Surrey Fitness Scene : Gravity Fit

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember that I started the "fitness scene" thread of posts in response to the vast number of posts I would see elsewhere about fun exercise classes and studios that seemed to be constantly unveiled in London. I've explored so many new types of exercise in the process and had huge amounts of fun. So last year when I heard about exercise classes that took place on trampolines I had to give it a try.

It all started with me taking my partner to Gravity Force, a trampoline park in Camberley, for his birthday (big kids at heart). We both had a whale of a time! We went on a weekday afternoon and virtually had the place to ourselves. It was while we were there that we saw Gravity Fit advertised. An hours class for £7.50. We booked before we left.

So on a Monday evening we turned up, a little apprehensive, me in my most supportive sports bra, ready to have some fun and break a sweat. The class reminded me a little of the Les Mills style of class, different routines set to music. We started with some warm up tracks and got familiar with the mix of yoga, tai chi, boxing and general aerobics. There were people of all shapes and sizes there but only one man, my partner - bless him. There was a fair amount of choreography involved but you were so focussed on your own movements that it mattered little if you were keeping up. We certainly felt as though we'd had a good workout, although in a very different way to the sorts of things we usually do. I didn't feel worked in the same way as if I'd been running, for example. And boy did we ache the next day!

Stretching after class

I've been to a general trampoline session before, and to rebound classes at the gym, but this was entirely different, partly because the trampolines were so much bigger. We've been to a few classes now and expect we'll drop in whenever we want a bit of a change. £7.50 for a class may seem expensive compared to regular gym classes but when you consider that a freestyle session costs £10 an hour, it's great value.

I was back at Gravity Force yesterday, taking my friend's 16 year-old for a freestyle session and we did eye up Gravity Fit again...

2017 Means Triathlon Training

My partner, Dean, is a triathlete. He's more than that, he's an Ironman. I've dabbled in triathlon before, having completed three sprint distances, and had vague plans to work up to something bigger in stages. However I have a very pliable arm and so it happened that I found myself agreeing to sign up for a half iron distance event.

After much searching (how far away is it? is it hilly? river or lake swim?) I plumped for the Cotswold 113 in June. A few friends are also signed up so I'll have moral support on the day from them as participants as well as from Dean in training and on the sidelines on the day. I won't lie, I'm a little daunted. I know I can do the 1.2 mile swim and half marathon run in their own right but the 56 miles of cycling and putting all the sections together is another matter.

Earning my cycling stripe

Christmas and New Year was a time of excess and so I've actually been looking forward to getting back into training, to have that extra push to get out of the door of a morning. It will also help me to get in better shape for my wedding (did I not mention I'm engaged? oh that's a story for another time).   Dean also happens to have signed up, on a bit of a whim, to Ironman Bolton in July. Apparently this will give him extra motivation to train with me. Actually we're very lucky in as much as we run at similar paces and so can go out and run together quite happily. Yes we are one of those annoying couples who train and race together.

At the start of the Dusk to Dawn ultra

I'm already a member of Bracknell Forest Runners and a former member of Thames Valley Triathletes so I've rejoined and Dean will be following suit. Monday nights will no longer be date night but swim night with TVT. The weekends will feature long runs together and some bike rides. I have consulted 220Triathon magazine and that together with my own experience, Dean's experience and a list of commitments has resulted in a basic training plan. Our conflicting hours of work will mean that the majority of my training will take place in the day time whereas his will be in the evenings, which is why we've deliberately planned to train together at least twice a week and to have one evening free for "date night". I'm under no illusion that it will be time consuming.

Of course a big event prompts kit purchases. I already have a bike that will suffice but I've invested in some new lycra, trainers, pull buoy and kick board while Dean has purchased a bike and some rollers so that we can train indoors from time to time.

Training = new kit!

It also means more event entries as part of the training. We're both taking part in the 5km Swimathon event this year, which is further than either of us need to swim for our events but a great motivator, and the Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive (the next day!).

I'm so excited about what we've got ahead of us and I'm looking forward to writing a little bit about our adventure here.

Heart Health Benefits of Running

With one of the most common New Years Resolutions being to get fit it's no wonder that January sees a sharp increase in the number of people in the gym or pounding the streets. Running is simple to do (although not always any less daunting than other forms of exercise) and has a host of health benefits associated with it.

Amongst these are the benefits to lung capacity, mental well being, weight loss, improved strength and endurance. It also has huge benefits for the heart and I was recently signposted to this collection of articles which has a wealth of information about how running helps the heart. So if you needed any further encouragement, take a look.

Decoding Food Labels

As we head into New Years Resolutions I wanted to share this article with you from Fix.com about food and nutrition labels. As a tutor for Eat4Health, I regularly talk to people about food labels and how to decipher them because it's one thing trying to eat healthily but if you don't know what's really in the food you're picking up in the shop then it's really hard to make healthy choices.

Not only is it important to understand what's in your food but what we should be eating on a daily/weekly basis and how that fits with our government guidelines. It's a minefield! Bear in mind that food companies want to sell us their products and don't always have our best interests at heart. The traffic light system that we have in this country has gone some way to making it easier to make healthy choices but again don't feel that you can't pick up anything that has a "red" or "high" rating... it all depends on how often you're eating the food and how much of it.

