Glute power

A couple of long bike rides under my belt and I'm really starting to feel my endurance fitness improve.

But the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive on August 4 will mean at least seven, probably more like eight, hours in the saddle. That's a long time to be sitting on a hard, narrow seat, leaning forward with my weight on my arms. Time to think about off-the-bike moves that can help make my cycle challenge less painful.

My favourite PT Jarod Chapman has some ideas on complementing my training with off-cycle work to help build glutes (the muscles around your bum), arms and core. All should help improve my cycling. Strength and conditioning work will also help prevent injuries.

I head down to his studio (by bike, obvs: 5.43 miles; av speed 11mph) for advice.

His pearls of wisdom include:

1. Focus on keeping knees tucked in when cycling. This pushes more effort down onto the pedals and is therefore more efficient. Many cyclists cycle with their legs splayed too wide, knees pointing outwards, Jarod observes.

2. Putting in the bike hours is great for my endurance, but mat work will help build the muscles that make me a better, faster cyclist.

3. Throw in some cross training. Running is my exercise of choice, so I plan to run at lunchtime on work days when I can't logistically fit in any bike miles.

4. Use Slendertone Bottom for 20 minutes at least three times a week. This is an effortless muscle stimulator that will both tone and work my glutes.  Sounds good: I'm already a massive fan of Slendertone Abs (yes, it really works. I have the stomach muscles to prove it), so am willing to be convinced that its butt-boosting cousin is as effective.

I'll let you know how I get on!

I'm training for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey100 cycle event

Read my previous blog entry: The cycle commute

Close House

Looking out of the cosy drawing room of Close House at the sun setting across the Tyne valley, it’s hard to believe that just 20 minutes ago I was crawling through traffic in Newcastle city centre. But sinking into a comfy armchair with a cocktail in hand, it’s very easy to let the cares of the city melt away.

There’s been a house on this site since the 13th Century, but the current building dates from 1779 and it’s been beautifully restored with luxurious fabrics and warm, understated colours. I’m staying in the converted stables, a set of suites that carry through the old-world luxury of the main house, with every modern convenience including iPod dock, under-floor heating in the (massive) bathroom, wide-screen TVs, and (my favourite!) Molton Brown bath products. It’s like being cocooned in a haven of delicious-smelling peace. In fact, the only thing that can tempt me to leave my room tonight is the promise of dinner in the hotel’s Argent D’Or restaurant, (and another chance to savour the beauty of the main house!). My meal of king prawns, pork loin (I’m salivating even now at the thoughts of the Dauphinoise potatoes), and a selection of local cheeses, is the ultimate antidote to my disappointing sandwich lunch on the train here. I feel utterly spoiled and relaxed – not to mention pretty full – but still manage to sample a lychee cocktail, invented just hours before by the expert bar staff.

Luxury suite

The culinary delights don’t end there, and heading back across the grounds to my suite (in a golf buggy!) there’s another pleasant surprise – my bed’s been turned down and the breakfast-in-bed menu is waiting for me. I just about manage to fill out what I want and hang it on the door before collapsing into the 10-foot-wide (well, that’s how big it seems) bed, and falling asleep. It’s a tough life.

Next morning, the breakfast doesn’t disappoint and sets me up nicely to check out the golfing facilities Close House is best known for. Since the Championship Lee Westwood Colt course opened in 2011, this has become a major destination for golf pros, enthusiastic amateurs and beginners alike. As a total novice (not counting a few disastrous outings as a 12-year-old on my local course), I head straight for a lesson with the club’s head PGA professional Jonathan Lupton. From simple body measurements to high-tech computer tracking of your swing – this place is fully kitted out to find the perfect club for you, and help you use it too. After just a few attempts under Jonathan’s expert guidance, I’ve even managed to hit the ball – and I’m itching to get out on the (very impressive) driving range. I’ve always thought of golf as a middle-aged man’s game, but the atmosphere of this club is nothing but welcoming – the high number of female members and the kids' camps are proof of this. After an hour of hitting balls my arms and back are feeling it, and my preconception of golf as an ‘easy’ sport has been proven wrong.

Perfecting my swing!

Before I leave, there's just time for lunch at the No.19 Clubhouse – the perfect place to recharge after a game and take in the stunning views of the grounds. Checking out of Close House, I feel relaxed, rejuvenated – and more than a little jealous of anyone staying for a second night.

To the office by bike

So I'm riding into work and back, one day a week, to up my mileage and speed as part of my RideLondon100 sportive training. That's an almost 20-mile round trip from Wimbledon to the heart of London's Soho.

I've done it twice so far - and aim to keep it up until the event on August 4, 2013.

Best time so far: 40:32 over 9.34 miles. Av speed: 13.8mph

Time and distance vary according to route - the way home appears to be slightly further - and the app I use to record it. I've had a few running simultaneously (look out for my best cycling apps review coming one day soon) to compare performance and usability, and they all record slightly different distances and times.

I know a lot of people hate cycling in traffic or simply find the thought of it terrifying. It doesn't faze me, and in many of the streets I'm cycling, traffic is generally at a standstill so it's more a question of choosing the most efficient path between stationary vehicles than being cut up by speeding cars.

I cycle assertively but defensively, don't jump red lights, and never squeeze down the inside of lorries or buses for fear that they could make a left turn without warning. This is a common cause of cyclist fatalities in the capital: getting squished beneath the wheels of a truck as it turns a corner.

Improve your safety on two wheels: learn to cycle smart

Things I've learned on my cycle commute:

1. Indicating you're going to turn by sticking your arm out horizontally, like you were taught on your bike proficiency test, is seriously uncool. A casual gesture of the arm, as if going for a mid-level 'High Five' is the streetwise way to do it.

2. Keep your mobile in a handy pocket or pouch - you need easy access to press STOP on your cycle app the moment you get to your destination for the chance of a PB.

3. Use sunglasses even on dull days to keep fumes out of your eyes

4. Cycling is a mental as well as a physical workout. The key to staying safe on a bike is being alert at all times to possible risks: motorists, parked cars, pedestrians, potholes, other cyclists. Exhausting!

5. Middle aged men in Lycra are generally seriously fast. And wear very impressive kit. Want! (The kit, not the MAMIL.)

I'm training for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey100 cycle event

Read my previous blog entry: My first wet ride

Hoovering burns 238 calories per hour

Spring cleaning your home can burn off more calories than running a marathon, a new study shows. A typical spring clean can burn up to 3,655 calories every year – which amounts to almost a quarter of a million calories over a lifetime (or the equivalent of 783 bacon butties), according to research by PromotionalCodes.org.uk.

Discover 6 hidden calorie traps

The study of 40 home owners monitoring their cleaning and tidying habits over the spring overhaul period, shows that the average pre-summer spruce lasts approximately 16 hours 20 minutes over a course of four days. Each person burned more than the typical 2,500 - 3,500 calories used up running a marathon.

4 easy ways to drop 200 calories

So which tasks give the best calorie burn? The most strenuous spring cleaning exercise proved to be emptying, cleaning and repacking cupboards, using up around 952  calories over a four-hour period. The most gentle? Turning mattresses and making beds, which expends only 136 calories per hour - though dusting, at 170 calories per hour, comes a close second.

Check your calorie burn with our interactive calculator