Women's Fitness December 2016

Want to know how to get party-dress-ready in a hurry? Just ask this month’s cover star Lucy Mecklenburgh. When we caught up with the model and entrepreneur on set, she’d been busy juggling her Results with Lucy fitness empire, designing a sportswear collection for Ellesse, filming a fitness reality show and much more – but was still squeezing in a workout four times a week with her PT. Her secret? Ultra-fast HIIT style sessions that tone her body from top to toe in minutes. Turn to ‘How I get LBD ready’ (page 66) to try Lucy’s killer moves and steal her party-season survival tips. At this crazy time of year, we’re guessing you’ll want all the shape-up shortcuts you can get. So in ‘Fat Burn Secrets’ (page 62), we’ve asked…

STAR LETTER FIGHTING WINTER BUGS I was most grateful for your Winter Wellness feature ‘Surprise ways to boost your immune system’ (November issue). I started a job as a teacher in an infant school a couple of months ago and have been ill three times already with a sinus infection, a really bad head cold and a sickness bug. Many of the teachers have told me I’ll be constantly sick for the first year. Knowing how to fight this problem was just what I needed... I noted all your clever suggestions and am taking them on board – above all, getting some fresh air and sunshine (cold air won’t give you a cold) is a must! I now volunteer for all playground duties! Thank you so much. Jolene Cooper, London…

1 EAT HEALTHY CHOCOLATE Nutrition expert Patrick Holford set out to make the ‘perfect’ nutrient-rich chocolate with a low GL after being shocked by how much sugar even ‘healthier’ chocolates contained. The result is new GLTY Super Chocolate, with four per cent sugar. Made from organic, unroasted Peruvian dark chocolate, the high-protein bar also includes Montmorency cherries, almonds, chia seeds and omega 3s. £4.39 for 50g; holfordirect.com. 2 SEE THE LIGHTS This year is forecast to be to a good one for seeing the Northern Lights, so if that’s something on your bucket list, check out Arctic and Northern Lights travel specialists Off the Map Travel, for the ultimate immersive experience. You’ll go on a journey through Lapland culture, history, myth and legend as you discover the Sami way of…

‘Last year, I had a team of five; now I have a team of 20’ ‘I was shocked to discover there’s a huge part of women’s health that wasn’t talked about’ ‘I wake up at 6.30am, tuck into boiled eggs with toast, then get my two young children ready for school before arriving at my office for 9am. I started my company three years ago with my co-founder Alex Asseily [former CEO of Jawbone]. We wanted to be the first ever global women’s consumer tech brand, launching multiple products that help women find solutions during those disruptive moments in life that happen due to hormonal and physiological changes. When launching our first product, Elvie (£149, elvie.com) – a hi-tech pelvic-floor exerciser – a year ago in the UK and US,…

We all know about the 10,000 steps a day goal, but a new study at Oregon State University (OSU) suggests that if you find that unattainable, a smaller number, especially at a faster pace, can lead to health benefits, too. ‘When it comes to steps, more is better than fewer, and steps at higher cadences for a significant amount of time are beneficial,’ says John Schuna Jr, assistant professor of kinesiology at OSU. ‘A good target for healthy adults is 150 minutes per week spent at 100 or more steps per minute. And you want to spend as little time as possible not moving.’ Stride out and get your heart pumping!…

GO GREEN FOR GLORY You may have turned your nose up at them when you were a youngster, but now there’s a persuasive reason for eating your greens – they could improve your athletic ability. According to new research from the University of Leuven in Belgium, nitrate-rich vegetables such as spinach or cabbage may boost exercise performance by increasing the number of fast-oxidative muscle fibres. Researchers gave athletes nitrate supplements and discovered that, teamed with sprint interval training in a low-oxygen environment, their muscle-fibre composition was enhanced. THERE ARE 59% MORE BOUTIQUE GYMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAN 5 YEARS AGO, THANKS TO AN INCREASE IN DEMAND*. ARE YOU READY TO JOIN THE ONLINE GYM? Want access to some of the best trainers in the world? Welcome to the latest in…