HashOut: 2007/11/09

Stand up and watch TV

Since we all got cable connections, the average number of hours spent watching TV has shot up. A new study hints that the increased couch time could have a deadlier downside than anyone thought.

French researchers in Nice reviewed more than 65,000 cases of deep vein thrombosis - potentially fatal blood clots in the legs -- and found that hospitalisation were 18 percent higher than average in the winter, when people watched more TV. These clots form relatively quickly -- the condition is a hazard on long airline flights -- so cutting your risk is as simple as getting out of your chair. "You need to get your blood pumping," says Kevin Burns, a trainer and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. His suggestions:

Join a club
Get outdoors and join serious walkers in a park. Fellow exercisers will offer support and camaraderie.

Go shopping
At the supermarket, walk every aisle. If there are carts, retrace your steps once you have filled: Pushing a full cart is a better workout.

Deskercise
Once an hour, take a break and try this chair workout: With your big toe as your pen, write a message in the air ("Picky up dry cleaning" or "Call Mum"). Follow up with the other leg.

Jumpstart your heart
Spot jog through one commercial for every 30-minute programme you watch.

Rent a video
If you don't want to take a gym class, pop a tape in your VCR and learn yoga, kickboxing or do a stationery jog while you watch.

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Choosing a Broadband provider in UK

Choosing a broadband service provider could prove to be a herculean task, given the number of options and providers. In the UK alone there are around 68 providers of broadband services. However, BT, the privatised UK state telecommunications operator, has a cut above the others.

BT Group is currently the largest communications service provider in the United Kingdom and in Europe. It is also one of the largest communication companies in the world.

BT has six broadband plans with three for home users under the BT Total Broadband brand and three for business users under the BT Business Total Broadband brand. Home plans start from £17.99 a month and business plans from £19.79. All plans come with up to an 8Mbps download speed. Option 3 of BT Total Broadband provides an Unlimited download connection at just £24.99 per month.

What makes BT stand out is that it offers a Broadband Router cum Modem cum Wireless Access Point free of cost on all its plans except the basic home plan. However, you can upgrade to the Wireless Home Hub on the basic home plan for a one time fee of £30. Also you get a whopping 5GB of free online storage.
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