femail

A health-enthusiast has revealed how he transformed his body and mind after attempting to be ‘the healthiest human in the world’ for one week. 

Chris Dixon, from Jersey, in the Channel Islands, told his 4.98 million YouTube subscribers that he would undertake a new NHS-recommended meal plan and exercise plan for seven days to try to increase his overall health and lengthen his lifespan.  

Meanwhile he also tried intermittent fasting and meditation to encourage mindfulness, explaining: ‘I’m going to perfect my diet, exercise, sleep and mental health etc this week.’

Despite eating more throughout the week, Chris revealed he lost 1kg over the 7 day period and said his mood had increased, explaining: ‘I have enjoyed this week. My mood was very high throughout it.’

The YouTuber applied portion control to his meals by meticulously measuring everything he put in his plate (pictured, one of the meals he enjoyed during the week) 

In the video, Chris revealed how he felt motivated to undertake the project after doing a body transformation a year and a half ago.

He explained: ‘After doing my body transformation a year and a half ago, I decided that instead of putting so much effort into making myself look good, my happiness and mental health is what I would much rather invest time into.’  

He used the NHS-recommended meal plan for each meal, and used the US government’s ‘My Day’ planner to determine how much of each food category he should be eating each day. 

Following health recommendations on dieting and exercise, Chris measured every of his meal with a cup.

The YouTuber, who has almost 5 million subscribers, tried a variety of exercise throughout the week including surfing

During the diet plan, Chris organised meals as per guidance from the US and the NHS, and carefully measured ingredients for each meal using cups 

Each day, Chris separated his diet into different cup sizes to ensure he ate the recommended totals, and aimed to eat 2 cups of fruits, 3.5 cups of vegetables 9oz of grains, 6.5oz of protein and 3 cups of dairy each day.

Meanwhile he also tried intermittent fasting, an eating pattern with period of eating and fasting.  

He tried the 16/8 method, which means your eating period spans 8 hours while your fasting period each day spans 16 hours. 

The YouTuber also ditched alcohol for the week-long project. 

On top of the dietary changes, Chris practiced 45 minutes of exercise five days of the week as per the NHS recommendations.  

He alternated between several activities, starting with golf on Sunday, running on Monday, surfing on Tuesday, jogging on Wednesday, and football on Friday. 

He also looked into the NHS recommendation into maintaining a good mental health, which includes five main points: connecting with other people, exercising, learning new skills, giving to others and practicing mindfulness. 

He then added 30 minutes body scan to his routine, and made sure to practice mindfulness during moments we usually do on ‘autopilot,’ such as eating and taking a shower. 

The YouTuber went on to introduce a sleep regime, and aimed to get between 7 and 9 hours shut-eye every night. 

At the end of the week, Chris had lost 1kg and reflected on trying to be the ‘healthiest human being in the world.’

‘I really enjoyed the week in terms of life choices and what I was doing,’ he said, discussing the different activities he had tried. 

He said he definitely felt happier as a result of regularly practicing mindfulness and different physical activities. 

‘Moving forward in the future i’m gonna have less sugar, less salt, more wholegrain, less alcohol, less fun,’ he joked.  

The health-enthusiast made sure he followed diet recommendations by measuring each meal in cups 

On top of his physical activity, Chris practiced 30 minutes-long full mindful body scans to improve his mental health and daily meditation

In these uncertain economic times, everyone could do with saving some money.

And one unlikely way of leaving yourself better off is to understand your rights as a consumer. 

Personal finance experts at UK-based website TheMoneyPig.com have revealed the rights shoppers might not realise they are entitled to, including being able to return faulty goods without a receipt. 

They also explained the shopping myths that might catch out ill-prepared customers, like the commonly held belief that you are automatically entitled to a refund. 

Here, FEMAIL shares some of the most common dos and don’ts so you are better prepared for your next shopping trip…   

YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A 14-DAY ‘COOLING OFF’ PERIOD ON ONLINE ORDERS   

Your rights for online orders are more complicated than those for in-store purchases, though arguably better. While an in-store contract is made when you have paid, for an online store you may not have your contract until your item has been sent to you.

This means you might not have a contract even if you’ve received a confirmation email, and your order could be cancelled if the price was mistaken. You’ll need to check the terms and conditions to see when your contract would begin.

On the plus side, you do legally have a 14-day ‘cooling off’ period for online purchases from businesses (not private individuals), starting from the day you receive the item. This is to enable you to see the product properly before you make up your mind, so you can return it for any reason.

There are exceptions, such as if the goods are bespoke or perishable.

YOU DON’T NEED A RECEIPT TO RETURN FAULTY GOODS 

You don’t need a receipt to return faulty goods, although you may need to prove purchase somehow, such as a bank statement. If the item is faulty, not as described or doesn’t work as it’s supposed to, you are entitled to a full refund, unless you knew the item was faulty when you bought it.

Make sure you return the item as quickly as you can once you’ve noticed the fault to ensure the return goes smoothly. 

It will also reduce the likelihood of being asked if the fault is through wear and tear. If you caused the fault you cannot return the product.

THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR GOODS DON’T ARRIVE 

The seller has the legal responsibility to ensure delivery, not the courier. If your item doesn’t arrive within 30 days of purchase, or by a date you agree with the seller, they owe you a replacement or refund.

Contact the person or company you bought the product from as soon as you can. They will hopefully send you a replacement or be able to track the parcel and let you know where It is. 

If your order hasn’t arrived within 30 days you can also cancel the product with a full refund, as per the Consumer Contracts Regulations. 

YOU CAN RETURN A GIFT WITHOUT A GIFT RECEIPT 

As we know, shops don’t have to refund you, but probably will if you can prove purchase and the goods are unused.

Gift receipts are likely to speed up the returns process so if offered, it’s often very helpful to take a gift receipt just in case. 

‘No matter how perfect the present may be for someone, they may have spotted something else they’d prefer from the shop – or you may know them too well and they already own the item!

If gift receipts aren’t available, you can ask the shop assistant to write ‘bought as a gift’ on the receipt and this will hold weight when it comes to returning the item. 

Shops aren’t legally obliged to refund gifts, however if they offer gift receipts it’s a good way of showing they’ll likely accept gift refunds.

SHOPS ARE NOT OBLIGED TO HONOUR THE DISPLAYED PRICE  

A shop does not have to sell you an item at its displayed price if it is a genuine error, although it is illegal to mislead consumers deliberately. 

This falls under the Trade Descriptions Act which makes it an offence for businesses to sell a product based on misinformation. 

This means that shops have to, as far as possible, tell the truth when it comes to products, prices and services.