All posts filed under: Fitness

Athleisure is The Trend That Won’t Go Away

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Athleisure took hold of our collective consciousness a couple of years back when suddenly everyone was working out, into hashtag #fitness and the training gear that celebs wore to spin their butts off (literally) at SoulCycle started spilling onto the streets. It was soon picked up on the catwalks, Alexander Wang being the poster boy for this new trend, and then high streets the world over. Like most fashion trends many people thought this would be a flash in the pan, but we were all proven wrong. It’s still here. So why this trend? Why is athleisure going from strength to strength? For me, I like to wear sports gear because it’s comfortable. When you lead a busy lifestyle comfort is key. It’s nice to be able to do a BOOM Cycle on a Sunday and then throw on a swear with my workout leggings and still look passable. Plus, sportswear fabrication are often pretty technical and offer support and dry technology so that you actually look better in your gym gear than your mufti. A …

12 Amazing Gym Classes to Try in London

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I have a love/hate relationship with fitness… I basically hate working out, but I love the afterglow when all the endorphins are rushing around your body and you feel invincible. However, it is a struggle for me to get to a class, I fight against it all the time. So knowing that a class is going to be fun and the showers are better than my own at home helps motivate me. Here are 12 of the best in London.   Rumble, 1Rebel 45 minutes of punching the crap out of a punch bag, in the dark to a soundtrack of grime and hip hop. Lots of horrible burpees but very luxurious showers and changing rooms. 1 Rebel, Broadgate London EMS, Excerceo training The class where you get electrocuted while you work out. It doesn’t actually feel that bad, plus, you only have to work out for 25 minutes. Bonus. Exerceo Training TRX Yoga, Ethos A mix of yoga and TRX that really works on strengthening your core, it’s pretty hard but yields great results. …

pure ride spin class moorgate

Workout of The Month: Tribe Ride at Pure Ride

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Now that I’ve joined the amazing Classpass (check out my review here) – the workout subscription service or ‘Netflix for fitness’ as I like to call it – I check out an awful lot of new classes around London, so as my raison d’être is to share knowledge, or anything, with as many people as possible I thought I’d review, in-depth, a class each month to help you on your fitness journey. This month it’s Tribe Ride at Pure Ride, a spin class with a difference…   Overview I think Pure Ride is owned by the cheapo gym chain Pure Gym, not this is something that I could google but I don’t want to. The reason I think this is the name and that Sir Chris Hoy, the cyclist, is spokesman for both gyms. Anyway, there is no similarity between the gyms, Pure Ride (which is located in Moorgate, heart of The Square Mile, and yuppie central) is state of the art, gorgeous and new. They just do spin classes, hence the name. The workout …

classpass london review

Workout of The Month: Box & Bell at BLOK London

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Now that I’ve joined the amazing Classpass (check out my review here) – the workout subscription service or ‘Netflix for fitness’ as I like to call it – I check out an awful lot of new classes around London, so as my raison d’être is to share knowledge, or anything, with as many people as possible I thought I’d review, in-depth, a class each month to help you on your fitness journey. This month it’s Box & Bell at BLOK London, where you can perfect your left hook… Overview BLOK is based in Clapton, so it’s pretty out of the way unless you live in Clapton, but don’t let that put you off it’s a great little gym with a community feel. The Box & Bell class does what it says on the tin, it’s a mix of boxing and kettlebell work. The workout The classes are kept small, around eight people, which means there’s a chilled atmosphere – I felt like I was doing a class in a village hall – which I mean …

the refinery e9 gym

Workout of The Month: AAA at The Refinery

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Now that I’ve joined the amazing Classpass (check out my review here) – the workout subscription service or ‘Netflix for fitness’ as I like to call it – I check out an awful lot of new classes around London, so as my raison d’être is to share knowledge, or anything, with as many people as possible I thought I’d review, in-depth, a class each month to help you on your fitness journey. (Pssst! get £30 off a ClassPass with by clicking HERE) This month it’s AAA (Arms, Abs and Ass) at The Refinery… Overview The Refinery is a fairly new gym in East London and it’s definitely a boutique, hip workout space. They offer many classes including yoga and even meditation workshops. I wanted to target my problem areas, also known as my entire body, and AAA seemed to cover most of that. You can try your first class for £5 or do three using Classpass. The workout AAA is a hard as balls workout that uses cardio, HIIT, kettlebells, weights and mats. The warmup …

