nice to find a company who recognises that women do have feet bigger than a size 7!

The socks come with 1000 Miles’s blister free guarantee and they will give you your money back or a replacement pair of socks if you experience either blisters or the socks wear out within 1,000 miles – provided that the socks have been cared for following their guidance and are returned with the receipt.

The socks are mid length and easily cover the bottom of my walking trousers, the heel padding comes up the back of the heel and finishes slightly higher than the back of my walking shoe, meaning the backs of my ankles are protected and comfortable.  Available in Ladies (3 to 8.5) they cost £18.00 but don’t be put off by the price, given the excellent warranty they really are a  worthwhile purchase

Edifier MP100 Plus Bluetooth Speaker

Birthday Gifts, camping, Days Out, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home & Garden, Mother's Day, Sport, Summer, Valentine's Day Gifts

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Edifier are known for their high quality speakers, I already own a couple of their products and like them so was pleased to be asked to try the MP100 bluetooth speaker which Edifier suggests is a “great outdoor companion”.

With a rugged waterproof construction the MP100 is ideal for use outside. It is covered in a dust proof fabric and has an IPX7 rating which means the speaker can be 1 metre underwater for 30 minutes without getting damaged – so there isn’t the same urgency to put it somewhere dry when it starts raining – as often happens in this country!

It is available in a choice of three colours, Forest Green, Lake Green and Black and has a single button to control calls. There is a large loop which can be used to hang the speaker up and I found it to be quite easy to hold whilst wearing gloves. It isn’t a small device, it has a 95mm diameter and is 50mm thick, and with a weight of 185g it weighs around the same as a mobile phone. On the bottom of the speaker is a circular rubber base which helps keep the speaker from sliding around on whatever surface it is put on. The USB-C charging port, which is covered with a small rubber flap, is on the bottom half of the speaker along with the control buttons.

Setting up the speaker is easy, turn it on by pressing the power button for a few seconds, until the blue light comes on, then search for Edifier MP100 Plus in the Bluetooth settings of your device. The speaker makes an audible sound when connected and then you can use it to listen to music/audio from your device.

Built around a 5W 43mm full-range speaker the sound is great and with a claimed battery life of 9 hours is good for a whole day in the great outdoors. Now, I have to say that I’m no fan of people who play music whilst out hiking – I much prefer the peace and quiet – but for other outdoor activities, like camping or a day at the beach, it would be great. I spend a lot of time in the garden and enjoy listening to music or podcasts whilst I’m working and in the past have worried about damaging my speaker – with the Edifier MP100 Plus I no longer need to worry, I just hang it up, relax and enjoy!

Should you wish to use it for calls it has a built-in microphone and I found the sound was very clear, with noise suppression to remove unwanted background noise.

So whether you are camping, caravanning, relaxing in the garden or hitting the beach this summer make sure you have the Edifier MP100 Plus in your bag.

FootActive Orthotic Insoles

Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Sport

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Since our last review of the FootActive Plantar Fasciitis and Orthotic Insoles last month, we’ve had notification that lots of you are reading what we had to say so the lovely people at FootActive have sent us another version for us to try, the Orthotic Insole.

Built for sports enthusiasts, the Orthotic Insole is super supportive for all sorts of sports like running, walking and team games. If you read our previous review, you’ll know that I lift weights and I also have very flat feet. This makes lifting quite difficult because my knees turn inwards and my feet roll, making it painful on my feet and knees and the balance of the overhead weights is off centre.  Over time, it can make my feet in particular really painful.

The FootActive Orthotic Insoles are specially for sports, so this was my chance to prove how they work! The insoles are different to the Plantar Fasciitis variety because they are slightly more pliable, with more of a grip to the surface, perfectly suited to high impact sports. The insole shape is still there though with the moulding around the heel and arch of the foot but I did notice that the arch support isn’t as high with these sports ones.

The top layer is also moisture-wicking, meaning that when your feet get hot and sweaty during sports, the material makes it easier for your feet to breath.  The heel also has extra cushioning with shock-absorbing gel on the heels, and on the front of the foot too.  Overall, there are several designs built in which make them more sport-friendly. However, there’s no reason why you couldn’t wear them all day if you need to.

