Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Ideal Amount Of Time You Should Spend Having A Poo, According To Experts

Posted on by
Reply

How long do you spend going for a poo? Two minutes? Seven minutes? 20 minutes? Well, it turns out there is a line between spending too long in the bathroom and having a quick and healthy bowel movement.

Spending too much time pooping can lead to health problems and can even be a sign that there’s something larger going on in your gastrointestinal tract.

Here’s what gastrointestinal doctors want you to know.

It should take no more than 5 minutes to have a bowel movement – and maybe even a little less.

Spending more than several moments on the toilet when you poop is too long, doctors say. Exactly how long is too long depends, but around five minutes (or a little less) is a good goal.

Dr. Melissa Hershman, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Oregon Health and Sciences University, said “an appropriate time to spend on the toilet is no more than three minutes at a time”.

Leslie Waid, a nurse practitioner in gastroenterology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was a little more lenient with the time, but not by much. According to Waid, it shouldn’t take more than five to 10 minutes to have a bowel movement.

Dr. Valentine Millien, a gastroenterologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, said closer to five minutes is best.

“You should sit down, you should easily pass a bowel movement, feel empty, you get cleaned up and you leave,” Waid said.

“There shouldn’t be any straining or spending time sitting there waiting for stools to pass,” Waid noted.

Straining and excessive pushing motions can “create pelvic trauma, injury,” added Hershman.

For example, straining can cause hemorrhoids, Waid said.

“There are other things that can happen with straining, including anal fissures, and those are tears in the lining of the anal canal, and they can be very painful,” Waid said.

Straining on the toilet can also cause pelvic floor damage and weaken the pelvic floor muscles, Waid added.

“Really, after five minutes, and nothing is happening, we usually tell patients to leave and then wait again to get the urge, and then come back to the bathroom,” Millien noted.

Hopefully, when you return, you’ll be able to evacuate your bowels in just a couple of minutes.

One way to spend less time in the bathroom? Stop bringing your phone in with you.

Kinga Krzeminska via Getty Images

One way to spend less time in the bathroom? Stop bringing your phone in with you.

If you spend more than 5 or 10 minutes in the bathroom, there are things you can do to improve your bowel health

If straining and spending 5 or 10 minutes on the toilet is your norm, there are a few things you can do to reduce the time it takes you to poop.

First, positioning is important, said Waid, so stools like Squatty Potty can be helpful.

Millien agreed, “a lot of Asian countries and a lot of African countries, their toilet is actually, even if it’s a ceramic toilet, it’s usually lower to the ground, so that forces you to squat.”

When you squat, “you’re removing some of that pressure of the rectum, and actually allowing gravity to help you evacuate,” Millien said.

And, while it’s common to bring your smartphone everywhere (including in the bathroom), it’s a good idea not to. Research shows that people who bring their phone into the bathroom spend more time in the bathroom and have a higher risk of hemorrhoids, Millien said.

Tried-and-true lifestyle habits are also important for bowel regularity, such as drinking plenty of fluids and exercising, said Waid.

“Exercise is an excellent way to promote bowel motility. I often tell patients that your gut doesn’t move if you don’t,” said Hershman.

Your diet choices also impact your bowel movements. “It’s important to have adequate dietary fibre,” Waid noted. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, certain cereals, oatmeal, chia seeds, beans, and more.

Fibre helps add bulk to stools and makes bowel movements easier to pass.

“If patients feel like they’re not eating enough fibre, or just need a little bit something more for regularity, they can add in a fibre supplement,” Waid said.

“We really want to target at least 25 grams of fibre per day,” said Hershman. For reference, one apple has about 4.5 grams of fibre, one cup of quinoa has 5 grams and one cup of lentils has 15.5 grams of fibre.

In some cases, bowel movement issues can be a sign of colorectal cancer

Rates of colorectal cancer are rising in younger adults, and the signs of colorectal cancer can overlap with some of the problems that come from straining while pooping, too.

“Blood in the toilet – the assumption used to be that this was all hemorrhoids, but it’s also important to talk to your physician,” said Millien.

