Brain Foggles

Home and Health Blog

admin

Simple Ways Small Businesses Can Save Energy

by Leave a Comment

If you’re interested in significantly decreasing your small business’ energy usage, you’ve come to the right place. As listed below is a handy guide which will help you identify efficient ways to reduce your business’ energy use including switching to Utility Bidder.

Simple Ways Small Businesses Can Save Energy

Place motion activated light sensors installed around your business’ premises:

Instead of leaving all the lights in your business on throughout your business’ hours of operation, it’s a far smarter idea to have lighting sensors placed around your business. Which will ensure that the lights will automatically turn off when the last individual leaves a particular room in your business’ premises. As a key example, you may want to place lighting sensors in your meeting rooms, so that your lights will automatically turn off when your meeting rooms are empty. If you would like more tips like this, check out this eBook from Utility Bidder: SME tips.

Make sure to invest in energy efficient lighting:

If your business uses traditional light bulbs, you may want to opt to switch out your business’ current light bulbs for energy efficient light bulbs. As on average energy efficient light bulbs use 75% less energy than traditional light bulbs. As an added bonus, not only are energy efficient light bulbs more cost efficient to run but they also last a lot longer than a traditional light bulb. So you won’t have to replace your business’ light bulbs in a hurry.

Alternatively if you’re looking to light large rooms such as a foyer or a meeting room, you may want to have your current lights swapped out for bright, energy efficient LED lights.

Measure your business’ energy consumption:

By actively measuring your business’ energy consumption, you’ll be able to make smart changes to your business’ power consumption, in order to significantly decrease your business’ power bills. As if you fail to accurately measure your business’ energy consumption you’ll find it impossible to identify the areas of your business’ operations, which cause your business to waste unnecessary energy.

Purchase energy efficient products:

One of the easiest ways to decrease your business’ day to day energy consumption is to ensure to purchase energy efficient products for your business. As an example, if you have plans to replace your business’ appliances, be sure to opt to purchase energy efficient models. While energy efficient models may be more expensive to purchase, they will ultimately be far cheaper to run than cheaply priced models.

Make sure that your business is properly insulated:

In order to be able to cool and heat your business efficiently, it’s important to ensure that your business is properly insulated. As an example, you may want to consider paying for double glazing, in order to prevent air from escaping from your business’ premises. As your energy bill will decrease significantly if you don’t have to constantly heat or cool your business.

Remind your staff members of the importance of reducing their energy use:

Make sure to encourage your employees to try and reduce their energy use. As an example, ensure that all of your staff members remember to power their laptops or desktop computers off at the end of each working day.

If you’d like to significantly reduce your small business’ energy usage, it’s well worth testing out all of the energy savings tips which have been listed out above.

If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about Brain Foggles, check out our About Page!

 

 

 

Should I start working out with kettlebells?

by Leave a Comment

Kettlebells are a great technique to adopt for strength training. Tor many exercises kettlebells are completely interchangeable for dumbbells in addition to other weights. However for some weighted moves, especially ones which necessitate an explosive movement, kettlebells are really the way to go.

This is because the way that they’re shaped makes them far easier to swing around. With kettlebells, it is also possible to hold them by using the handle or, alternatively, the bell. (In other words, the rounded part of the weight. This allows you to get another range of motion depending on your kettlebell exercise which you’re doing.

In addition, the shape of a kettlebell allows you to work your muscles in a different manner than a traditional dumbbell. This is because the weight is dispersed differently as opposed to a typical dumbbell. This means that it works different muscles doing exactly the same movement. As it also requires more wrist motion your wrists as well as your forearms get a little extra work.

Kettlebells = calorie-incinerator

A research study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin involved 10 men in addition to women who were aged 29 to 46. These people did a typical kettlebell workout by performing kettlebell swinging and lifting exercises, to a certain rhythm, during a period of 20 minutes. All participants were experienced with using kettlebells.

The participants’ fitness levels were evaluated before in addition to during the workout by measuring heart rate, oxygen consumption as well as blood lactate.

The results of the study showed that the average participant burned around 20 calories per minute during the kettlebell workout. This equates to 400 calories during a usual 20-minute kettlebell workout.

