Women's Fitness Issue 242

editor’s letter Want to stave off colds and feel your fittest all winter? It’s time to bolster your body and mind to stay bounding with energy all season long! Whether you exercise in a sweaty gym, work in an airless office or have young kids, chances are you’re under siege from a host of winter lurgies. It’s time to take action! Turn to ‘Your winter health protection plan’ (page 36), for a defence strategy to suit your lifestyle. Chilly mornings getting you down? Kickstart your day with our exclusive home workout from star trainer, Jericho McMatthews. ‘Get fit & fierce’ (page 82) will see you feeling fitter and stronger and – bonus – ensure you look fab for party season. The awesome Fearne Cotton knows all about the challenges of…

GYM RESULTS I was really grateful and motivated by your feature ‘10 ways to double your gym results’ (issue 241). I go to the gym three times a week but for a while I’ve doubted I was getting the most out of my visits. I want to lift more, run more, sweat more (!). Showing up is half the battle, the other half of the battle has to be made up of hard work, consistency and training smart. I was excited to note how your tips will help my workouts be more effective, for instance, phoning a friend – I work so much better in the gym when I have a buddy – adding 2-3 kg to my weights workouts and not making it all about weight loss. I’ve signed…

This month, Geena wins three products from Age Defy+ by Cha Vøhtz skincare collection – the Purify & Hydrate Cream Cleanser, the Hydrate & Renew Serum and the Brightening Moisturiser, worth £105. This unique skincare regime was created by natural beauty expert and Green People founder Charlotte Vøhtz, with powerful youth-boosting botanicals and scientifically tested plant actives, promising to promote collagen synthesis, reduce cell breakdown and bring your skin back into balance. Find out more at greenpeople.co.uk.…

1 HEAD SOUTH Escape the cold and dark on Luxury London health club Third Space’s four-night trip to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. There’ll be morning runs, meditation, yoga, HIIT classes and hikes in stunning scenery, plus healthy meals, a cookery class and lots more. Sign up quick for the next trip – it costs £1,900 based on two sharing a deluxe room in a 5* hotel with pool, excluding flights; thirdspace.london. 2 GET OFF THE SOFA!  Need motivation to keep training over Christmas? MacTuff – described as ‘Scotland’s toughest obstacle course race’ should do it. It takes place on January 5, 2020, at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife (within easy reach of Edinburgh). Take on 7K, 15K or 30K, and navigate mud, water and challenging obstacles. Don’t forget…

‘I get up at 7am, have a breakfast of scrambled egg on toast with tomatoes and a green smoothie, and am out of the house by 8.30am for work, unless I’m writing from home. Before my diagnosis of bowel cancer, in 2016, I was a busy mum of two working as a deputy head teacher at a secondary school with the best routine ever. Now there’s no routine in my life, but I love that my days are so varied. As well as writing my ‘Things Cancer Made Me Say’ column for The Sun and recording my ‘You, Me and the Big C’ podcast for BBC Radio 5 Live – which I used to do with BBC journalist Rachael Bland until she sadly passed away in 2018 – I also…

Is inactivity harming your brain? You’ve heard that staying active can help prevent age-related cognitive decline. But a new study shows there’s a link between physical fitness and mental performance in younger people, too. German scientists took MRI scans from 1,206 adults with an average age of 28. The participants performed a two-minute walking test, stepping out as quickly and as far as they could, and were assessed for memory, reasoning, sharpness and more. Results showed those performing best in the walking test also did significantly better in the cognitive tests. Time to step it up!…