Back Nodger

When the Back Nodger arrived in the office, I’ll be the first to admit that we here at The Amazing Blog were a little wary. Looking more like golf club than a massage tool, we were unsure as to how it could provide any relief from our aches and pains. However, after a little research, and a few minor mishaps, we were soon ‘nodging’ our knots away.

We all know that when working a desk job, it can be difficult to maintain a great posture. As well as not looking your best, hunching over a keyboard all day also contributes to those dreaded back pains. Although we’re firm believers in prevention before cure, and try to work on a great sitting stance, once the damage is done, we’re always comforted when we come across something that can provide a little relief. The Back Nodger is a great way to work on stiffness and tension. Born out of creator, Asher Nathan’s inability to massage the hard to reach parts of his lower back, he decided to take a leaf out of the Japanese’s book, altering their shiatsu methods until he came up with the perfect deep tissue massager. Recommended by physiotherapists, this curved steel tool isn’t your typical massager, and can take a bit of getting used to. Luckily, Back Nodger provide a handy ‘how-to’ video,  so you will be giving yourselves a good ‘nodging’ in no time. When used right, the nodger should feel like a thumb pushing into those parts of your back that you can't quite reach. After a few uses, we felt the tension melt away, leaving us a lot more comfortable at our desks. Although an attractive masseuse is always preferable, we’re more than happy to settle for the Back Nodger.

The Back Nodger is available to buy here for £29.99. We’re certainly grateful for the excuse to give ourselves a quick massage at our desks.

Zingology - Whole Food & Juice Powders

We here at The Amazing Blog are always looking for fresh, innovative ways to get our 5-a-day. From smoothies to fruit filled treats, we thought we’d exhausted all avenues, until we discovered Zingology. The Whole Food & Juice Powder brand were kind enough to send us a sample of their fruit and vegetable range, and we couldn’t wait to get creative.

Using patented technology, Zingology are able to make vegetables and fruits into delicious, vibrant powders, whilst almost completely preserving their nutritional value. With four flavours to choose from: carrot, beetroot, strawberry and raspberry, there’s no end to the delectable dishes you can create. Providing all the nutrition and flavour of their fresh counterparts, these easy to use powders are perfect for cooking, adding to drinks, incorporating into baked goods, or just eating straight off the spoon. We really enjoyed sprinkling the fruity flavours over our morning porridge for a delicious burst of berry flavour. The vegetable flavours found themselves equally at home in our juicer, adding a little something extra to our juicy concoctions. If you’re not quite sure how to use them, Zingology has a range of recipes available on their website. We’re not sure about you, but the Pink Beetroot Pancakes are definitely next on our ‘to bake’ list.

Buy the Zingology Whole Food Powders here for £14.95 and the Juice Powders here for £24.95. They are also newly available to buy from Ocado here, so there’s no excuse for slacking on your 5-a-day target.

Peter Simone - Skin Personality Range

There’s nothing like a little opulent skincare to make you feel glamorous, so when Peter Simone were kind enough to send us a selection of products from their Skin Personality Range, we here at The Amazing Blog were more than happy to indulge. Of the luxurious range, we received the A.M Nectar, the Smoothing Eye Contour Cream, and the newly released Weekly Mask. We must admit, just looking at the retro glam packaging made us feel that bit closer to looking like a Hollywood starlet.

Although the opulent pink bottles had us fooled for a minute, we were pleased to discover that Peter Simone is not a brand that values luxury over morality. They pride themselves on producing fair trade, cruelty free products, using recyclable materials wherever possible. With this in mind, we were even more excited to dive into the range. As morning seems to be the natural starting point, we first sampled the A.M. Nectar. Used after cleansing, the soothing serum was great for sealing in moisture. Its range of active, plant based ingredients such as Plankton Extract help to reduce signs of aging, and left our complexions feeling soft and lifted. The Smoothing Eye Contour Cream did exactly what it says on the bottle. The rich cream felt cooling on the eye area, and helped to smooth the delicate skin, making it the perfect prelude to our make-up routine. The star of the show for us, however, was the Weekly Mask. Suitable for all skin types, the Lime Tree Water and Hyaluronic Acid enriched mask helped to hydrate and plump the skin. Claiming to restore a youthful radiance, we immediately noticed a reduction of fine lines and an overall fresh faced result.

Release your inner Hollywood heroine with the A.M Nectar for £110, the Weekly Mask for £61, and the Smoothing Eye Contour Cream for £98.