More, if you notice a change in your bowels, like if you used to have regular bowel movements but are now having frequent constipation or diarrhea, you should also mention that to your doctor, she said.

“Because it could be a sign of inflammation in the colon, or it can be a sign of an obstruction in the colon,” added Millien.

“If there’s any concern in your bowel habits, if anything has changed in your bowel habits, any blood, don’t just minimise [it],” she added.

“A lot of young patients with colon cancer now are actually asymptomatic, other than just intermittent rectal bleeding,” Millien noted.

If you notice anything suspicious about how long it takes you to have a bowel movement, blood in the toilet or any concerning changes, talk to your physician, she stressed.

Share Button

Here’s How The Great British Bake-Off Handled This Year’s Heatwaves

Posted on by
Reply

Usually, The Great British Bake-Off is filmed between April and June.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that fans have been wondering whether the most recent batch of bakers would be subjected to multiple record-breaking heatwaves.

The show (partly) addressed the problem directly on its Instagram page on May 27, soon after we saw the hottest May day on record.

“Us filming chocolate week,” they wrote over a clip of the iconic GBBO tent. The video was overlaid with the sound of comedian Peter Kay’s famous bit: “I like it warm, but I don’t like it this warm!”

“It’s always chocolate week when we have a heatwave,” a commenter wrote.

The Mirror reported that the show’s filming is still “underway”, and that its cameras were rolling during the June heatwave, too.

That meant amateur bakers had to continue to work their culinary magic while schools had closed due to the heat, and travellers had been advised to avoid “non-essential” journeys.

Though some fans worried filming would have to stop, the publication confirmed the show went on.

A source from the show told The Mirror, “Every measure that could be taken has been, to make the bakers comfortable. The lighting gaffer from the crew who’s in first every morning, opens up the tent, takes down the sides and gets airflow moving before everyone arrives.

“Earlier in the run, when temperatures were the opposite and it was freezing, he was doing the same thing in reverse, arriving early to put the heaters on and warm the tent up before the bakers and crew got in.

“Production runners have also kept everyone going in the heat by handing out ice lollies to bakers and crew throughout the day.”

Another source reportedly told The Mirror that the tent’s location near a cooling river, and a “welcome” breeze in the final weekend of May, made filming possible.

In 2018, then-hosts Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith shared how heatwaves affect bakers’ creations.

Prue told Rolling Stone conditions were “Worse for the bakers than for us, because we just come in briefly and go out. They’re in there all the time,” while Paul added: “Yeah, chocolate week suffered a little bit. Caramel sugarwork suffered a little bit”.

Ironically, he added, bread week – when warm conditions would have made loaves rise faster – was a little cooler that year.

New host Nigella Lawson has previously said she is “allergic to the sun”, so time will only tell how she handled the hotter temps.

HuffPost UK has reached out to Channel 4 for more details.

Share Button

Andy Burnham Has Been Tipped To Bring Another New Labour Big Beast Into Government

Posted on by
Reply

Andy Burnham has been tipped to bring back another senior figure from the New Labour era in his new-look government.

The former mayor of Manchester – who served as a minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – will officially take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer on July 20.

It has already emerged that his close friend James Purnell, who also served in cabinet during Labour’s last time in power, will be the new No.10 chief of staff.

David Miliband, another New Labour figure, could also be given a seat in the House of Lords in order to become foreign secretary.

Meanwhile, the i newspaper reported that Ed Balls could also be handed a peerage and given a role in Burnham’s government.

HuffPost UK has learned that another New Labour big beast who could make a dramatic comeback is Alan Milburn.

The former health secretary has held talks with Burnham about his review into record levels of unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds.

In a speech last week, the PM-in-waiting said he wanted to introduce major education reforms which would place greater emphasis on technical qualifications rather than forcing pupils to study at university.

One minister said: “I can see Alan being brought into Andy’s government. He seems to like what Milburn has been saying about getting young people into work.”

Another source said: “Andy keeps referencing Milburn in his speeches, and Alan is clearly up for it.

“It would make sense to allow Alan to drive through his own reforms on youth unemployment as a minister.”

Asked whether Milburn could be handed a role once Burnham becomes prime minister, a source close to the new Makerfield MP insisted he had offered “no jobs and no deals”.

