Women's Fitness June 2018

Can’t wait for summer? Get in the mood this month with our pick of the best ideas to help you enjoy the warmer, sunnier days ahead. If you still need to book a summer escape, how about trading in your usual beach break for an energy-packed activity holiday? Fresh air, fun and exercise is the perfect recipe for a relaxing break and there’s never been a better choice. From bootcamps and tennis holidays to hiking adventures and yoga retreats, find the ideal trip for you in ‘Summer 2018’s best active breaks’ (page 56). Want to zap stress, sleep better and get fitter? It’s time to reclaim your mornings with an early-bird workout. Rather spend an extra half hour in bed? Trust us, try one of our ‘Wake-up workouts’ (page 104)…

STAR LETTER STRETCH YOURSELF I liked the ‘Join the resistance’ article about elastic bands in your March issue. I’ve been a fitness instructor (and H&F subscriber!) since 2003 and have been using elastic bands since then with my clients. They’re simple, cheap, portable but so effective for conditioning and stretching. New clients doubt their effectiveness, but soon change their minds! Sometimes I think the fitness industry goes mad with complicated, expensive or high-tech kit – I like to keep my classes simple and customers like that. There’s no wasting time figuring out what that new piece of kit does – just get on, use it, have fun and get fit. Anna Borghesani, by email DON’T BE SCARED! I just wanted to say your article ‘Fitness: the new social scene’ (April…

1 CRANK UP THE FUN FACTOR Need some incentive to try a 5K? The Color Run is it! You can’t fail to have a great time doing this non-timed event – just watch out for the powder-spraying ‘colour stations’ at each km along the route! Once you’ve completed it, mingle with other colourful people at the finish festival, complete with DJs, food and drink. It takes place on Sunday July 8 at London’s Wembley Park. Tickets cost from £21 per adult; kids aged five or under go free; thecolorrun.co.uk. 2 CLEANSE BODY AND MIND Want to look after both your physical and mental health at the gym? Head along to brand new studio Flykick on London’s Euston Road. Here, classes combine high-intensity exercise, cardio non-contact kickboxing and core work with…

‘I get up around eight; it’s late but I’ve come to realise that recovery and sleep are vital, especially while I’m at university. The first thing I do is have breakfast: avocado on toasted rye bread with eggs, or Bircher muesli. While I’m eating, I’ll make my lunch and pack snacks, including protein bars and cans of Red Bull. I’ve loved athletics since I was five, when my dad first took my brother and me to our local athletics club, and I’ve been a Red Bull athlete for about two years. It’s amazing to be supplied with the energy drink as I have a can at every training session and it’s part of my routine when I’m competing, helping me stay alert for evening events. I use Lush Cup O’…

It looks like what’s bad for your heart is also bad for your brain, according to a new study. UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell Brain Institute in the US measured participants’ fitness and used brain imaging, plus memory and other tests to check if the state of their body and brain was linked. The results suggest that the lower the fitness level, the faster the deterioration of vital nerve fibres in the brain, which can lead to cognitive decline, and diseases such as dementia. So get that blood pumping to safeguard your memory.…

MAKE YOUR MOVE Can’t choose between the weights and treadmill? You’ll get the same results from either, according to a new study from experts at Southampton Solent University. The scientists matched effort and duration of resistance training on the leg press to cardio exercise on the recumbent bike and found oxygen consumption (VO2 max), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), blood lactate, energy expenditure, muscle swelling and electrical activity in the muscles were largely the same after each workout. The take-home message? Sweat through the session you enjoy the most. 1/3 of us HEAD TO THE GYM TO GET SOME ʻME TIMEʼ * LOWER YOUR INJURY RISK As you power through another set of sprints and squat jumps, you probably have some concerns about what oodles of high-impact exercise is doing to…