Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Women's Fitness

EDITOR’S NOTE I keep reading reports about how the seasons are warming up, and yet it still seems as if this year has provided a long old winter. Perhaps it’s the drearier days, or maybe the chilly winds that have been hitting my home town, but I don’t think I’m alone in being SO ready for summer weather. Thankfully, June is on its way and if, like me, you love spending time soaking up the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, vitamin D, you’ll be starting to think of ways to take your training outside. Outdoor running is a popular choice, and great for physical health as well as mental wellbeing. This month’s cover model, double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, explains on page 20 why she still gets so much enjoyment from running…

ALI MALIK Personal trainer Malik is a highly-skilled strength and conditioning coach, and the founder of Fit Labs Kensington (fitlabskensington.com), an empowering boutique fitness experience for people of all ages and abilities. Q: I’m new to strength training and not sure where to start. I find the various machines and free weights in the gym rather intimidating, but I really want to get strong and toned. Do you have any advice on getting started? A: Starting your strength training journey can feel daunting, especially when faced with a plethora of machines and free weights at the gym. However, rest assured that with the right approach, you can achieve your fitness goals. First and foremost, it’s essential to set clear and achievable goals. Whether your aim is to build muscle, increase…

‘I’ve always been super active, and started running as soon as I could walk! Growing up in Bedford, I had the desire and curiosity to try every activity available to me and was privileged enough to have access to amazing sports facilities and inspiring sports teachers to support me on my journey. I was a part of every single sports club at school, and the only issue I had back then was that the teachers would fight over me to play for them when tournaments clashed – which was a delightful problem to have! ‘My sportiness was also inspired by the TV shows I watched. I thought Josie Jump from Balamory was so cool, and I wanted to hold a football all the time like Milo from The Tweenies. But…

Whether you wear one on its own or underneath a workout tee, a good sports bra will pay dividends when it comes to feeling comfortable in the gym. It’s not only about nixing the bounce – our breasts move an average of 10cm in three directions when we run – but also a matter of avoiding pain, chafing and a strain on breast tissue. A supportive bra could do oodles for your workout mojo, too, with data in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living showing that a well-designed sports bra could increase a female runner’s performance by an impressive seven per cent. On the flip side, University of Portsmouth findings from a biomechanical analysis of women runners’ stride patterns report that poor bra support shortens stride length by…

BEAUTY KIT Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint (£22, boots.com) We love nothing more than a viral sensation that really works, and these jelly tints have been making waves across socials since their launch in April. The long-lasting and highly pigmented cheek and lip stains are not only hydrating, but also have a bouncy texture that feels cooling on the skin. Organically Epic Soothing Berry Booster (£20, organicallyepic.uk) Sensitive, damaged or inflamed skin? With an abundance of fruit seed oils, including strawberry, blackberry, cranberry and cherry, this vegan-friendly and certified natural facial oil protects the skin against environmental stressors and free radicals while unblocking pores for a soft and dewy complexion. Simply use as a standalone facial oil or add a few drops to your favourite moisturiser for a nourishing…

STAR LETTER ‘RUNNING IS A LOT ABOUT YOUR MENTAL ATTITUDE, AS WELL AS BEING FIT’ ‘I’m running my FIRST marathon this year and it’s a big one – the London Marathon. Nicely timed to help me get ready was your article My first marathon (April 2024), in which running coach Cory Wharton-Malcolm explains how running his marathon changed the course of his life forever. It really is a lot about your mental attitude, as well as being fit. I recently ran 15 miles and I found I was in a better frame of mind for the last five miles, compared to the middle five when I really struggled. I have more miles to cover soon and need to be mentally ready. I’m running for the charity, Missing Persons (I have…

Think that low on impact means low in results? Think again! You don’t have to run and jump to get a sweat on. With the right moves you can rev your heart rate up while reducing the pummelling on your joints. The trick is to choose compound exercises (those that use multiple muscles at once, such as squats), complete lots of repetitions, add weights, reduce the rest or increase the time under tension (think, squat holds). You could even do some little pulses mid-move to ramp up the intensity. For a low-impact fix that will work your muscles as well as your cardio system, try this circuit from PT Sarah Campus. HOW TO DO IT Complete the exercises in order, spending 30 seconds on each move and then resting for…

Bored with the same dishes on repeat? It might be time to take yourself on a flavour adventure. Anna Jones’ new cookbook, Easy Wins, features 125 flavour-packed recipes, each based on one of 12 hero ingredients that are guaranteed to make your food taste great – from lemons to olive oil, onions to peanut butter, mustard to tahini and more. With summer upon us, we’re bringing some zest to your kitchen with three lusciously lemony dishes. Time to get juicing… ONE-POT PASTA AL LIMONE Lemony lunch Serves: 4 Ingredients • 400g spaghetti or linguine• 2 large unwaxed lemons• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and bashed but kept whole• 100ml olive oil• 1 tsp flaky sea salt• 50g salted butter or vegan butter• 40g Parmesan or Parmesan-style vegan cheese, grated• ½…