Milburn, who was the MP for Darlington from 1992 until 2010, was seen as an arch-Blairite during his time in government.

As well as being health secretary, he also serves as chief secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under the former prime minister.

After leaving Westminster, he was chair of the Social Mobility Commission between 2012 and 2017.

Like David MIliband, he would need to be made a peer in order to re-enter government.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button

Starmer’s Former Top Aide Admits Labour Did Not Do Enough Preparation For Government

Posted on by
Reply

Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff has admitted Labour did not do enough preparation before they were elected into government.

Morgan McSweeney, who was forced to quit over his links to disgraced peer and ex-ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson earlier this year, told the BBC his party was not ready to deliver quickly for voters after their landslide win in 2024.

His remarks come after Starmer announced he was stepping down as Labour leader and prime minister last Monday.

McSweeney told the Political Thinking podcast: “We didn’t prepare enough for what kind of world we were going to. We are now in a very different era than when Labour was last in government.

“I think we didn’t have enough conversations at the top of the party about what that meant, how to prepare for it, what that meant for the state.

“You have to deliver quite quickly for people, for them to see the change quickly. And I think we didn’t come in with enough of a theory about how we would do that.”

McSweeney said Labour should have been “way more optimistic” about the state of the country when it got into office in 2024.

The former aide ran Labour’s general election campaign. He was seen as a key element of Starmer’s rise to the top of the party and into No.10.

He added: “I take my own responsibilities for [not being prepared], rather than blaming one person.”

McSweeney sat as Starmer’s head of political strategy but after three months became his chief of staff once Sue Gray was kicked out of the role.

He added that he was still “processing” Starmer’s fall from grace and said Labour’s 14 years in opposition “went quickly”.

McSweeney also claimed that there was an expectation within the party that Labour would need at least two elections to return to power after its defeat in 2019 – which is why they were unprepared in 2024.

Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham is expected to be crowned the next prime minister by July 20.

He is currently the only Labour MP who has announced his intention to run in the contest to replace Starmer.

But there has been some contestation from his team that Starmer’s departure timetable did not give Burnham long enough to come up with a sound plan for government.

They were allegedly hoping he would stay in post as a caretaker PM until September.

Starmer pushed Labour’s executive body to block Burnham from running to be the party’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election back in February.

After Labour was thrashed in the May elections, Josh Simons stood aside as Makerfield MP so Burnham – then Greater Manchester mayor – could run as a candidate.

Only MPs can contest a Labour leader.

But, Starmer clearly saw the writing on the wall after after Burnham’s comfortable victory in Makerfield and announced he was stepping down days later.

Despite Burnham’s rivalry with Starmer, McSweeney said he feels “optimistic” about the new era for the party.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button

So THAT’s What The Three Lions On England’s Football Crest Mean

Posted on by
Reply

The three lions on the shirts of England’s football gear have become so strongly associated with the men’s national team that they’re nicknamed The Three Lions.

The women’s team, meanwhile, goes by The Lionesses.

The animals have been England’s official crest since 1863, when the Football Association was formed.

The lion is England’s national animal, and most of us know it’s also associated with royalty.

But why three – and why doesn’t the England team’s emblem match England’s non-football coat of arms exactly?

Why does the England football team’s shirt have three lions?

As we’ve said before, the crest was adopted by the Football Association when it was first founded.

But that’s because of a long, royal history of lions in England’s heraldry.

King Henry I had a lion on a red background on his coat of arms way back in the 12th century.

And when he married Adeliza of Louvain, whose father, Godfrey I, Count of Louvain, had a lion on his coat of arms, too, he added a second. That happened in 1121.

That meant King Henry I’s grandson, Henry II, was born with two lions on his coat of arms. But then he, too, married into a big-cat-coat-of-arms family: Eleanor of Aquitaine’s heraldic badge also contained a lion.

But, per the i Paper, it took Eleanor and Henry’s son, Richard the Lionheart, to combine the three lions into a single emblem.

That flag – three lions on a red background, or Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or – was used by every Plantagenet king until the ascension of Edward III in 1327.