When it comes to sports, I used them to walk to the gym (about 7 minute walk) then for the weight lifting.  It wasn’t that difficult to get used to the shape, I actually found them easier to walk and lift in than the Plantar Fasciitis insoles and that was probably to do with the gel which cushioned my feet more.  The insoles also instantly correct your posture which was noticeable, although my knees and shoes weren’t used to the new positioning so they put up a bit of a fight, but I’m assured by my trainer that this is only temporary! Hopefully in time it will improve my overall posture and not just with lifting weights.

I think I actually prefer these Orthotic Insoles because they’re more mailable and fit more snugly as well and fitting into my every day Converse shoes or Sketchers trainers.  They could potentially make any shoe more comfortable though, we’ll just have to see how my flat feet cope!

Available from £25: https://footactive.co.uk/footactive-sports

Wahl Mini Massage Gun

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Sport, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Aches and pains are an everyday part of life, but don’t have to last long when you have a masseuse at the touch of a button.  The Wahl Cordless Mini Massage Gun has been on my list of items to try, so when the team offered to send me one to review, I was eager to see if it stood up to my expectations! 

The gun itself is only about 15cm long (hence it’s a mini massager) and approximately 10cm high.  Charged with a type C USB cable, there are no batteries involved and the cable is a standard computer lead which comes with the kit but can also be found with other appliances. It can be charged from a USB port on a computer, or on a wall charger.

The gun and attachments come in a handy zip-up case which fits neatly into a gym bag or a drawer at home and contains all 4 attachments as well as the USB lead.  Starting with the gun, it only has one on/off button to operate, which is triggered by holding down the button for just a second. The digital display on the front tells you the intensity of the movement (1 being lowest, 6 the highest) and the amount of battery left. I found that it took up to 4 hours to charge the battery in full but it can take longer. The instructions suggest you charge the gun every 3 months if it hasn’t been used.

The gun is already fitted with the Flat Head attachment, whilst the Round Head, Bullet Head and Spinal Head are contained in the case.  Each attachment pops in and out, there’s no threading to worry about but they are fitted quite snugly so you have to use some effort to change them sometimes.

The instructions don’t give an indication of which attachment to use on any particular part of the body, just techniques for the shoulders, neck, back etc.  I found that it was best to start the massage gun on the lowest level and use the round attachment first on the hands, thighs and upper arms until you get used to the sensation. It’s quite powerful, even at a low level which is exactly what you’re looking for in a massage gun but does take a while to get used to!  I found that the Round Head was good for working the back of my neck.  The gun isn’t very heavy so you can hold it in one place for a long period of time. The attachment is really quite effective though, with the headache I had at the time easing. If you had a person massaging with the same intensity for any length of time, there wouldn’t be as much power, and they would probably get tired very quickly. The fact that you can change the intensity of the motion too means that you can tailor the massage to your needs.

The other attachments were great for other areas too. The Bullet Head works well on certain reflexology points on the feet, giving a precise massage to pressure points. The Flat Head also helps with digestion when you massage the abdomen in circular motions.  It’s very difficult to try the Spinal Head on yourself, but the wishbone shape works on the muscles either side of the spine (never use directly on the spine) to relax the back muscles.  With some ingenuity, you can find the right attachment and the right intensity for any part of the body which needs restoring, which is part of the fun of a massage gun!

The Wahl Mini Massage Gun runs for approximately 20 minutes on a timer or 200 minutes in all on a single charge. If you need more help, or indeed inspiration, Wahl have a tutorial on their website to give you more ideas. 

The Wahl Mini Massage Gun is available from £71.99 at: https://www.wahl.co.uk/product/cordless-mini-massager-gun/

Liforme Yoga Mat

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, cruelty-free, eco friendly, Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home & Garden, Plastic free, Sport, Sustainable, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

By a certain age, or maybe it’s a certain level of fitness, yoga becomes less of a puzzle and more of a necessity. The company Liforme pride themselves on doing things differently to support and encourage the practice of yoga, and do so with their conscientious products. Their ethos to ‘Live for More’ by positively engaging communities is evident on their website, along with some delicious products any yoga fan will adore!

Amongst the products available was this Liforme Grateful Rainbow Yoga Mat which was sent to us to try out.  It’s bright pink, printed with an eco-friendly, non-toxic design of a rainbow mandala and alignment markings which can be described as guides for your feet and hands. This mat is a serious bit of kit for serious yoga people and you can tell just by looking at it. There’s much more science, and thought, behind it than you realise though, as I discovered.