GYM CONFIDENCE It’s easy to feel nervous when walking in the weights room. In fact, ‘gymtimidation’ is very real, with as many as one-in-three women describing intimidation in the gym as their biggest barrier to joining. Discouragingly, an online poll for lingerie brand Hunkemoller also found that over 60 per cent of women prefer to work out in a female-only space; a common cause being the perception that women don’t belong in the weights area – but we know that’s not true, don’t we? Luckily, things are changing, and weight training for women is certainly on the up, including ‘learning to lift’, according to Adidas and Les Mills athlete, Bronte Terrell, from David Lloyd Clubs (davidlloyd.co.uk). ‘As an ex-cardio bunny to a Body Pump instructor, I honestly feel there’s nothing…

Positive vibes Feel fab this summer wearing Fleur East’s second activewear collection with Dare 2b. Designed to reflect the singer-songwriter, TV host and qualified PT’s infectious positivity for fitness, it features mood-boosting prints and supportive fabrics to help you jump, flex and stretch with confidence. From squat-proof leggings and sports bras, to these Sprint Up 2-in-1 Shorts (£45) – which offer a water-repellent finish, UV protection, sweat-wicking inner liner and reflective details to keep you seen outdoors – the range boasts all the tech you need to stay cool and dry when things get hot! Available in sizes 6-20, prices start from £20, dare2b.com WEAR THIS… Find your place Whether you’re trekking through the Amazon rainforest, hiking the Himalayas or simply exploring your local surroundings, British outdoor and adventure clothing…

Lacking gym confidence? You’re not alone. In my experience, many midlife women who grew up with aerobics still feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to lifting heavier weights in the gym. The free weights section is often seen as an intimidating, off-limits zone, and many of us don’t know where to begin when it comes to lifting more than 2-4kg. But it’s important that you do consider heavy lifting, as the latest science suggests that women over the age of 40 should be aiming to strength train two-to-three times a week, using heavier weights and progressively overloading the muscle in order for it to grow. This is crucial, because after this age, we rapidly start to lose our muscle mass. The great news is that at any age, the…

Whey to go If you can’t resist the lure of sweet treats, but are desperately striving to source a healthier version than the usual mainstream milk chocolate offerings, WheyBetter Protein Milk Chocolate (from £2.99, wheybetter.co.uk) is the way forward. With no added sugar, a very decent 17g of protein and a hefty vitamin blend, this bar is certainly ticking all our health boxes. Breakfast with benefits We’re going nuts for Rude Health’s new Maple Pecan Granola (£4, Waitrose). Boasting serious pecan pie vibes, the breakfast granola is crammed with sustainably sourced buttery, roasted pecans, wholegrains and sunflower seeds, and finished with a delicious drizzle of Canadian maple syrup. Every bit as mouthwatering as it sounds, a bowl of the stuff is also high in tummy-loving fibre to keep you feeling…

5 WAYS 1. GET PLENTY OF IRON An astonishing 27 per cent of women lack iron, essential to producing healthy red blood cells, carrying oxygen and nutrients around the body. Low iron can lead to tiredness and fatigue, impacting concentration, and is also thought to contribute to ‘brain fog’. You can boost your iron intake by eating meat, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruit and dried spices. Iron absorption from plant-based foods can be increased by partnering them with a vitamin C source, while avoiding tea with meals. You might also want to consider a brain health supplement containing iron, such as Healthspan Elite Iron Complete (£12.99 for 120 tablets, healthspanelite.co.uk) which is gentle on the stomach. 2. FEAST ON FERMENTED FOODS Your brain and gut are closely connected.…

RUN STRONG Pilates has become all the rage in the health and fitness world lately, and rightly so as it’s a low-impact workout that strengthens and tones while improving flexibility, but one thing that has been understated is its benefit for runners. If you like to run, incorporating Pilates into your schedule is guaranteed to not only improve your running form, performance and endurance, but it can also help to reduce injury risk and help you enjoy running even more. Don’t know where to start? The following five moves are designed to make you stronger and to help you move better as well. And the better you move, the better you feel – both out on the roads and trails, and in everyday life. HIP HINGE Sets: 3 x 15-20…

‘My healing journey took quite a few steps. To start with, Creighton University (my university at the time) booked me in with a nutritionist, a therapist and a nurse, multiple times a week for around a year. This helped me start to claw my way out of the dark hole that was my eating disorder. Then, I really leaned on sports at Cambridge University to help continue my healing journey. I joined the modern pentathlon team. For the first time in my life, I began viewing my body not through the lens of how it looked, but for the incredible, powerful things it could do. I saw other women doing the same. We all ate to fuel movement and moved to be stronger. It was amazing. ‘It took a long…