Good Hemp Food - Good Seed

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love natural, feel good food. When it comes to organic ingredients, we struggle to think of one more earthly than hemp, so we were thrilled when Braham and Murray’s Good Hemp Food sent us their whole eclectic collection of Good Seed Shelled Hemp to try. Perfect for using whilst cooking, sprinkling on salads, or simply as a snack, the range includes Original Shelled Hemp, Italian Herbs, Asian Spices, and Sweet Cinnamon flavours, all of which are packaged in cute reusable tubs. We loved all the flavours and the multi-use aspect of each one. Out of the collection, we were most pleased with the original flavour, as we were able to use it with such a broad selection of foods and flavours. The mildly nutty taste and the soft texture of the shelled hemp made it an ideal accompaniment for mixing in yoghurt, or simply snacking on at our desks. Rich in Omega 3 and protein, we love that this product is good for the environment as well as our bodies. We were also happy to hear that the whole of the hemp plant is used when making the products, so nothing goes to waste. We can assure you that not a delicious seed was wasted here in the office either.

We feel good about ourselves when eating the Good Seed Shelled Hemp collection and you should too! You can pick up the Original, Italian Herb, Asian Spices, and Sweet Cinnamon for £3.89 each. Alternatively, you can treat yourself to the entire tasty selection, here, for £15.56.

Friday Favourites - Breakfast Cereals

What is the best thing about waking up in the morning? Breakfast, of course! Some like it sweet and some like it savoury. Some people like to eat on the go, while others like to take their time to sit and enjoy it. The one thing that we can all agree on here at The Amazing Blog is that we like our breakfasts to be healthy and delicious.

When Alara Gluten Free Organic Muesli was delivered to the office, all we wanted was to have breakfast again. So we did! We loved the unique texture created by the combination of different ingredients that include soya flakes, dried sliced cranberries, puffed quinoa, goji berries and golden linseeds. This delicious organic muesli is a good source of protein, high in fibre, gluten and wheat free and has no added sugar.  Alara’s Muesli can be enjoyed with your favourite milk or yogurt product to boost energy while pleasing your taste buds. For those of us who have trouble finding the perfect muesli, Alara lets you design your own mix with a choice of up to 16 ingredients.  

Not only are Alara committed to creating the healthiest and tastiest muesli they are also very serious about the environment. The boxes are made from sustainably sourced wood and are the first cereal company in the world to be certified Organic, licensed by the Coeliac Society, working with the Fairtrade Foundation, and Zero Waste. Being healthy and kind to the planet has never been so tasty! You can buy Alara Gluten Free Organic Muesli here for £ 5.39.

If you are looking for a warm and healthy meal for your breakfasts look no further than Iswari’s Raw Superfood Breakfast Mix. Iswari Superfoods recently launched a new range of innovative raw breakfasts that will revolutionise your mornings. The 3 mixes available are tasty and delicious, gluten free and organic. Buddha’s Awakening is a nutrient dense mega mix of milled chia, flax, almond & buckwheat, making it a highly nutritious start to your day. Made by simply adding hot water or milk, it offers convenience for those on the go, and is easily digestible for those with food intolerances. The breakfast mixes are rich in omegas 3, 6, iron, magnesium, calcium, and protein. The delicious warm mixes are available in 3 tasty flavours: Chocolate Hit, Maca & Vanilla, and Hempiness. Our favourite at The Amazing Blog is the Chocolate Hit, mixed together with fresh berries for a warm and sweet start to the day!

Iswari offers an extensive range of over 30 super-foods products widely available across Europe. Plus their products are only purchased from sustainable sources that respect nature, humans and the ecosystems of the world. All of their products are low GI, raw where possible, vegan- with the exception of bee products, and organic.

When we are looking to be adventurous with our muesli in the mornings we turn to Primrose’s Kitchen Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli. Primrose’s Kitchen follows ‘a naturopathic diet’ which is the idea of a special energy called "vital energy" or "vital force" which guides bodily processes such as metabolism and reproduction to keep our bodies balanced. The Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli is a combination of delicious gluten free oats with fresh beetroot that is contrasted with zingy ginger, that together with a balanced combination of nuts and seeds, are sure to brighten any morning. The flavours and ingredients in this muesli are equally as adventurous as they are healthy, making for a great start to the day. Made right here in the UK, by a team of nutrition geniuses, we can’t fault the mouth-watering goodness of this cereal.

 The Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli won Gold winner at Taste of the West Awards 2012 and Gold Star winner at Great Taste 2013 so if you, like us, need no more convincing, Primrose’s Kitchen Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli is available here for £5.95.

The best thing about granola is that it is perfect for breakfast and as a healthy and filling snack during the day. You can get your breakfast while you are running out the door to catch the tube or you can snack on while you are in front of your pc doing important work.

Born back in 1985, Nature’s Path is an independently-owned family business which is committed to organic-only recipes made from the finest available grains, fruit and nuts. We were glad to have been able to try the gluten free Trail Mix and Choc Chip Granola Bars because they spiced up our breakfast research. If you are not one for cereals or porridge, these bars are perfect for breakfast on the go, with fruit or yoghurt if you want a sit down, or as a snack with lunch.  These crunchy, tasty bars go down a treat especially considering that they are so healthy. Despite both bars being super delicious our favourite was the Choc Chip because of the chocolate, of course!

Natures Path Granola Bars are available in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s or from the online shop here for £2.99 for 5 bars