The Liforme Yoga Mat is made with a real natural rubber base (so that it doesn’t slide all over the place) and the top layer is made of eco-polyurethane.  In all, the mat is 4.2mm thick but it feels thinner than that. It’s not chunky or clunky at all. The top eco-polyurethane layer is designed to be more grippy than other mats, so that you can practice without worrying about sliding all over the place, and the design is printed with durable yet eco-friendly ink. The same goes for all the designs of the yoga mats available on the Liforme website.  The mat weighs in at a hefty 2.5kg though so if you’re used to your yoga mat being light-as-air, this is going to be quite a shock!  The weight comes from the quality of the material though.

The dimensions of the mat come in at 185cm long and 68cm wide. That’s 73 inches long and 27 inches wide in old money.

As for the usability, the mat comes with a free carry case, which is needed when you have a rolled-up mat of this size and weight and need to transport it to several lessons a week.  The real test is in a yoga class, which is where any yoga equipment needs to prove itself.  The bright pink façade is very pleasing especially as you know in a dimly lit room and when you might need to wander around a bit, you can never lose it!  The surface is nicely grippy. Grippy enough for a Downward Dog and to not face plant yourself.  Liforme call this GripForMe technology and it allows you to use your full body weight in poses and not move an inch. Not even a millimetre for that matter, as I discovered when I was able to more pressure into some of the poses than I usually would. So in some ways, you could say that the Liforme Yoga Mat made me better at yoga as a result!

Liforme as a company have recently been awarded B Corp status. The B Corp status proves that Liforme has high standards of social and environmental impact as their core belief as a company and a quick look at their website proves that their high quality and non-toxic materials are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to responsibility. The mats bio-degrade in 1-5 years (depending on conditions) and believe that they have the world’s most planet-friendly yoga mat.

Truly a treat, the Liforme Yoga Mats aren’t cheap but they are suited to the serious yoga practitioner or fitness expert and look simply gorgeous. The unique design and alignment cues make this yoga mat stand out from all the rest, and a perfect gift too. 

Available for £140 (but currently on sale for £105) at:

Liforme Grateful Rainbow Yoga Mat – Grateful Pink/Rainbow

Sennheiser Momentum Ear Buds

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Sport, Tech, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are our own.

The first time I had headphones I was a teenager in the 80’s and back then headphones were firmly attached to your Walkman. Thankfully technology has evolved and improved a lot since then and I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to try out the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 earbuds

The stylish grey fabric charging case is nice and solid and closes with a satisfying click. It holds the earbuds securely and once placed in the case the earphones start charging automatically. The USB-C connection makes the case easy to charge and there is also the option to use Qi wireless charging too. A single charge provides 7 hours of playback with the case providing an additional 21 hours of charge, so in total you can enjoy 28 hours of playback before you need to charge. When it does run out of charge, 10 minutes of ‘fast charging’ offers an hour’s playback and a full charge takes just 90 minutes. 

Included in the box are four pairs of silicone ear tips, three pairs of ear fins, and a charging cable. The earpieces are IPX4 rated for water resistance, and each earbud has three microphones for voice and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) functionality.

When I first received the earbuds, I found that they had 40% charge, so I was able to use them straight away – all I needed to do was fit the ear fins and then pair them to my phone.

Pairing the earbuds was simple – just touch and hold both earbuds and then select them on your Bluetooth device and they pair to your device easily. The earbuds power off when placed in the case and the lid closed and power on and connect automatically to your device the moment you open the case.

Once paired, I downloaded the Sennheiser Smart Control app. The app not only allows you to control settings on the earbuds but there is also an option to go through a ‘Sound check’ where you select your preferred sound from a choice of 3. There is also the option to set “Sound Zones” where you customise locations you frequent, like your home, gym or workplace and save preferred Active Noise Cancellation and Equaliser settings. Once you enter the radius—set by you on the location map—your settings automatically change to the saved setting when you are in that Sound Zone.

The earbuds feel light, well made, and with IPX4 sweat resistance they are perfect for the gym or when I am out walking.

So I’ve talked about the fit, pairing and app so what is the sound quality like?  

Well, it’s excellent, the sound is crisp and clear with no distortion, every song I played sounded amazing, whether it was rock, pop or classical music.