How is England’s football emblem different from the royal one?

The Football Association would have had to ask for permission to use the Three Lions emblem due to its royal associations. But it doesn’t exactly match the royal version.

Firstly, the colours are different – England’s football badge is blue and white, while the historic version was red and gold.

And the England football badge has 10 Tudor roses on it. “The reason for the specific amount of roses is unknown,” the BBC said.

England’s football badge also used to have a crown on top. But in 1949, that was removed so as to distinguish it from the England cricket team’s emblem.

The star above the lions is a relatively new addition, representing England’s 1966 World Cup win.

Share Button

Why Is The Rochdale Grooming Gang Leader Not Being Deported?

Posted on by
Reply

The Rochdale grooming gang leader has been released from prison – and, despite previous promises, is currently set to avoid deportation.

Shabir Ahmed’s victims were told in 2012 that he would be deported after serving his sentence for 30 child rape and sexual offences charges.

However, it now appears that he will not be sent to Pakistan, where he was born, despite being stripped of British citizenship.

There’s been a furious response to the revelation, with multiple critics calling for an urgent change to the law.

Here’s what we know so far.

What Has Happened?

Ahmed was one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang convicted of serious offences against five girls – some of whom were as young as 12.

They were given alcohol and drugs before being gang-raped.

He was jailed for 19 years but has now been released on licence, according to the BBC.

He will be forced to live at accommodation with 24-hour staffing and he will be subject to an “exclusion zone” around Rochdale.

Ahmed had dual British-Pakistan citizenship up until his conviction, when his British conviction removed.

However, documents sent to one of his victims this week showed he cannot be deported due to provisions of the Immigration Act 1971.

Having arrived in the UK before 1973, and having lived in the UK for at least five years before his deportation was considered, he is able to stay in the UK.

“There are two problems here,” skills minister Jacqui Smith told LBC. “Number one, there are a very small number of people who came to this country over 50 years ago from Commonwealth countries where the law doesn’t allow them to be deported.

“And, secondly, of course, in order to deport somebody, the country to which you are going to deport them needs to be willing to take them.

“We’ve removed this man’s British citizenship. He’s a Pakistani citizen.

“But there is also work that needs to happen in order to persuade Pakistan to take him back.”

Has There Been Extensive Backlash?

Labour MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh told the Daily Telegraph that ministers should look at changing the law.

He said: “The people of Rochdale want him booted out of the country.”

Labour MP Jim McMahon for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton said Ahmed is a “very dangerous individual” who poses a “real, present danger”.

“It’s now been confirmed that he will not be allowed to return to either Oldham or Rochdale, but nevertheless that period has really been quite traumatic for many people,” he said.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Today programme: “He’s a vile rapist who didn’t just organise the rape of young girls as young as 12 years old.

“He actually ran a gang, doing it on a huge scale. He should be kicked out of the country, deported back to Pakistan, and the law needs to be changed.”

The Conservative MP said he will be proposing an amending in the coming months to change the Immigration Act 1971.

What Does The Government Say?

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is understood to be looking into the case and all options are being looked at.

The spokesperson said: “The government will always consider all options in these vile cases.”

A spokeswoman from No.10 said: “Ahmed’s horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country’s history.

“He will rightly be on the sex offenders register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person.

“His every movement will be tracked, forced to wear an electronic tag and, on this specific case, we cannot deport someone who is protected by the 1971 Immigration Act.

“These were the same provisions which have protected many individuals caught up in the Windrush crisis.”

Labour MP Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister in a matter of weeks, has said his government would explore “all possible options” to close the loopholes.

He wrote on X: “Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first. I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider nothing is off the table.”

In 2022, when he was Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham called on the Tory government to do “everything within [its] power to deport grooming gang members”.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button

The Internet Won’t Let Jimmy Fallon Forget His Conor McGregor Interview

Posted on by
Reply

Content note: the following contains sexually violent details.

The host of The Tonight Show brought McGregor on as a guest to discuss his return to UFC.

This comes two years after the fighter was found liable by 12 jurors in a civil case after Nikita Hand accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel back in 2018.

He was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages, though McGregor denies that he raped Hand, saying they had “fully consensual sex”.