1rebel 1 rebel gym

Workout of The Month: 1Rebel Upper Body Reshape

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Now that I’ve joined the amazing Classpass (check out my review here) – the workout subscription service or ‘Netflix for fitness’ as I like to call it – I check out an awful lot of new classes around London, so as my raison d’être is to share knowledge, or anything, with as many people as possible I thought I’d review, in-depth, a class each month to help you on your fitness journey. First up is one of my absolute favourites, 1Rebel’s Upper Body Reshape class… Overview 1Rebel is a boutique chain of gyms, well there are two – both in the city – owned by the son of the founder of Fitness First. The first gym dynasty? It doesn’t have memberships; you simply pay by session or you can buy a block. Or you can get three sessions per month on Classpass like me. Upper body Reshape is a HIIT-type class which mixes treadmill work and weights, all to a pumping soundtrack and low, moody lighting. The workout You’re given a number when you check …

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ClassPass London Review

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In case you don’t already know, ClassPlass is a subscription fitness service – you pay one monthly fee and get to go to classes at hundreds of gyms and studios in London. It’s like Netflix for your health. I was interested as I often book a hot yoga class or Frame class which can cost £15-£20 per class, so it adds up quickly. There are two plans with ClassPass: £55 Where you can visit 5 classes in a month £110 Where you can visit unlimited classes in a month WHAT ARE THE PROS? You can save a lot of money as the gyms you can use are super luxe and include Boomcycle, Triyoga, Frame and 1 Rebel amongst others – these classes are without a doubt much better than the ones included in your gym. I personally love 1 Rebel, it’s the most beautiful gym and a killer workout, but their classes usually cost £20! It’s nice to change up your routine, and you can use gyms at multiple locations. The booking system is super …

Living in a Bikini When You Don’t Have a ‘Bikini Body’

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One of my biggest trepidations about going travelling, especially to Thailand where I am now, was my body. I’ve spoken previously on the blog about rejecting the media’s portrayal of the perfect female form, and I do stand by that. It’s just hard to wash away 20 years of body neuroses in an instant. I went travelling right after Xmas. With the Christmas weight of a girl who knew she wouldn’t be home for a long time. I honestly thought I’d lose weight in India due to Delhi belly but sadly/gladly the food was so tremendous I gained weight! Even a bad case of food poisoning didn’t make a dent in my behind. And so the time came to shed the layers and get into beach life in Thailand. Honestly the first time I put in a bikini I had a nervy spasm. You know when you look at your body and think ‘who even is that?’. Inevitably when you’re in a tropical paradise there will be beautiful lithe women who make you feel inferior, …

6 Alternatives to a ‘Beach Body’

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The term ‘beach body’ has had a lot of bad press recently. It all started last summer with Protein World’s bikini-clad campaign and culminated in Women’s Health banning the phrase. Now, I don’t know why that particular ad started the backlash, because it’s something anyone who has ever bought any women’s magazine ever will have seen a million times before. In and of itself, the saying ‘beach body’ is not offensive at all, but the expectation that all us mere mortals should be 5’10”, beach blonde, long-legged, big-titted, with an ass like Kim Kardashian, abs like Jessica Alba and Jennifer Aniston arms is so overwhelmingly unachievable. Not to mention we all need to have completely hairless bodies, with no excess fat (except on the aforementioned ass and tits) the colour of molten gold that don’t sweat… enough already. Lets’s look our bests, yes, but in an inclusive, mentally healthy way. With that in mind, here are my six alternatives to that impossible ‘beach body’. 1. A HUGE F*CKING SMILE This is so cliché and I …

How to Stay Fit & Healthy While Backpacking

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There’s nothing worse than travelling the world, visiting beautiful beaches and not feeling body confident. We’ve all done the emergency ‘beach body’ thing before a two-week holiday, which is mainly unsuccessful and usually way too last minute. But what if you’re always on holiday… like, for a year? Before I embarked on my travels I started a little fitness kick to make sure my body was prepared for the backpacker’s life. I didn’t want low fitness levels or lack of body confidence to hold me back from doing anything – whether that’s climbing a mountain or strutting my stuff on a beach. While I wasn’t striving for a Victoria’s Secret Angel bod, I did want to feel strong and capable. Getting fit and achieving a toned body without a gym, large budget or a well-stocked fridge is hard, I admit, but there are a few tips you can follow to keep your bod looking beach-ready while travelling. 1. Er, swim I’m always surprised by the amount of people who bake on a beach all day and never get in …