How to do a spa hot rocks treatment at home

We all need to relax and be pampered every now and again but unfortunately not all of us can afford expensive spa treatments. However, with a spa hot rocks kit you can create your own relaxing spa treatment in the comfort of your own home and for a fraction of the price. Here’s how to get the most out of your spa hot rocks kit.

Unfortunately a spa hot rocks treatment is not something you can do on your own. Ask a friend to help you position the rocks or better still do the treatment on your partner. It’s a great way of spending a relaxing and romantic evening with the one you love.

First of all, set up your pamper room. Put on your favourite relaxing music, dim the lights and light some scented candles to create the perfect atmosphere. Then prepare the hot rocks. Remove the stones from the soft velvet bag provided and place them in a pan of water on the hob. Bring them to the boil before carefully removing them without touching them or the scalding water. Alternatively you can place them in a jug of water in the microwave until the water begins to boil. Place the stones on a towel and leave them to cool for a few minutes until they are safe to touch. Take them back to your pamper room and lay down in a comfortable position. This may be on the floor, on your bed or even on a massage table if you happen to have one. Then ask your friend or partner to place the stones on your bare skin in the position that the accompanying instructions indicate for backs, shoulders, arms or feet. Finally, close your eyes and unwind as the heat begins to relax your muscles.
For more information and for other heath and spa products, please visit D2D
 
 

WiKi Divya Mat – the soft ‘bed of nails’

If you suffer from stress, muscular tension, insomnia or fatigue, the WiKi Divya mat might be just what you need. This new health and wellbeing product is an effective tool for anyone who wants to improve their general health and sense of wellbeing.

The WiKi Divya mat has its origins in the traditional Indian bed of nails. The bed of nails has been used for thousands of years by Indian yogis (yoga practitioners) to enhance the overall wellbeing of both body and mind. Whereas the original bed of nails was constructed of wood and metal nails, this modern version is made from plastic and a comfortable Styrofoam padded cotton material. It works on a principle similar to acupuncture where a number of points over a particular area of the body are stimulated, increasing blood flow and lymph circulation. The difference lies in that the plastic ‘nails’ do not puncture the skin. When blood flow and lymph circulated are promoted, endorphins, known as ‘nature’s pain killers’, are released. Endorphins can block pain signals and produce a sense of wellbeing. In a study to investigate the effectiveness of the WiKi Divya mat 98% reported pain relief, 96% reported relaxation, 94% reported improvement in the quality of sleep and 81% reported an increase in energy levels. Of those subjects who have allergies, over half reported relief of their symptoms. These results are astounding and may even surpass those of the traditional bed of nails. Each button on the WiKi Divya mat has 27 pressure points and each mat has 230 buttons. This provides over 6000 points of contact with the skin which is a much higher figure than any traditional models could achieve.

The WiKi Divya mat has been shown to provide relief from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, sciatica pain, muscle cramps, muscle tension, stiffness, frozen shoulder, pinched nerves, numbness in legs and feet, jaw tension, grinding teeth, insomnia, arthritis, inflammation, digestive problems, IBS, acid reflux, period pains, PMS, menopausal symptoms, depression, fatigue, mood swings, cellulite, low or high blood pressure, allergies, cold and flu, sinusitis, weight loss and many other conditions. It can even be used after exercise to speed up recovery and during cancer treatment to ease the side effects.

If you have any specific conditions, we recommend that you consult your GP before using this product. Those who have sensitive skin or severe eczma or psoriasis should use a towel or wear a T-shirt when using the mat to avoid any uncomfortable itching and should initially lie on it for a shorter period of time than recommended. Pregnant women and people with coagulation problems (haemophilia) or undergoing treatment with anticoagulants such as Waran, Klexan or Heparin should not use the WiKi Divya Mat as there may be a risk of subcutaneous bleeding and bruising.
For more information and for other health and wellbeing products, please visit D2D
  
  

Relax, de-stress and unwind

This week sees the arrival of some fantastic new health and spa products to D2D. Each of these products is specifically designed to help you relax, de-stress and unwind in a natural way.

Spa Hot Rocks

Use our new spa hot rocks kit to experience stone therapy in the comfort of your own home. Stone therapy has been used for over 5000 years to heal aches and pains, improve circulation and provide relief from stress and insomnia. The heated stones relax the muscles and ease tension while the cool stones soothe inflammation. As the hot and cold stones are applied in alternation, circulation is stimulated, promoting self-healing.

