Women's Fitness August 2023

As you may have noticed from the picture, I'm not Sarah (she's off on a short spell of maternity leave) – so I'm in the hot seat until 2024 when Sarah will be back with your February issue. I'm excited to be editing this fantastic fitness magazine and doing so is reigniting my own desire to get fitter and healthier. My husband is a strength and conditioning coach and we have a gym at home so I have no excuse! Mind you, I'd rather be dancing Ceroc or salsa, or having a cold-water swim down at the beach (see my cossie reviews on page 68) than slogging it out in the gym, although I have recently started micro-HIIT workouts – doing alternative 'hard-as-I-can' on the treadmill for 30 seconds, followed…

STAR LETTER ‘I enjoyed reading ‘Surfing keeps me motivated, fit and healthy’ about Lucie Donlan, (former Love Islander) your front cover star from July. It was interesting learning how she stays fit and enjoys all her outdoor passions. I started surfing in New Zealand a few years ago when visiting family. I soon came to realise that it’s great exercise as it uses so many different muscles from your arms and hands to your legs, bum and back! It’s fun and you can tie it in with a holiday too. It has increased my general confidence and mental health too. And it has also given me a newfound respect for nature. I don’t go on holiday anywhere now unless it includes surfing. I feel I am the fittest I have…

Designed for life With a focus on fashion, functionality and sustainability, the new Own the Arena collection from P.E. Nation is custom-built to take you from the studio to the street and beyond in style. Featuring animal print, colour blocking and flashes of neon in a nod to 90s and 00s fashion culture, the future-forward range of interchangeable crop tops, leggings, tanks and shorts is made to mix, match and clash to fit your look – and survive life at a fast pace. We love this super-comfy Main Draw Sports Bra (£80, pe-nation.com) paired with the squat-proof In Play Leggings (£88). WEAR THIS… Blaze a trail Lululemon has launched its first ever road-to-trail running shoe, the Blissfeel Trail, £148, to take you from smooth pavements to more rugged terrain with…

Feel the fear and do it anyway. That’s the mantra by which Myleene Klass lives and it’s the same sentiment that helped inspire the multi-talented musician, presenter, fashion mogul and mum-of-three to temporarily swap motherhood and a dizzying number of work projects for a stint on this year’s I’m A Celebrity All Stars spin-off show in South Africa. A whopping 17 years after her 2006 foray into the Australian jungle – where she came runner-up to Busted star Matt Willis – Myleene managed to dazzle the British public and her co-stars all over again to be crowned the very first I’m A Celebrity Legend. But this time around, her success had far less to do with taking waterfall showers in her iconic white bikini, and much more to do with…

Q How safe is it to exercise in warm weather? Louisa Drake says: ‘When the temperature rises, I prefer a less vigorous practice and opt for a more restorative approach, such as a gentle yoga flow. By slowing down, you’re allowing your body to adjust to the higher temperature and you have time to be aware of how your energy levels are. ‘Most yoga asanas have either heating or cooling qualities. So you could try sequencing the more active, heating poses in the first half of your practice. This would allow you to safely warm up the body, then start the cooling down process during the second half. Try reducing the amount of sun salutations, warrior poses, binds and inversions you do during a class. You can still do these…

It’s easy to let travel get in the way of your workout regime; a long flight, multiple transfers and no access to a gym could be the perfect excuse to lose all fitness motivation. But we aren’t going to let this happen. In fact, exercise can be part of your getaway with this foolproof total-body workout, which can help you squeeze in your workout and stay fit and energised with minimal space and no equipment. HOW IT WORKS: Perform 40 seconds of the first exercise, then take 20 seconds active rest before moving straight on to the next exercise. Once you’ve completed the last move, rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat the entire circuit twice more. Try to get 20 minutes in a day if you can, and then…