The researchers say that this is equivalent to running a six-minute mile or cross-country skiing uphill at a very fast pace. They attribute the rapid calorie burn to the interval training format which kettlebell workouts adopt.

In addition, the researchers at the University of Wisconsin write that the participants in the trial achieved exercise heart rate in addition to maximum oxygen uptake. This suggests that kettlebells provide a more intense workout as opposed to standard weight lifting.

The challenge with selecting a starting kettlebell weight

There are a number of challenges with picking a kettlebell weight to be in line with your training experience. Discard your current perception of weight training. See the kettlebell as something new in addition to being different. For that reason, it is impossible for you to have an opinion of the weight which you think that you need.

When approaching a kettlebell workout, do what every personal trainer in the world hopes their clients will do: be open, listen as well as learn. While you may not think you are required to, having at least one session with a kettlebell professional who is well trained will make an enormous difference to your results.

A kettlebell professional, who has done an accredited kettlebell training course, can show you the basics moves such as the:

  • Clean,
  • Swing,
  • Goblet Squat,
  • Windmill, as well as
  • Turkish Get Up.

A trainer will be able to precisely show you what you can improve upon in addition to how to avoid injury. Especially with the swing, if you adopt the incorrect posture and form, it is very easy for you to throw out your back.

Kettlebell training is worlds apart from standard isolation training. As we mentioned above, with this type of training you’ll be using multiple muscle groups simultaneously through ballistic, full-body movements. When performed in the proper fashion, kettlebell movements will function to improve your body control, shorten your workout time as well as give you functional results (in addition to a lean and toned physique). The benefits of the kettlebell are huge and with this one tool you can create incredible strength, power output and stamina if you use the lowly kettlebell to its full potential.

If you are lost and do not know where to start with your fitness routine it is important to consult with a professional personal trainer to ensure that you are on the right path and you do not injure yourself in any process of your exercise routine.

 

Tips to Prepare Your Guest Room for the Arrival of Visitors

by Leave a Comment

When you have visitors coming over and staying for the night, you want them to feel at home. You also want them to have a good impression of you as a host. Besides, if you’re going to visit them in the future, you also want them to prepare a room to make you feel comfortable. These are some tips to help you prepare the guest room before your visitors arrive. 

Take out unnecessary stuff

The problem with a guest room is that you could end up turning it into a storage room. Since no one is using the room, you decide to keep your unused items inside. Since someone is going to occupy the room, you need to take out some of these things or at least hide them. Your guests will feel uncomfortable and will have a hard time moving around because of the boxes and containers.

Replace the sheets

Just because no one has used the room for some time doesn’t mean the sheets are clean. They might have piles of dust and dirt. You don’t want your guests to feel uncomfortable or even get ill because of dirty sheets. Replace them with a new set or wash the sheets before placing them back on the bed. 

Maintain its cleanliness

If you’re too busy to maintain your house, you could end up sacrificing the guest room. It’s not the most commonly used room. Therefore, you don’t care whether or not it’s clean. Since you have a guest coming over, you need to start sweeping and mopping the floor. Take out the trash and organise the furniture.

Check the room for repair issues 

Since you haven’t stayed in the room for some time, you might not have any idea if there are repair issues. Therefore, you need to check if the roof has holes or if there are missing tiles on the floor. Fix any problems before your guest arrives. Ask someone to come over and help out. 

Improve the closet

If the guest is staying for a while, you need to improve the closet. You want your guest to have a place to keep their clothes. If the room isn’t spacious enough and it doesn’t have a closet yet, you can consider installing a fitted wardrobe.

The good thing about a built-in wardrobe is that it lasts long. You can also choose the materials for creating it and change the design based on how much you’re willing to spend. You want your guests to feel safe inside the bedroom, especially if they have valuables, and a fitted wardrobe would help.

It takes a while to create a fitted wardrobe. Therefore, you need to get started now. Check the room first and then identify the issues you have to deal with. 

You want the guests to feel at home, especially if they have driven for several hours or flown just to see you. Again, they might return the favour when it’s your turn to visit them.

Money Budgeting Tips

by Leave a Comment

To discover a few budgeting tips which will actually help you curb your spending, continue reading to discover a few simple budgeting tips which will help you spend less and save more.