Before the civil case, Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions made the decision not to bring criminal charges to McGregor due to insufficient evidence. Two later appeals were dismissed.

Now, fans have noticed that no clips of the McGregor interview have appeared on Fallon’s Instagram page, even though it took place days ago.

A comment under the talk show host’s Instagram clip, which showed his interview with Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney, reads: “Don’t want to post McGregor @jimmyfallon? Why not?”

It has racked up over 13,000 likes as of the time of writing.

In fact, the entire comment section under the McCartney video is filled with references to the McGregor appearance.

“Rehabilitating McGregor. I hope you’re proud of yourself,” a comment reads.

“Jimmy Fallon supports [grape emoji]ists [calling someone a “grapist” is a way of alluding to rapists online] and then hides behind other guests when called out,” another said.

Still more simply wrote Nikita Hand’s name over and over.

Similar responses have been shared under his more recent Trump, “password” game, and Milly Alcock videos on social media.

“I’m struggling to find the clips of the predator on @jimmyfallon Was it deleted? It should be acknowledged and there should be an apology!” an Instagram user opined under his most recent Instagram upload.

Others say they used to be fans but have changed their mind since the McGregor interview.

“We loved you. We thought you were one of the good ones,” a former fan said.

Comments also included the mention of tampons – “Tampon. Surgically. Removed,” one reads.

During the 2024 trial, gynaecologist and forensic examiner, Dr Daniel Kane, said he had had to remove Hand’s “wedged” tampon with forceps.

HuffPost UK has reached out to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for comment.

Help and support:

Share Button

Hans Zimmer Almost Never Scored The Lion King — Until He Spoke To His Daughter

Posted on by
Reply

I’m going to be honest – I didn’t even realise the legendary composer Hans Zimmer was behind The Lion King’s famous soundtrack until I heard him talk about it on Classic FM.

Not only did he work on the 1994 classic, but he actually won an Academy Award for Best Original Score (alongside two Grammies and a Golden Globe) for his contribution.

Still, he shared on Classic FM that he had been reluctant to take the role at first.

“I didn’t want to do Lion King, you know, cartoons – why am I doing cartoons?” he recalled.

Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer

via Associated Press

Until 1994, the composer’s work had appeared in live-action classics like Thelma & Louise, Rain Man, A World Apart and Driving Miss Daisy.

“And, oh my God, they might turn [the songs] into musicals. I don’t really like musicals,” the film legend said he thought at the time.

However, Zimmer changed his mind because his daughter, who was six at the time, had never been able to go with him to the premiere of any of the movies he’d worked on, because “all the movies with Ridley Scott are not necessarily child-friendly”.

So he agreed to make the film – but when he sat down to write, more family matters came up for Zimmer.

“My dad died when I was six years old, and here I am sitting in front of this cartoon, and it’s about the death of a father – with fart jokes, admittedly,” he revealed.

“And I realise… it’s a complete lie that children get over this stuff. They don’t get over it, they just find out really clever ways of hiding this stuff.”

The composer shared he couldn’t “hide” his feelings anymore, and “I basically wrote a requiem for my dad, and it became a really serious piece.”

That made it “deeper than your normal cartoon,” both for him and The Lion King’s viewers.

Zimmer has since been credited in mutliple other Disney titles (including Pirates Of The Caribbean, and, perhaps even more surprisingly still, Muppet Treasure Island).

Share Button

Experts Explain Why You Sneeze When You Walk Outside

Posted on by
Reply

I don’t have hay fever, but based on how I react to walking outside on a hot day, I’d forgive you for believing I do.

For some reason, getting off the train into the sun, opening my door onto a ray-soaked street, and even leaving a tree’s shadow into a bright spot triggers a huge, eye-watering sneeze – and until now, I had no idea why.

But it turns out it might be my genes, per the Cleveland Clinic.

It sounds like I’m experiencing a “photic sneeze reflex,” also known as “autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst syndrome” (ACHOO syndrome – teehee).

What is a “photic sneeze reflex” or ACHOO syndrome?

An extract from Medical Genetics Summaries says that “Affected individuals report a ‘prickling sensation’ or sneezing in response to a bright light.”

