As someone who has spent countless hours playing video games without moving only to realise my legs had pins and needles or gone dead I'm speaking from experience. We all get carried away with hobbies, if we love the hobby other things can often come second best, gaming being one of those hobbies for me. It's so easy to sit and game for hours, immersing yourself in a fantasy world can often be a better way of spending our days then actually leaving our homes and that's ok, no one should be judged for that. The main issue is when we forget to eat or move around, our body needs fuel and hydration so by depriving ourselves for hours on end with the added bonus of not moving it can be dangerous (this does not include disabled people as their needs can be very different from abled people).
As most of you know I suffer from Neurocardiogenic syncope so standing up too long can make me faint, I still try my best to make sure that I take breaks when I game and it's important I don't skip meals or avoid staying hydrated otherwise it can impact my condition. As we head into summer I tend to drink a lot, due to the gaming room heating up means I end up feeling more dizzy than usual, I already use two large 2L water bottles, one I use for diluted squash and the other for water as not everyone likes to drink water all the time and because I don't want to drink water all the time I like to have a variety of drinks to choose from. Usually my go to is something like a smoothie in the mornings as it's quick and easy to do, when i was given the chance to try out Love-Struck I decided to go for their shakes as a sweet treat for both James and I and I wasn't disappointed.
Love-Struck was started by a man named Richard back in 2004, he wanted more from life so he did what anyone in his position would do and ditched his advertising job to become his own boss. Starting a smoothie company was his vision but he wasn't sure how to go about it then decided to sell them at London's food mecca borough market. For those not familiar with it, this market is known for its delicious food and is a hot spot for tourists and those living in London, it's the perfect place to sell your own food creations. Eventually Richard set up his own smoothie bars with the encouragement from his friends (that's what I love to hear!) he opened two more bars in London and Cardiff.Business grew and so did the customers, that's when Richard decided to portion the fruit and veg into freezer bags and supply them across cafes, restaurants and many more places and now with the added bonus of consumers buying directly from the website where you can choose from a variety of different bundles. I understand people will be wondering why buy them when you can buy fruit bags frozen in stores etc but for those with a busy lifestyle all those who struggle to get out of the house it's a great alternative for them especially with the wide range of products to choose from.
The bundle I chose came with 4 different options of shakes, Va Va Vanilla Shake, Strawberry Glory Shake, Livin La Vida Cocoa Shake and Top Banana Shake, my favourite so far is strawberry (it's my favourite flavour milkshake anyways). You can mix it with a liquid of your choice, whether that's semi skimmed milk or a milk alternative.The shakes are suitable for vegetarians, contain no artificial colours or flavours, wheat and gluten free with no preservatives. When the bundle was delivered it came in a cardboard box packed with dry ice, it gives you a warning not to touch the dry ice sachets without gloves so please heed these warnings!
The great thing about these packs is that you can grab a ready-made pack from the freezer, add 150ml of your chosen liquid then blitz it in the blender and you're done. The sachets can last up to 2 years in the freezer so you can grab one whenever you fancy a shake as well as this the bundles come with a decent amount of sachets for the price whilst giving you a portion of your 5 a day. All together they have 7 different bundles to choose from such as a bundle for cocktails, Gym and even a veggie bundle, all to cater to different people and their likes and needs.
As someone who has been looking into better ways to be more environmentally friendly I was a bit worried about the sachet packs the shakes came in, after some snooping on the website I saw Love-Struck are all about sustainability, the smoothie sachets and dry ice sachets are both recyclable and you can take them to the supermarket to be recycled, the cardboard box is FSC which basically means it's ethically sourced from forests that are responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically viable.
As I mentioned before, hydration goes hand in hand with what to do throughout our life and if you can't drink water alone because you hate the taste there are different ways to stay hydrated. A story that has stuck with me for many years was about a young lad from America who had a 4 day gaming session on Modern Warfare 3, the reason I mention this is because he ended up collapsing from dehydration, this isn't about putting the blame on anyone it's to point out that lack of dehydration can and will lead to you becoming poorly, I know this first hand from suffering with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, but that's a very different story as I was unable to stay hydrated.
Not everyone will know how much someone else drinks, kids may tell you that they have had something to drink so parents can be none the wiser but you can keep an eye out if you suspect they aren't getting enough fluids and are dehydrated. So what are the signs to look out for dehydration for not only yourself but your child whilst gaming for long periods of time:
- Feeling very thirsty.
- Dry mouth.
- Urinating and sweating less than usual.
- Dark-colored urine.
- Dry skin.
- Feeling tired.
- Dizziness.
- Body Aches & Pains
The moral of the story is you can stay hydrated in more than one way, not everyone likes water and Love-Struck can be a great way to get liquids in you and to get your 5 a day!
Have a cosy day
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