Beds and Back Problems

We spend approximately one third of our lives sleeping, yet many people put up with old, uncomfortable beds which can make any existing back problems worse, or even create some new ones.

On average, beds should be changed every 8 - 10 years. Because of the amount of time we all spend in our beds and the health implications, always buy a new bed and spend as much as you can afford to buy a quality product.

Also, buy the largest bed that will comfortably fit into your space and give you room to get in and out of it - an extra 6 inches of mattress room can make a lot of difference to your comfort. If you have a bed with pull out drawers, ensure you have enough room to pull them out.

There are several types of beds to consider, conventional mattress, orthopaedic mattress, memory foam mattress as well as waterbeds. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The best thing to do is try out each bed for at least 5 - 10 mins, even 30mins to an hour if you feel like it..... then check online to find the best price.

It is worth noting that orthopaedic mattresses aren't built to any specification, they are generally just a bit firmer and in many cases a softer mattress may well be of more benefit as sink gently into it rather than the mattress creating pressure points. If you're susceptible to dust mites, a waterbed contains 10x less than conventional mattresses.

There are a number of different bed types to choose from, a list is shown here.

How to Buy Lingerie

If there's one thing us girlies do like as a treat it's lingerie. But, buying a bra that fits well can be a bit of a minefield. So here's my easy to follow guide to buying lingerie.

• Firstly, if you are a man, I would not recommend you just pop out to the shops and pick some up unless you are absolutely certain it is the right size - have a rummage in her drawers. Going up to the assistant demonstrating with your hands what size her boobs are is an unreliable sizing method at best.
• If you are a lady, the most important thing is to get measured. A well fitting bra is not only more comfortable, it will also give you a far more flattering shape and get them pointing outwards rather down down.
• You may find that your size varies with age, weight etc, so it is important to get measured regularly. Just to make things more confusing, you may find size can also vary slightly by brand.
  

A well fitting bra should not leave lumps of flesh sticking out at the sides or give the appearance of extra breasts where they bulge out at the front. This indicates that the cup is too small. If the fabric is wrinkled, this indicates it is too large.

The front band should be in contact with the skin, you should not be able to slide your finger underneath it between your boobs. The wires should sit flat. If the front band is pulling down towards the narrower part of your ribcage, then the 'band size' ie 34 is too small.

The back strap should be horizontal and should be firm, but not strangling. The back strap should support 80% of the weight whilst the shoulder straps handles the remaining 20%. Neither should dig in and leave red marks.

That concludes my guide to buying lingerie.

Spend Spend Spend!

With interest rates at an alltime low, and the country in the grips of a recession likened to the 1930's, if you have got some cash hanging about, now is a good time to buy.

Perhaps some home decorating is in order - a new LCD TV or sofa maybe. I've got my eye on a Samsung le37a558 and over the past couple of months I've seen the price drop £100. Obviously I will have to buy at some time and the price will still continue to fall probably after I've bought, but my finger is starting to twitch over that buy button.

Its my birthday soon and I've decided I might get a Tomtom Rider v2 SatNav for the bike. Its rather difficult to read a map whilst riding and it would be nice to have half a clue where we're going when we do finally do a proper tour. It comes with a bluetooth headset and is easily transferable to the car too. The reviews aren't bad either.

So that's most of my money accounted for, but it seems pointless having it hanging around in the bank earning 0.002% interest when there's bargains to be had. I'm doing my bit to help kick-start the economy again ;-).

How The Recession Affects Charities

Charities are facing a tough time in the recession as charity donations are down, yet demand is up for the services of many.

A recent Charity Commission survey found that 52% of charities said that their work was affected by the recession, with two-thirds of charities with a turnover of £1million forecasting the recession would have a significant impact on their jobs and the work they do.

On a local level, the bike club I used to be a member of has decided it is unable to run the Bikes4Flight event this year due to financial restraints combined with other factors. This would have been the events 3rd year in aid of the Cornwall Air Ambulance. I have just seen that it is planned for 2010 however and biannually after that.

I have a friend in the charity sector that tells me events such as this are becoming more commonplace. Businesses are cutting back on their charity commitments when it can be argued that they are in the most need of support.

Going back the the Charity Commission Survey, it also found that some charities were not putting measures in place to protect their funds, such as collaborating with others and sharing expertise.

The global financial downturn is increasing the pressure on charities and it is only worsening as the recession deepens.

First Bike Ride Of The Season

Actually that's not quite true, we did go out in January to meet some friends for Sunday Lunch. Half arrived by car and half on 2 wheels, the ones who arrived by car were the sensible ones at that time of year.

A couple of us had time off from work so we decided to go out on a mini rideout together. We met up at Crediton and went to Zukis at Winkleigh for lunch. Zukis is quite a popular bikers cafe, the food is good, as is the service and the price and we sat in the warm contemplating global warming as we stared out at the remnants of the snow. Actually there was still quite a lot of snow about and the muck on the roads lent the bikes a nice brown tint when we got back to Crediton again.

It was all good fun and my mate's first rideout on her own bike. I think she enjoyed it, but now she's going to have to wash it if she cant con her other half into doing it. Mine is going to wash the bike, I wouldn't do it to his satisfaction anyway, leaving me the 20min job of cleaning my boots, trousers and helmet.

As an aside, the slow cooker I bought in the New Year has turned into a great success. It gets used most weeks and produces some great dishes.

Worst Job Losses Over By Easter, Or Not

Latest analysis by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows the the worst of the job "cull" could be over by Easter.

A comparison between the UK and US shows that recession-related cuts occurred of a similar magnitude, but the downturn here in the UK was three months later than in the US. It is thought that fewer jobs will be lost over the pond in the start of this year, which may indicate that the worst losses over here could be over by Easter.

CIPD policy adviser Gerwyn Davies said: "Our comparison of the US and UK studies highlights a marked degree of transatlantic trauma affecting the jobs market.

"In proportionate terms the 2.6 million jobs lost to the US economy in 2008 is in line with the CIPD's expectation that the UK economy will shed at least 600,000 in 2009.

"Judging by the similarity of experience in both countries there is clearly some way to go before the jobs fallout from the recession comes to an end in either country.

"It seems a foregone conclusion that the news on jobs will get worse before it gets better."

On the other hand, The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) predicted that 140,000 UK jobs could be lost this year in the manufacturing sector, which I wouldn't personally term as good news. It said that manufacturing was set to decline by 8.6% this year, the worst figure since the early 80s.

The outlook among firms in all regions of the UK was "gloomy", with companies in the West and East Midlands most pessimistic about the next three months.