Women's Fitness July 2019

Think of summer holidays and do you visualise outdoor fun and happiness? Or anxiety about baring all on the beach? If it’s the latter, fret no more! We’ve packed this issue with all you need to feel body confident this summer. ‘Feeling self conscious on the beach isn’t a size thing, it’s a confidence thing,’ says our glowing cover star Lucy Mecklenburgh. And she should know, the Results with Lucy workout platform she co-founded with PT Cecilia Harris has helped 250,000 women of all sizes transform their fitness. In ‘I’ll get you beach body happy!’ (page 45), Lucy and Cecilia share their top body-positive moves. Also inspiring us this month is powerful PT Svava Sigbertsdottir, aka The Viking Method. In ‘Get Stronger for summer’ (page 87), Svava’s new four-week training…

TRIATHLON TRAINING Thank you for your brilliant article ‘Yes, you can tri’ (June issue). I am a keen runner but I’ve been looking to increase my stamina and endurance, and do a triathlon. I didn’t know how to do one, and I didn’t know anyone who had done one. I thought they were for insane athlete types. But after reading your article, I realised I was more than capable. Triathlons are NOT just for Lance Armstrong look-a-likes and genetically-enhanced humans who’ve trained for years! So I’m following your advice and setting goals for myself. I am going to stop reading and start training. Wish me luck, and thank you H&F! Paula Maddocks, Hertfordshire ECO FITNESS Your article ‘Meet the Eco Athletes’ (June issue) was inspiring. The three women you featured…

This month, Paula wins the brand new Boardman Capri Leggings and Removable-sleeve Jacket, worth £90. Exclusive to Halfords, Chris Boardman’s men and women’s capsule cycling collection for spring and summer contains 17 garments designed for performance and style, and includes jackets, cycle jerseys, shorts, capri leggings and trousers, priced from £25 to £59. The jackets turn into gilets with removable, zip-off sleeves and have interchangeable high-vis sleeves, back-zipped key pockets and silicone grippers to prevent jerseys from riding up. All items available from Halfords stores and halfords.co.uk.…

‘I love wild swimming. I’ve signed up for the Bantham Swoosh – 6km of the Avon Estuary, with the tide to help you along!’ Sally Marsh, Taunton ‘I’ve got the kids doing a mini Mudder. It’s a one-mile course with monkey rings and a lazer maze. They can’t wait!’ Gemma Thompson, York ‘Me and my boyfriend are training for the London-to-Paris bike ride. We’ve done London to Brighton twice and thought it was time for an extra challenge!’ Carly Jackmore, Fulham…

1 HAVE A BLAST Looking for a fun event to enter with your friends? At women-only festival, Girls Get Fizzical, you can run once or twice round the 5K loop littered with 10 obstacles, including jumps, wades, crawls and plenty of mud! After a shower and change in pleasant surroundings, it’s time for the after-party, with plenty of fizz of various types, and glamping! It takes place on August 3 at Walton Upon Trent, Derbyshire; getfizzical.co.uk. 2 FROZEN ASSETS We do like a healthy recipe box that inspires you to try different things, while saving on planning and shopping time. But we’re very happy healthy recipe box subscription company Mindful Chef is offering ready-made frozen meals, too – perfect for those hectic days. Meals include: Italian-Style Beef and Squash ‘Lasagne’…

‘I’m normally up by 7am, although I’m up at 6am three days a week to do HIIT or resistance training. The most consistent thing about the start of my day is that I always do something mindful to prime myself for success, such as meditation or journaling, rather than mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Then it’s a breakfast of porridge or eggs, or possibly a coffee on the run on the three days I’m heading to the Welltodo office in London for meetings with clients and my team of six who help create our content, write trend forecast reports, manage the 13 events we hold each year and run our newly launched jobs platform, Welltodo Careers. I work the other two days a week from home as a business coach to…