You can also use the earbuds to make and receive telephone calls – if you are playing music it stops whilst you are on the call. I found that the call quality (for both people) was very clear and background noise was minimal.

Answering calls, skipping tracks and turning on/off different modes can all be executed by tapping the earbuds. Once you get the hang of tapping they are very simple to use, the sensitivity is very good and works well all the time.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True wireless 3 earbuds – superior sound, excellent Bluetooth connectivity and a secure and comfortable fit. They are definitely a premium pair of wireless earbuds and anyone receiving them this Christmas won’t be disappointed.

RRP £219.99 available from the Sennheiser website here

Elliot Brown Bloxworth Hali Watch

Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Fashion, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Jewellery, Sport, Women

I am not the easiest person to buy presents for – I am told that every single birthday and Christmas, and with a milestone birthday coming up in a matter of weeks my family have started asking me what special gift I would like to celebrate the occasion. One thing that I have considered is a nice watch, but being an outdoorsy sort of person, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a watch that will invariably get bashed and scratched when I get too close to a rock face, fall off my bike or slip on wet ground. I also don’t want a watch that is likely to stop working after getting wet too many times. Nowadays fewer people wear watches as it is easy to glance at our phones to check the time, but there is no denying the elegance and refinement that a proper watch brings. And, when you are half way up a rockface or standing on a paddleboard, believe me, looking at a watch is a whole lot easier than taking a phone out of your pocket – and you don’t run the risk of it slipping out of your hand either.  

So when Elliot Brown, a UK-based watch brand that makes the most wearable, affordable, toughest watches on the planet, asked me if I would like a loan of one of their Bloxworth Hali watches I jumped at the chance. Elliott Brown test all their watches meticulously so that they will withstand the toughest of situations. Me knocking it on a rockface, or falling in Lake Windermere is a drop in the ocean compared to being smashed with a 3kg mallet or being submerged for an entire winter in Poole harbour – just some of the rigorous tests the watches are put through. Oh, they also strap watches to the bows of racing yachts and send them off round the world for 40,000miles and 12 months at sea – the watch survived and was still keeping perfect time. How impressive – these watches really are built to last!

The watch is presented in a lovely solid grey box, with the instruction and warranty details in a neat little pocket in the lid of the box. There is also a mini screwdriver type tool to enable you to remove the strap should you wish to change it for one of the rubber straps that are also available for this model. This fantastic presentation helps to make this a really special present.

The quality of the watch was obvious from the second I took it out of the box. It has a solid feel but isn’t cumbersome to wear. I also really liked how the size of the watch face was slightly larger than a standard, small ladies watch. I have never been keen on tiny dials as I find them hard to read, and I think bigger ones look a bit more rugged too.

As the Bloxworth Hali isn’t a smart watch it doesn’t have the features that other outdoor watches might have but you can wear it all weekend without worrying about charging and be confident that it won’t get damaged whilst out and about, as it is super tough and incredibly durable.

With a recommended retail price of £595 this is not a cheap watch but, reading the specifications of the watch you can see just what you get for your money. At the heart of the watch is a Swiss Made Ronda 705 quartz movement which is encased in a finely brushed stainless steel case with high polished elements. The high contrast, easy to read face is protected by a domed anti reflective sapphire crystal. The high contrast face glows in the dark, making it easy to read when you are off on night time adventures.

The brushed link bracelet strap, has a concealed double folding deployant buckle on bespoke stainless steel, meaning I can wear it on top of my drysuit without altering the bracelet. Marine grade 316 stainless steel is used for the case, bezel and strap bars which means it won’t rust, even in saltwater (and after 12 months at sea we are confident that it has been thoroughly tested).

The other features to mention are

  • Dual layer piano sandwich dial with polished minutes track
  • Matte finished stainless steel uni-directional 60 click timing bezel
  • Signature basket weave textures on compressor case back
  • Domed crown at 4 o’clock with triple seals
  • 100% tested at 200m in water
  • Unbreakable easy change strap bars
  • 5-year warranty

This watch looks just as good when I’m out adventuring as it does with heels and a cocktail dress and is the perfect gift for any outdoor enthusiast. It’s not the cheapest watch on the market but you are investing in a serious, timepiece that will stand the test of time and I know it will still be ticking and keeping perfect time long after the smart watch has counted it’s last step!

Available to buy from https://elliotbrownwatches.com/