Divya Mat

A modern version of the traditional Indian bed of nails, the WiKi Divya mat can relieve a number of conditions including back pain, tension, stress, insomnia and fatigue. Instead of being made from wood and metal nails the WiKi Divya mat is made from plastic and Styrofoam for a comfortable and relaxing rather than painful experience. It works by stimulating pressure points across the body to promote blood flow and lymph circulation, releasing healing endorphins, frequently known as ‘nature’s pain killers’.

iMassage Pillow

The iMassage Pillow is a mini pillow-shaped massager that also gives out heat as it vibrates. It is flexible so can be used on almost any part of the body, the neck, back, legs and stomach to provide relief from stress, tension and aching muscles. This small lightweight massager is great for use at home or in the office as well as while travelling.

For more information on any of these products and a full range of all our health products, visit D2D today.

Top 10 diet tips

Looking to get in shape? Here are a few top tips that could help you achieve your fitness goals.

1. Get your 5 a day

You have probably heard it time and time again but eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day is probably the best habit you can develop. Fruit and vegetables contain a vast range of vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. Plus if you fill up on healthy fruit and vegetables you’re less likely to pig out on sweets and chocolates.

2. Reduce your saturated fat intake.

Saturated fats are widely associated with heart disease as they increase levels of harmful cholesterol in the body. They are predominantly found in animal fats so you should cut down on your intake by buying lean mean and avoiding high-fat dairy products. Also avoid always relying on meat as the main constituent of your meals. Try pulses or other sources of vegetable protein.

3. Increase your unsaturated fat intake

Unsaturated fats reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol in the body and are found in nuts, seeds, avocadoes and olive oil.

4. Increase your omega-3 oil intake

Omega-3 oils are anti-inflammatory agents that can help protect your heart, lubricate your joints and even stimulate your brain. They are found in seed oils such as linseed oil and oily fish such ass mackerel and sardines. You should aim to have two portions a week.

5. Increase your fluid intake

You should aim to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. Water is required for most metabolic reactions in the body so if you don’t drink enough you won’t burn those calories! If you don’t like plain water, try drinking herbal tea or drinking juicy fruits such as melons.

6. Eat breakfast

Studies have found that those who eat breakfast are on average slimmer than those who don’t. This is because it gets your metabolism going! Try to eat a low-sugar breakfast so you feel full until lunchtime.

7. Go wholegrain

Wholegrain contain more nutrients than refined grains because they still contain bran and germ. Studies have shown that people who choose wholegrain over refined grains tend to be healthier.

8. Exercise

It’s not good enough just to eat well, you need to exercise too. Aim to do at least 30 minutes exercise everyday. If you are short on time, why not go for a short walk in your lunch break.

9. Relax

If you are stressed you may be tempted to binge on sugary foods. If you are feeling tired and irritable, don’t give in. Why not have a bath for some relaxing me-time instead?

10. Use a body fat monitor

Your weight can be a confusing sign of your fitness. If you are doing more exercise than usual in a bid to shed a few pounds, you may find that your weight increases rather than decreases as muscle tends to be heavier than fat. A body fat monitor is a great way of charting your fitness progress. D2D’s mini body fat analyser is a fantastic device that works by sending a signal through your body, which has difficulty passing through fat tissue. This resistance is measured and set against gender, height and weight to produce your personal body mass index. You can compare this body mass index with accompanying table to determine whether you are over or underweight or within the healthy range. This tells you how much you need to alter your diet and exercise levels in order to stay at a healthy weight and allows you to check your progress over time. The analyser comes equipped with a clock, LCD screen, alarm function and substantial personal data storage.

Save Money by Saving Energy

Using less energy is not only better for the environment it will also save you money! The Energy Saving Trust estimates that by putting energy-saving measures into place, the average UK household could save up to £250 a year.

How much money can I save?

You can save quite a lot without even buying specifically energy-efficient products. The average 42" plasma screen television uses consumes roughly 300W of energy per hour. If it is on for 4 hours every evening, it will cost approximately £4.90 a month to run. By simply powering it down completely when not in ise it instead of leaving it on standby you can reduce this cost by a third immediately.

Computers are also likely to rack up your bill. Did you know that a single computer left on 24 hours a day will cost you over £50 a year in electricity? If you switch it off whenever you are not using it, you could reduce this figure to under £10!

Make sure you're getting the best energy deal

Make sure you're getting the best price for your gas and electricity. There are plenty of comparison sites out there on the internet that you can use to measure your provider against others and see whether you're getting a good deal or not. It may be worth your while to switch.