Money Budgeting Tips:

Set a budget before you attend each social event:

If you have a tendency to overspend when you attend social events such as drinks with your friends or a meal with your family, it’s a great idea to set a firm spending limit before you attend your event. As the last thing that you want to do is spend excess money on a short night out. Especially if you want to increase your savings, save for an international trip or build a diversified investment portfolio.

Think twice before using your credit card to make an impulse purchase:

As it’s incredibly easy to swipe your credit card each time that you’re tempted to make an impulse purchase, it’s a far better option to avoid spending money that you don’t have. Instead aim to purchase all of your big ticket items with cash. So that you’ll be able to avoid paying interest on a credit card balance.

If you’re frequently tempted to purchase items which you don’t need such as designer clothes and brand name electronics, it’s a great idea to wait for 24 hours before making an impulse purchase. As once 24 hours has passed you’ll usually realize that you don’t require the item that you were so convinced that you needed, a mere day ago.

Bank all of your spare change:

If you still use cash from time to time in order to manage your spending, make sure to save all of your spare change. Which you’ll then be able to deposit into your long term savings account or to put towards your bills.

Endeavour to pay all of your monthly bills ahead of time:

One of the simplest ways to ensure that you pay your bills ahead of time is to set up automatic payments, that will deduct each regular payment, directly from your bank account. One reason why it’s a wise idea to pay all of your monthly bills in advance is that you’ll avoid paying late fees on each of your payments. Such as your gas bill and your phone bill.

Don’t get rid of items that are still in good condition:

In order to save money don’t be soo quick to get rid of items which are still in good condition such as smart phones and clothes.

So if you’d like to spend less and to save more, you really can’t go wrong using all of the budgeting tips which are listed above. Which will help you save more, in a short period of time!

Your guide to Clue Harry Potter Edition

by Leave a Comment

Whether you grew up with the Harry Potter series or films or you’re simply a fan of playing unique board games, it’s well worth finding out more information about Clue Harry Potter Edition. Which is definitely one of the most unique versions of Clue that you’ll ever come across.

Your guide to Clue Harry Potter Edition:

It boasts a unique storyline:

Clue Harry Potter Edition features a unique storyline in which you’ll be tasked with trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of a Hogwarts student. Instead of trying to guess which character killed an individual and the weapon which they used and the room in which they committed their murder you’ll have to pinpoint which Harry Potter character used which dark spell in which part of the Hogwarts castle. As in example, in one game the answer may be Draco Malfoy, a sleeping draught and the owlery.

You’ll get to play as one of your favorite Clue characters:

Instead of playing as one of the traditional Clue characters such as Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard and Mrs. White, you’ll get to solve the mysterious disappearance of a Hogwarts student as either Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny or Luna. Which you’ll appreciate if you’re a die hard Harry Potter fan.

Everything is not as it seems:

Make sure to pay careful attention to the game board as underneath your game board are wheels, which will reveal hidden secrets such as hidden passageways, which you’ll be able to make use out of. Which should help you solve the mystery of the disappearing Hogwarts student in a shorter time span.

Each time a player throws their dice, they’ll be able to make changes to your game board:

If you were wondering how and when your game board will change, the answer is that every time a player throws their dice, they’ll throw a special die which will affect the layout of your board game map. Even if you’ve played Clue numerous times, you’ll never have experienced an ever changing game board which is full of twists and turns and surprises.

Beware of the dark mark:

Not only are you competing against your fellow players but you’ll also be playing against the dark side. In fact, if too many dark marks are revealed during the course of the game, it’s possible for the dark side to win, instead of a human competition.

There are help cards which can aid you in your task:

While there are negative cards such as the dark mark which are best avoided, not all of the cards which you’ll come across are negative. As example, there are spell cards which you’ll be able to aid you on your mysterious quest.

If you think you’ve solved the mystery head straight to Dumbledore’s office:

Once you think that you have all the evidence which you need in order to accuse a Harry Potter character of using dark arts against a Hogwarts student, race to Dumbledore’s office. Where you’ll be able to try and solve the mystery of the vanishing Hogwarts student.

So if you’re keen to play one of the best special edition versions of Clue, it’s well worth picking up a copy of Clue Harry Potter Edition. Especially if you’re long time Harry Potter fan.