Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Women's Fitness

Plummeting temperatures, teamed with rising fuel prices and the dreaded ‘twindemic’ of ’flu and COVID-19, have made this winter somewhat testing for the hardiest of us. So I don’t think I’m alone in saying, ‘Good riddance’ to it, and welcoming the warmer weather with open arms. Because there’s something uplifting about the change of seasons. And springtime, more than any other time of year, seems to cry out for folk to get outside and start moving. It’s not just about getting fit, it’s about feeling good. Feeling the warmth of sunshine for the first time in months, seeing the blooms as they begin to bud… it’s enough to get even the most reluctant of exercisers on an outdoor adventure. That’s why it’s so easy to relate to cover model Laura…

Suit up! Sustainable swimwear brand Davy J (davyj.com) makes bikinis and one-pieces built especially for the wild. Designed to survive a dive, handle a waterfall and pull off a cliff jump, the new line of winter water suits are comfy enough to swim in. We love the range, including this Long Sleeve Reversible Suit (available in sizes 6 to 20; £160). Made from a luxurious thick-bonded fabric using regenerated fibres, the ‘surf-suit’ design features long arms with built-in thumb holes, an easy on-off zip front and a flattering mid-high leg. Less weighty than a wetsuit, but thicker than a swimsuit for extra warmth, it’s destined to become your favourite cold-water companion. WEAR THIS… Fit for all According to a new global consumer survey by Adidas, 92 per cent of women…

MEET THE ELITE Unified boxing champion Natasha Jonas became Great Britain’s first ever female Olympic boxer in 2012, and has won 13 of her 16 fights since turning professional in 2017. In 2022, she claimed three world titles in nine months, adding the IBF light-middleweight title to her WBC super-welterweight and WBO junior-middleweight belts. MY JOURNEY ‘As a teen, I had my sights set on becoming a professional footballer. I worked hard and won a football scholarship in the US, but I picked up a knee injury while I was there and that was the end of my footy career! I came home and had a year out of sport, but because sport was my motivation to do anything, I put on weight, lost my confidence, lost friends, lost direction…

Dumbbells are a great training tool because you can add them to almost any exercise to add resistance. If you’re new to using them, there’s no need to feel intimated – simply add them to the most basic of movements, such as pressing them overhead for a shoulder press, pulling them back for a bent-over row, or holding them by your sides for a weighted squat. Using this extra resistance will not only increase your muscle density, which is essential for achieving a toned appearance, but also increase your lean muscle tissue. The following three moves will show you how to get creative with a pair of dumbbells. You can do these moves in the gym, at home or even in the garden. You don’t need much kit or space…

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT ‘To reduce body fat, ensure you‘re in a calorie deficit’ The phrase ‘burn fat’ gets uttered a lot, but the strategies that are most effective can be difficult to pin down. Of course, the usual mantra of eat right, move more and end up in a calorie deficit (the key driver for fat loss) is the number-one solution, but there are ways of reaching that point in an accelerated timeframe. Indeed, the moves you choose, the food you put on your plate, and even how you manage your emotions, all play a role. Here are 20 simple expert tips that will help with long-term fat loss. 01. DELIVER A DEFICIT It‘s not new, or particularly fun, but the simple fact is that if you want to reduce…

Suzanne Baum Suzanne is a celebrity interviewer and lifestyle editor. She has written on fitness and wellbeing for over two decades and also reviews beauty products. @suzanne_baum Eve Boggenpoel Eve is a yoga teacher, counsellor and author. Her work is grounded in a deep appreciation of inner stillness as a pathway to transformation. @eveboggenpoel Joanna Ebsworth A qualified Level 3 PT and fitness instructor, Jo has been combining her love of exercise and writing for 15 years, and is keen to inspire others to be active. @joglows Lucy Miller Lucy is an ex-national gymnast and qualified PT. She is also a nutritionist and life coach who loves nothing more than to go for a run or do a gym session. @lucycmiller Christine Bailey Christine is a performance nutritionist, chef, author…

COVER INTERVIEW Finding time to get to interview Laura Whitmore is tricky. Not because she is a difficult person – that couldn’t be further from the truth – but because her work schedule is so jam-packed she has little time outside of it to chat. And that strong, warm Irish voice is one so familiar with her army of fans, it’s no surprise she is one of the most in-demand women in the industry. The 37-year-old is absolutely no stranger to the limelight, of course, as she has been a familiar face on the TV and radio for the past decade. Having fronted numerous shows, including ITV2’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Love Island, as well as hosting her own Sunday morning radio show on BBC…

Struggling to fire-up your fitness mojo? According to new findings published in the journal PLOS ONE , pairing up with a fit buddy could do wonders for your activity levels. The scientists drew on previous research that highlighted the benefits of social interactions with peers, to develop a mathematical model that studied the influence of social interaction on exercise trends in communities. The results show that interacting with moderately active people encourages sedentary folks to become more physically active in the long term. So, time to sign up for your local sports club?…

The body needs a broad spectrum of nutrients to ensure it has everything it needs to function optimally. Different colours of fruits and vegetables contain a different array of nutrients, so eating a rainbow of foods daily provides the variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals needed for healthy skin, muscles and cells, as well as to fight infection help support a balanced immune system and encourage a diverse gut microbiome. Although the daily recommended amount of fruit and veg to eat is five portions, in reality it should be seven-to-10 a day. Here are a few nutrition-packed recipes from Jennifer Medhurst’s new book The Imperfect Nutritionist: 7 Principles of Healthy Eating (Kyle Books, £25), plus some tips to inspire a greater diversity of nutrients in your diet. Happy eating!…