Use an energy tracker

Have you ever wondered how much it costs to boil a kettle or to straighten your hair? An energy tracker is an easy to use device that will help you keep track of your consumption. Once you have programmed in the tariff, simply plug in your appliance and the energy tracker will provide you with an instant read-out of the running cost. If you are aware of the costs it's much easier to reduce your consumption and save money.

Green Power Energy Trackers are available for sale now at D2D.

Protect your Luggage - Anti Lost Luggage tags from Back2you

How many of us wait in baggage reclaim hall at the airport, worrying that our suitcase is never going to appear? Back2you luggage tags might not stop you worrying but at least you can rest assured that if your bag does go missing, it can be easily found and returned to you. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports over 250,000 luggage items alone are lost every month after being mishandled on internal flights. Almost all of these luggage items will never find their way back to their owners because they are simply unidentifiable. Lost luggage has become such are problem that there are even entire businesses that revolve around selling thousands of unclaimed items every week.

Make sure your luggage finds its way back to you with a back2you tag. The back2you tag is a unique way to protect your valuables no matter where you are in the world via the internet. It is the fastest and simplest way for whoever finds your bag to contact you without you having to reveal your personal information. For security reasons we don’t recommend you openly display your name and address on your luggage. Moreover, if you lose a bag on your outward flight, you will not want it sent home with no one to collect it.

Each pack contains 2 metal luggage tags and four security stickers to protect your mobile phone, mp3 player, camera or laptop. Each of these tags and stickers has a unique serial number that enables it to be traced back to you via back2you.com. The system is powered by the worldwide globalbagtag network that is trusted and used by over 1 million people all over the world.

Before you depart, simply register your contact details, your travel itinerary and a description of your luggage on the website or by text message. This information is then stored on the back2you database, which you are able to update at any time. As soon as your lost luggage is found, you will be contacted by text message, email or phone. Airlines and other select organisations are able to view your itinerary and forward your luggage to you whether you are at home or abroad.

Important documents, such as copies of your passport, driving licence, and hotel reservations can also be stored in the secure back2you digital vault.

Because the tags and stickers each have a unique serial code, you can use them as many times as you like. You must, however, ensure that your membership is still activated and your travel itinerary is correct. The membership included in the price of the tags last for a year from the date of activation. When your membership is up you will be contacted by email requesting you to renew your membership if you wish. Subsequent membership costs £3.95 per year no matter how many tags wish to use.

Back2you tags are a truly innovative product for the modern world and one that everyone should own! For more information, please visit D2D.

Choosing the Right Personal Alarm for You

There are many different types of personal alarms on the market right now that choosing the right one for you can be a difficult decision. Here are a few tips on how to make the right choice.

How would a personal alarm help me?

If you are out and about on your own and are suddenly attacked, a personal safety alarm will shock and disorientate your attacker giving you the opportunity to get away. What it will not necessarily do is attract help. Most personal alarms can only be heard within a distance of 70m and even if someone is in earshot they might not necessarily realise you are in trouble. Personal alarms often sound like a car alarm and we all know how often they are usually ignored.

What features should I look for in a personal alarm?

You should first look for personal alarms that emit a continuous sound over 130 decibels. If it is going to stun your attacker enough to loosen their grip on you, the sound needs to be as loud and ear-piercing as possible and it also needs to sound different to a car alarm.

You should also look for an alarm that is easy to carry but if it is too small it may not be as loud as you need it to be or may get lost in the bottom of your bag. Ones that come as a wristband or on a neck strap are a great choice.

You also need to think about how easy it is to operate in an emergency. On some personal alarms you need to push a button, on others you need to pull out a pin. It can't be too fiddly and you shouldn't need too hands. An ideal alarm is one that can be operated by simply pushing it against something else without even using your hands.

Avoid having to use your personal safety alarm

Remember that you shouldn't rely on your personal alarm only to keep you safe. You should always be aware of your surroundings when out alone, especially at night and stick to well-lit routes that you know well. It is not advisable to listen to music with headphones as it can distract you and stop you noticing what is going on around you. You should also let friends or family know where you are going and what time you will be home, so they know when to expect you and worry if you don't arrive.

In the event that you are attacked, you should scream too, to attract the attention of passers by. If you are able to shout something specific such as 'call the police!' you are more likely to get help as it makes it clearer that you are in real danger. Then, run to the nearest crowded area, shop or cafe to get away from your attacker.
For a range of personal safety alarms for adults and children please visit D2D.