Switch the heat off and turn the bills down too

Adjusting the central heating timer and thermostat at different periods during the day and night is one of the simplest tasks you can do. You can save a lot of money and use a lot less energy if you lower the temperature overnight by (say) 5 degrees and crank it up again in the morning. Alternatively, if there is not likely to be an overnight freeze, and the weather is supposed to be above zero at night, try shutting off the heating entirely and putting an additional blanket or higher UK duvet on your cover. Without using any additional fuel, you'll stay cozy. Set the heating timer to wake up to a warm home, about 30 minutes or so until the alarm clock goes off.

If your house is empty every day, an easy way to conserve energy at home is to turn your heat down to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 c) when you go out, then turn it up again when you come home. In the depths of winter, this will keep the pipes from freezing, it will drastically decrease your electricity costs.

Try utilizing programmable thermostats to handle the ventilation, if necessary. They are pricey, but if correctly configured, in a typical household, they will eliminate approximately 2,000 pounds of greenhouse pollution a year (source EPA). They will compensate for itself very easily in cost savings (i.e. petrol and power bills), too. If they are licensed for usage where you are, then it is a no-brainer to mount them!

Consider how many individuals are going to be in a space at one point before choosing what amount to adjust the thermostat. Believe it or not, a human body lets out heat approximately equal to 175 watts of power in an enclosed space. That's a really bright bulb of light! So if you have a party and have (say) 20 people in a room - the equivalent of a 3.5 kilowatt heater - if you leave the room heater at its usual setting, it can get pretty nice, so switch it off for the evening and save all the time.

Finally, carry clothes perfect for the time of year. Yeah, in the middle of winter, you might turn up your furnace and wear a t-shirt, but wouldn't it make more sense to throw on a sweater? Wearing several clothing layers will trap warm air close to your body and hold you warm, minimizing the necessary heating level.

Although you can never keep your heating so poor that everyone in your household feels cold (and this is especially essential for older people who experience the cold more than younger ones), taking these basic measures will decrease the amount of heating you use, improve the energy efficiency in your home, and even reduce your energy bills!

Motivation, Motivation, Carrot Cake and Perspiration!

Recently, I've found that my pants are growing a little tighter, and I know it's not because they shrink in the bath, so I wanted to take initiative and head to the gym. I went along, handed my bank details over to enable them every month to reach in and take my money. However, it did not matter because I was going to get healthy! Well, happier days.

I enjoyed it for the first few weeks - the restaurant was great, mostly because of their amazing carrot cake. My skin performed wonders in the sauna and steam rooms. Years before, I might have attended a gym!

I have to point out that in other areas of the gym, I was slightly conscious of some massive, glossy machinery, but it just appeared too ugly, bulky and noisy for my taste. The people utilizing this computer seemed decidedly dishevelled anyway, and I just realized it wasn't a look that would suit me. I went into the gym to get fit, not get ugly.

So, in my infinite wisdom, I decided it was better to stick to my existing steam room, sauna and restaurant routine. It was unbelievably calming. I don't know why people are complaining about the workout - I enjoyed it!

After a few weeks of this and a lot of mocking from my nearest and dearest (mental note: with anyone who has any power of influence over me, there will be no further sharing of my life details. I also have to get mentally fit to accomplish this, but that's another article for another day...) I decided to extend my gym repertoire and please join an exercise class.

Since attempting my hand at the cross trainer briefly, this move was made. Looks pretty innocuous, I said to myself. I had to get off after a full 58 seconds. Ok, actually, I dropped down, because both legs had turned to jelly, and my arms were hanging down my sides, lifeless. Please, what new type of cruelty is this?

No more ever. I've got adolescent girls. Torture is the duty alone, thereby leaving the inclusion of additional torture utterly needless.

Anyway, it seemed like it was just the thing for a good gentle workout lesson, and it was bound to be better than having any of that horrible equipment.

The tutor, Susan*, was way too toned for her own good, and was told a bit of a show-off reality. So were the 8 pensioners from whom I was taking the lesson. Yet I wasn't letting this put me off. Legs, bums and tums, I'm heading here! I must admit that I performed fabulously well and that day I finished not one but two courses. I'm particularly thankful to the two sprightly 65-year-old ladies who, after training, helped me back to my car. Well, they were holding me actually, but I'll skim over the information.

Since waking up the next day, I opened my eyes and grinned. Another fresh day had dawned and I saw it all in a totally different way - I was getting fit again! Just carry it on!

Moving out of bed introduced my first new task to me. Have you ever attempted with only your eyelids to take back a 14-tog duvet? They were the only pieces that didn't damage my body. That quickly wiped my grin from my face, even though I wasn't too stressed about it, because by now, smiling was way too painful.

I wasn't going to be vanquished, but I signed up with Satan for another lesson. I'm sorry I meant Susan. Anyway, carrot cake was always served at the cafe and that alone made it worth the ride. As though traveling there brought me a whole new view on life. In reality, car trips were OK as long as I did not have to shift gear, accelerate, brake or use my mirrors. I've got a manual car (stick shift), but I want a challenge after that. I wasn't particularly worried that other drivers were furiously cursing and beeping at me, mostly because I wasn't willing to raise my head and look at them gesticulating at me. I went on, unconscious and blissfully blind. I was on a quest, and the path of devastation, and the near-misses that I left behind didn't deter me.

But here we are, down the line for 6 months and guess what? What I set out to do, I have accomplished. I have maintained the gym's cafe in operation single handedly and the attendants at the steam room and sauna are my closest friends. Much like Susan, the toned coach, and now, after her first session, I'm taking new participants back to their vehicles. As with the cross trainer, my resistance has now doubled. Yeah, I should get a woohoo!

Is entering the gym worth it? Yeah, it has been!

Disclaimer: I entered the gym because I had spare cash to contribute to the gym that I liked. Don't join us if you don't have spare cash. Also, please contact a health provider before beginning any fitness programme.