Body news * Mental health * Beauty buys Worried about how long you spend seated at work? Good news – just five minutes of walking every half hour could offset the harmful effects of prolonged sitting, according to a new study by Columbia University. The exercise physiologists compared one minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, one minute after 60 minutes, five minutes every 30, five minutes every 60 and no walking, and discovered that five minutes every half hour was the only amount that significantly lowered both blood sugar and blood pressure. Indeed, it even reduced blood sugar spikes after large meals by 58 per cent. The walk doesn’t need to be significant – a quick trip to a colleague’s desk to discuss a query, or a…

Tropic Skincare Lip Stain £14, tropicskincare.com Get ready to pucker up with this new long-lasting lip stain that stays put even when you eat and drink. It creates a wash of colour that’s smudge-proof, while still moisturising and hydrating, thanks to hyaluronic acid, passion fruit oil and sweet orange oil. Try it in Bitten Red (pictured) or Pink Bloom for everyday wear. Mii Cosmetics Strong + Stable £19.50; miicosmetics.com This regenerating treatment strengthens and helps repair soft, flaking, thin nails. It contains healing pistacia resin oil to encourage an improvement in nail firmness and strength. Apply as a base coat beneath your nail colour or wear alone as a hardening treatment for a lovely glossy finish. IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow £36.50; itcosmetics.co.uk Brighten your complexion and reduce redness and…

Jolly jacket Your mates won’t lose you in the eye-catching Columbia Women’s Snow Slab Blackdot Waterproof Ski Jacket (£315, columbiasportswear.co.uk). This technical, low-bulk jacket has a thermal reflective material inside to keep your body heat in, plus black dot technology on the outside to capture the sun’s heat. Sun blockers Mountain sun terraces demand cool eyewear. Customise your pair of lightweight SunGod Sierra glasses (from £60, sungod.co) to go with your outfit. Poplock hinges and triple-layer scratch protection plus high-quality lenses give these substance as well as style. Safety shield Oakley’s medium-sized Flight Deck M Matte White Prizm Rose Gold Iridium Goggles (£183, snowboard-asylum.com) have a huge rimless field of vision plus use Prizm lens technology and an iridium coating to block glare and enhance contrast to cope with a…

STAR LETTER INSPIRING READ Thank you for your article A healthy body is the one that makes you happy (February issue), featuring fitness superstar Krissy Cela. She shares her empowering, no-nonsense approach to leading an active, healthy and happy lifestyle, with the aim of giving people the skills to be strong and confident. I read the feature with great interest and found it quite inspiring, and it made me more determined to get fitter and healthier. Krissy had some great tips for smashing goals – such as relying on discipline, knowing that mindset is everything, and doing one thing at a time – and she had many more motivational suggestions. I’m working through her good advice and hope to make that change, whatever it takes, by committing myself…

If you want the answer to boosted gut health, look no further than your spice rack. According to research published in The Journal of Nutrition , adding blends of herbs and spices – such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme – to meals could increase gut bacteria diversity. This is good news, as research reports that people with many different microbes tend to have better health than those without good bacterial diversity. How much spice should you add? The team examined three doses – ⅛ teaspoon daily, ¾ teaspoon daily and one and a half teaspoons daily – and discovered that the higher doses had the best effect.…

Tummy treat Suffer with IBS? New protein-packed Gutfulness Bars (£29.99 for 12; gutfulness.co.uk) are here to help, with their nutritious blend of five FODMAP-friendly ingredients. Each bar contains 10g protein and 165 calories, plus plenty of gut-friendly fibre. Bone fuel Bone broths such as Take Stock’s Chicken, Beef, Fish or Vegan broth (£6.99 per 500ml carton; takestockfoods.com) are packed with collagen and protein. Add to soups, ramen, risottos, or even enjoy as a hot drink! Broths are one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. Pancake pick-up If you’re looking for an altogether healthier pancake, try dairy-free brand OaYeah!’s ready-made pancakes (£2.40, Sainsbury’s). Made from an oat-based drink, the Original pancakes contain 65 per cent less saturated fats and 15 per cent less sugar than plain Dutch pancakes. Vegan powder Natural…

MEET THE EXPERT Qualified PT, Nicole Chapman is the creator of six-week online workout programme, Power of Mum. Through strength training and metabolic conditioning, it is designed to empower you to be fitter and stronger in body and mind. Enjoy short and effective workouts on-demand, with full training support. Too busy to work out? We get it, sometimes life takes over and there really is limited time to squeeze in a sweat session. While there are legit reasons for skipping a workout (if you’re ill or chronically tired maybe sit this one out), often you can find time in your day for a quick 10-minute fitness fix. The best bit? You’re likely to feel more energised, focused and productive as a result. ‘I am a huge fan of 10-minute workouts,’…

Whether you're new to running or have a few marathons under your belt, investing in a good running watch can make a serious difference to your training. While GPS watches have been around for several years, the recent versions have updates that make running even more enjoyable and effective. New music features, for example, will allow you to download and listen to music straight from your watch without having to carry a phone. And then there are live map functions, which can guide you home even when you’re lost in the depths of the woods. Plus, there are many features that will help you to gain a more holistic view of your health and fitness, whatever your goals. It’s no wonder that choosing one is a big decision. FANTASTIC FUNCTIONS…