Women's Fitness April 2018

Do you live in leggings, have brunch with your gym buddies and skip the pub for sweat-dates? Welcome to the UK’s hottest new social tribe! According to surveys, more of us than ever are building our social lives around fitness – and we’re likely to be fitter, healthier and happier for it too. Want to grow your fit-friendship circle? Whether it’s parkrun, team sports, fitness raves or a virtual training community, turn to ‘Fitness: the new social scene’ (page 62), to discover the new ways to connect. It’s just one of many exciting trends we uncover in this month’s issue. Love Spinning but looking for new fitspo? It’s time to try indoor rowing classes. Yep, it may have spent years gathering dust in your spare room, but read ‘Row like…

GREAT GIFT My two daughters and I are all into fitness, so receiving a subscription to your excellent magazine was the perfect Christmas present for us. The March issue was packed full of superb articles including ‘The Big Breakfast Debate’ about what to eat or not eat first thing in the morning and we’ve completely changed our breakfasts since reading this! We also love the nutritional and beauty advice you offer, plus tips on easy ways to diet success, dental care, advice on working out and much, much more. All your advice is going to spur us on during 2018, so we don’t let our healthy eating habits and fitness routines slip. Many thanks. Colette Williams, Denbighshire REAL-LIFE INSPO I enjoyed ‘My Life In A Day’ about fitness blogger Zanna…

‘You can’t beat a weekend away to clear your mind and get some perspective on things.’ Annie Grantham, Cambridge ‘If I’m stretched for time, I’ll lace up my trainers and go for a run. Otherwise, doing a full-on exercise class with a friend, then grabbing food and a chat after is a great tonic.’ Petra Daniels, Chester ‘I try to slow down by cooking a nice meal from scratch with my husband, then we’ll make sure we sit down and savour it while having a good chat.’ Lynsey Putnam, Farnborough…

1 HAVE A GREAT DAY OUT You don’t get more motivational than Be:FIT London festival for women! The three-day event celebrates total health and wellbeing, with talks from UK experts, such as Joe Wicks and Madeleine Shaw, six studios with incredible classes, and a shopping village full of top health and fitness brands. The show runs from May 4-6 at the Business Design Centre in London’s Islington. An adult day pass starts from £25 (book free classes and talks online now!); befitlondon.com. 2 BRAVE A BOOTCAMP Need to kick-start your fitness regime? Whether you have two, four or six days to devote to your wellness, Champneys Boot Camps take place across all four spas, and will help you get fit, slim down, re-energise and de-stress. You’ll take part in group…

‘My typical working day begins at 6:30am. Three times a week, I head straight to my gym, UN1T (un1t.com) in London Bridge, for a class. After that, I’ll grab some eggs or a smoothie from a café, before heading to meetings around London. ‘The annual Be:FIT London weekend takes place at the Business Design Centre in Islington over May Bank Holiday so I’m super busy, finalising all the fitness and nutrition professionals who are going to run classes or give talks. I have several meetings a day with gyms, brands, suppliers or potential talent and their agents.’ ‘I did an unpaid internship at a marketing agency’ DESTINED FOR FITNESS ‘Be:FIT London (befitlondon.com) launched in 2014 and I came on board in 2016, tasked with growing it from a weekend exhibition…

Know someone who wants to quit smoking? New research shows that exercise will help reduce withdrawal symptoms, making it easier for them to stick to their intentions over the long term. Scientists from St George’s University in London treated mice with nicotine for 14 days, then analysed their brains after giving them one of three exercise regimes – wheel running for zero, two or 24 hours a day. Both exercising groups had an equally significant reduction in withdrawal symptoms compared to the control group, suggesting the beneficial effects of exercise on would-be quitters doesn’t depend on the intensity of workout. Phew!…