It’s elicited by going from a darker area to an area of brighter light (like stepping into sunlight from indoors), or simply having a bright light shown to you.

This can be “uncontrollable.”

How common is it to sneeze at bright lights?

“About one in four individuals who already have a prickling sensation in their nose will sneeze in response to sunlight, but ‘pure’ photic sneezing is far less common,” Medical Genetics Summaries shared.

If one parent has the condition, their child has a 50% chance of developing it.

But the Cleveland Clinic says we don’t know exactly how many people have the condition.

On average, they add, it seems to be about 15-30% of us: white people, especially white women, may be more likely to have the trait.

What causes sneezing on exposure to bright lights?

It’s a genetic issue, but we don’t know yet which genes are responsible.

It happens because of a misfiring in a facial nerve that goes from your eyes to your nose. The constriction of your pupils as your eyes adjust to the light triggers the sneeze.

Is sneezing at bright lights dangerous?

It can be if you’re operating heavy machinery or driving: “for example, exiting a road tunnel on a bright day.”

Pilots might need to be more cautious, too.

How can I stop sneezing at bright lights?

There’s no cure for ACHOO syndrome, but you can make the journey from darker spots into lighter areas easier on the eyes.

Shielding your eyes with a hat or sunglasses might help.

And the Cleveland Clinic recommends we “Use the ‘transverse philtral pressure technique,’ which involves applying pressure to the area between your nose and your lips.

“If you’re doing it right, it should look like you’re giving yourself a moustache with your finger,” they said. This may interrupt the sneezing signal.

I’m learning so much more about myself than I expected today…

Share Button

The Huawei Fit 5 Pro Is The Best Fitness Tracker I’ve Tried For Holistic Health And Training

Posted on by
Reply

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

If there’s one thing I’m awful at doing (apart from laundry) it’s remembering to track my workouts. I got to the gym two to three times per week, but every time it simply slips my mind to write down what I’ve done.

It’s a trait I find myself endlessly ruminating over every time I remember, but obviously not enough to do anything about it.

That’s why, when I discovered Huawei had released a new fitness watch, I knew this could be my opportunity to change.

Now, I’ve tested fitness devices before, but none of them have ever quite worked for me.

I often find they prioritise active fitness over anything else, or gamify relaxing or sleeping so much that they end up having the opposite of the intended effect and stressing me out.

Fitness trackers also give me awful throwbacks to being scorned by the sternest of school sports teachers, which makes me avoidant and want to exercise even less.

And, I’m sorry, but I don’t need to know that I’ve not been sleeping enough for the whole week because I already know! I’m tired, godammit.

Considering the Huawei website promises that the Watch Fit 5 Pro blends style with ‘smart’, I had high hopes.

My review of the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro

Getting set up

Although the watch comes in three colours: black, white, and orange, I went for the white because, well, it’s summer.

You can choose from a range of different coloured straps, including nylon and rubber options, but I went for a simple matchy matchy moment.

After all the boring stuff was out of the way, it was time to sync it with the Huawei Health app. You get three months of Huawei Health+ for free when you buy a watch, which gives you access to a range of workout masterclasses, personalised workout plans and nutritional analysis – or you can choose to stay on the free plan for fewer options.

Downloading the app also lets you customise your watch face – a feature I personally love because it means you can match your watchface to your outfit! I currently have mine on one with a spiky metallic silver heart on a black background to match my silver jewellery, but there are plenty of free and paid options available.

From the get go, it’ll ask for permissions to access your health data, including your heart rate, skin temperature, sleep data, and step count.

Once you’re all set up, you can completely personalise the kind of data you want your watch to give you – as well as other basic features you’d expect from a smart ring, like contactless payments, contact syncing so you can call or text, calendar syncing, timers, voice recording, and features.

Fitness monitoring

Just like other fitness devices, the Fit 5 Pro tracks your essential health data and allows you to set goals for movement and nutrition.

Personally, I’m not bothered about setting nutrition goals because I kind of CBA, crucially, and also I find it makes me obsessive about my eating habits.

