Women's Fitness January - February 2017

Had enough of HIIT? So over smoothies? Couldn’t care less about circuits? Well, I’ve got good news, a whole host of exciting new fitness and food trends are set to hit the UK in 2017 – and you’ll find them all in this issue! Our insider experts predict that, this year, you’ll be swapping boxing for high-intensity aqua workouts (really!), smoothies for performance juices and HIIT circuits for weights classes. Find out more in ‘The H&F Fitness Forecast’ (page 50). Then discover the new ways to eat well, by turning to ‘2017’s Healthy Food Trends’ (page 56). From savoury yoghurts and charcoal detox drinks to coconut whey protein and insect energy bars, healthy eating just got a whole lot more interesting! One trend that looks set to stay is vegan…

STAR LETTER BEATING MY DEMONS I’m a mother of five-year-old twins. When they were two months’ old, I became deeply depressed and developed major anxiety with insomnia. I’d left my job as an HR consultant and was suddenly a stay-at-home mum, but the lack of sleep and social isolation soon took its toll. My doctor was quick to prescribe anti-depressants. I took them for six weeks, but hated it and decided to try exercise instead. I started living off the feeling of being awake, feeling fit and happy through the mist. I haven’t looked back. Now I want to motivate others so I’ve signed up to do a personal training course. I wish doctors would prescribe exercise as I’m now a happy mum, with happy children. Parm Gill, Middlesex LUCY…

1 GO TO A FESTIVAL We can’t wait for Balance Festival: a brand new event curated by fitness influencer Zanna Van Djjk that’s full of inspiring people such as well-travelled foodies, world-class fitness trainers and awe-inspiring yogis who all want to help you achieve a better self. Join in the urban triathlon (run, HIIT and yoga); watch cookery demos and loads more. It’s at The Old Truman Brewery, London, May 12-14. From £20; balance-festival.com. 2 SNUGGLE UP Need a bit of hygge? Head for The Saltbox in Kent. The gorgeous little modern cabin sits in the marshland in Elmley – the only National Nature Reserve in England in which you can spend the night! Feel at one with nature as you snuggle up inside and look out of the large…

‘One day, I took a gamble by putting two of my own technical drawings on the MD’s desk’ ‘I wake up at 7.30am and drink a soya milk latte, but that’s as routine as my day gets. I try to go into the Manuka Life (manukalife.com) offices in Fulham every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – staying in city-centre hotels on Mondays and Fridays so I can quickly get to appointments and castings – but I also do lots of international travel with modelling jobs, going to trade fairs or doing quality control checks at our factories, and need to be open to bending in any direction to get everything done. ‘I got involved with Manuka Life when I was cast by the MD Leonie Ellyatt in its first campaign. I…

Pregnant and don’t feel like exercising? Here’s some extra incentive. The exercise a mother-to-be does during pregnancy may be as effective at protecting her child from age-related health risks as the exercise the child does when they’re an adult. Research on mice at the University of Kentucky found that reducing the mother’s oxidative stress (damage done to the body by molecules called free radicals) through exercise helped their offspring fight stress and decreased the risk of obesity and age-related and chronic disease, even into adulthood. Time for a walk!…

FITNESSFRIENDS Exercise diaries. Activity trackers. A personal trainer. There are lots of things you can use to up the amount of exercise you clock, but it turns out the one thing you need is a good gym buddy. That’s according to a new study from the University of Aberdeen, which reports that those who started a workout regime with a friend immediately increased the amount of activity compared to others who worked out alone. Want to find the perfect partner? Researchers say you should be looking for a fitness friend who is both encouraging and emotionally supportive. Time to build a fitter network? 21% OF GYM GOERS DON’T WIPE THE WORKOUT BENCH AFTER USE. YUCK!* A GAME CHANGER FOR GIRLS The next three years will be big ones for women’s…