Women's Fitness December 2017

Want to rock a party dress this Christmas? If there’s one woman who knows the secret to party-season body confidence, it’s Alesha Dixon. Whether she’s dazzling the paparazzi on the red carpet or wowing the audience on BGT, the singer and TV star has never looked better. ‘The older I get, the more comfortable I am in my own skin,’ Alesha told us when we caught up with her this month. She credits a big part of her confidence to high-intensity workout sessions with her PT, Janet Malinowska. Try the pair’s high-energy workout on page 57. Already in shape but just want a little extra va va voom for the party season? Celebrity trainer, Lee Mullins, is your man. In ‘Party Dress Body’ (page 94), Mullins shares the targeted moves…

STAR LETTER RUNNING CLINIC I was delighted with your article ‘Need for Speed’ (November issue). I have been running harder the past few months but I still haven’t been getting any faster. So I was keen to learn how I could achieve this. I hadn’t realised that I needed to hit the gym again – to help condition my body. So I have renewed my gym membership and made a gym plan that includes more heavy lifting and jumping. And I aim to pick up the pace as suggested with your pulse-pumping circuit, including prowler pushes, walking lunges and high-knee drills. By acclimatising my body to the feeling and demands of a faster pace, I feel in the future I could shave minutes of my run times. Thank you for…

1 GET YOUR SKATES ON Seasonal festivities don’t have to get in the way of your workouts. Ice skating works your thighs and core, boosts aerobic fitness and can burn up to 450 calories an hour. Not sure you’ve got the skills? This winter, London’s Somerset House is running a Skate School. Add festive shopping in the courtyard and Fortnum & Mason’s cosy pop-up restaurant and it’s the perfect Christmas treat. Tickets from £7.50 (plus booking fee); somersethouse.org.uk. 2 CHILL OUT Need some winter sun? Escape to Morocco for a luxury yoga holiday with plenty of culture. You’ll stay in Helios Retreats’ new guesthouse in the High Atlas Mountains, with stunning views of the Toubkal National Park. Expert trainers will guide you through daily yoga, outdoor training sessions and meditation…

‘I had my first ballet lesson aged four and fell in love with it’ ‘I lie on the floor with my legs up the wall for 20 minutes to drain them post performance’ ‘On the days I’m performing during the Christmas season, I wake up at 8am, leaving my fiancé (fellow ENB dancer Laurent Liotardo) sleeping. I shower, then drink a glass of water with collagen, which is good for my joints, skin, hair, nails and, crucially, muscles. I apply my make-up before having breakfast, which is usually peanut butter or avocado on toast, a glass of water with an effervescent vitamin C tablet and an espresso. I get dressed and leave home at 9.15am to go the London Coliseum, where we’re performing Nutcracker up to twice a day, six…

Want to experience a bigger post-exercise endorphin buzz? You need to up the intensity of your workout. In a recent study at the University of Turku in Finland, researchers found more endorphins are released after a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) session than from a moderate, hour-long workout. The higher endorphin release after HIIT may be to counteract the pain of training harder, say researchers. Are you tough enough?…

Dragging yourself to the gym again? Sore muscles, burning lungs, sweaty forehead – if working out seems like a slog, you may be able to blame your genes for your lack of love for exercise. According to a study from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, your DNA could account for as much as 37 per cent of your psychological response to exercise. After monitoring fraternal twins, non-twin siblings and identical twins post-workout, the scientists discovered that identical twins (who have identical genes) felt the same way about working out, either loving or hating it. Interesting stuff. 89% OF US WEAR SPORTSWEAR WHEN NOT EXERCISING* KEEP FIT AT HOME Gym membership gathering dust? It’s a common problem – according to a poll of 1,000 gym goers, one in 10 haven’t…