However, I do need help tracking my workouts. As someone who goes to the gym two to three times a week, I often forget just where I’m up to with my strength training.

Also – and this might just being a woman at the gym – I find myself doubting whether I’m doing something right.

One thing about the Fit 5 Pro I love is that you can start a fitness training programme to help you keep on track, whether that’s running, golfing, strength training, yoga or pilates.

You’ll also have access to classes with personal trainers so you can check your form. or the watch can be connected with third-party apps like Fiit, Komoot, and URUNN, depending on the kind of exercise you enjoy.

The only downside of this is you’ll need to remember to turn the volume on your watch down, so it doesn’t blast your business to everyone in a five-mile vicinity (read: it’s loud).

If you’re already a pro or prefer to wing it, the watch lets you track any kind of workout you could possibly think of so you can keep an eye on your training times. There is truly an option for everything, down to the nichest of sports – think: belly dancing, hula hoop, bobsleigh, bungee jumping.

But for some of the more popular options like cycling (which I can’t say I do on the reg) it it loaded with state-of-the-art tracking that stops recording when you stop at a traffic light, or draws a custom run route in the shape of a lion (or trophy cup) to keep things interesting.

Fitness-life balance

But it’s not just exercise the watch keeps track of – it also prioritises living a holistically healthy life, which is what would make me more loyal to it in the long run.

As someone who exercises out of necessity, not for the love of the game, I’m not particularly interested in a watch or ring that bullies me into exercising five times a week – I more need something to keep me on track and to offer positive reinforcement throughout the day.

I’m yet to find a fitness tracker that does this better than Huawei. Rather than send me 50 alerts when I’ve not reached my step count, it sends a few notifications to encourage me to keep moving throughout my day.

Plus, there’s even an option for a ‘mini workout’ where an adorable little panda leads you through a series of quick stretches and standing exercises to remind you to step away from your screen every now and again.

I get quite severe eye strain, and also work probably way too much, so this is a welcome feature to keep me grounded.

It doesn’t stop there, though: you can also listen to focus white noise music through the Huawei app, or ask it to run a quick meditation or breathing exercise with you.

One of my favourite features is that the watch tracks your mood throughout the day; while I have absolutely no idea what it bases this information off, it always makes me laugh when I look at the watch face and it tells me I’m in a ‘pleasant’ (or even ‘unpleasant’) mood. Because… thanks?

Of course, it’ll also track your sleep, including your breathing stability, how much deep sleep you get compared to light sleep, and you can listen to sleep music through the app.

Honestly, though, I’ve been sleeping better than ever now that the watch prompts me to walk that little bit extra.

It’ll even prompt you to be social: you can create groups with other Huawei watch users to hold yourself accountable, or share your statistics on social media.

Final verdict

  • Looks at your health more holistically than any other fitness tracker I’ve tried
  • Can sync to third party apps to deepen your training, and the Huawei app gives you a free trial to most of them
  • As customisable as you could like
  • The charge lasts for 10 days
  • It’s easy to set up
  • I love that it doesn’t pester you
  • The mini workout feature is really impressive
  • Easy to use interface
  • It’s social
  • The volume is quite loud
  • I wish the watch face was *slightly* less chunky
  • There are sooo many features it can be overwhelming

Rating: 4.7/5

Overall, this is the best fitness device I’ve tried. I don’t feel as though I’m being pestered by a perniciously petulant personal trainer who wants me to be the skinniest mini in the room.

Instead, the Huawei Fit 5 Pro encourages you to keep an eye on your holistic health, and encourages you rather than berates you when you’re behind on your goals.

There are no red marks or angry notifications telling you off, and there is plenty built into the app to teach you how to have a healthier lifestyle, whether that’s by exercising, winding down before bed, or taking a break from your desk in the middle of the day.

The fact the interface is easy to use and customisable means it would be suitable for anyone, from a 50+ year old, to a teenager. The price point is reasonable for what it is and, best of all, the charge lasts for up to 10 days, so you really never have to take it off (apart from when you’re having a bath or shower).

I’d recommend this to anyone, from those who are simply trying to level up their lifestyle and be more health-conscious, to hardcore cyclists and athletes.

Share Button