So digest the article and good luck with making your food shop healthier in 2017!
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Vik's Picks : December 2016

It's been a few months since I did a Vik's Picks post... partly because there haven't been enough stand out products in the autumn months. But, just in time for Christmas, here are the things that have been getting through December.

1. For years I've been meaning to get some warmer trousers to wear when I'm coaching outdoors in the cold months. I finally found these Adidas trousers in Decathlon for less than £20 that I can wear over my leggings to keep me extra cosy. They have a half zipped leg so I don't have to take my trainers off and pockets to keep extra bits and bobs in. They've already gotten a lot of use!

2. Another Decathlon bargain has been this down jacket. It cost £39.99 from Quecha and comes in two colours. It is light and fitted enough to allow me to move easily when coaching but warm enough to tackle the sub zero temperatures. It packs down into it's own pocket and look s smart enough to wear out and about. It's already done duty at the gym, during outdoor coaching sessions and National Trust visits.

3. I'm luck enough to be able to get out in daylight hours for some run still but some of the roads near me lack street lights and a recent over night event I did mandated the use of head torches. One of mine recently gave up so I treated myself to a new Viper 2 head torch from Alpkit. At 160 lumens it's the best and brightest head torch I own and it was a bargain to boot!

4. It wouldn't be December for me without a mint hot chocolate. I've been treating myself to one from Starbucks once a week, made with soy milk because I just like it that way.

5. Finally I've been treating my lips to Burt's Bees lip balm. There are many lip balms out there but this is my current fave. Ive got a mint one that makes my lips go tingly and a tinted one too. Worth the investment as it stays put and moisturises for a long time.

What have been your treats and must-haves this winter?

Event Review : Samaritans Run (10k) 2016

For the past couple of years I've run the Samaritans 10k at Wellington College in Crowthorne. I'd resigned myself to not running it in 2016 as I tend not to do the same race very often, let alone three times. However, for 2016 the route was changed to Jennetts Park with the start at the Fujitsu office  due to ongoing building works at the college. This was enough to persuade me to run it for a third year, and as part of Bracknell Forest Runners.

It's a key race for the club, being a championship race for the 5k distance that takes place alongside the 10k. I'd signed up for the event before becoming part of the club and hadn't taken part in any other championship events so didn't feel the need to suddenly switch distance but I saw a huge number of fellow club runners on the day taking part in both distances and going on to a social afterwards.

Start time was a very civilised 10:30am for both distances with a warm up before hand. There was plenty of free parking and a few stands near the start including a tombola (I didn't win anything) and a cake stall (I purchased a custard danish - all in the name of charity of course).

We started on time, setting off on a one or two 5k loop of Jennets Park respectively. It's not an area I've explored much so it was fun to run around the housing estate, odd as that may sound, and the parkland. The benefit of running around a residential area is that there's a good level of support. The marshals were also fantastic, cheering and making sure no one got lost on the more windy sections of the course.

I enjoyed the main part of the course, with the exception of one short, sharp incline on both laps did not enjoy the zig zag section through the car park to the finish. But, I understand why it was there, it was just tedious. I gratefully accepted my medal (green ribbon for 5k, purple for 10k) and goody bag which contained a snickers, bounty, two protein brownies, banana, water, pedometer and water bottle.  Not bad at all for £16 entry (for early bird/club runners). It was a beautiful day so I stuck around for the prize giving and to chit chat. All were agreed that it was a roaring success but it still won't sway me to run it for a fourth time... unless the route changes again of course!
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Kit Review : Hoka One One

Way back in the spring, I took part in the Polesdon Lacy 10k. It was one of the many events this year that the brand Hoka One One were present at, offering the chance to explore their range of footwear and even try them out.

I know a few people who wear Hokas but I was always sceptical of them, wondering what the bog fuss was all about. So ignoring all advice about nothing new on race day I traded in my beaten up old Salomon trail shoes for a brand new pair of shiny and colourful Hoka Challenger ATR2's. These are one of the trail offerings from Hoka, designed to transition well from trail to road - perfect for me who has to run on road to get to most of my trail routes, and one of the reasons I loved my Salomons so much. It was updated for 2016 with a more supportive fit through the midfoot, and increased comfort across the top of the foot. I'm pretty broad across the mid foot so I was pleased to find that these shoes have a wide toe box. Despite that I had to go up a half size from my normal running shoe size. In regular shoes I'm a 7 and take an 8 in a trainer. My loan Hokas were an 8.5 and felt really great.

Before

After

The route for Polesdon Lacy was a mix of path and off-road, so a good test for the shoe. In addition it was pretty muddy underfoot so the 4mm lugs were put to the test. Over the 10k I didn't get one blister, didn't slip once, and got to the end with muddy trainers but dry feet. The only criticism I had was that the laces came undone once which meant I had to stop to retie. But frankly there are so many different lacing systems you can choose from now that it doesn't take much effort to swap laces over for something that suits better.

I also got to wear one of their branded visors, especially useful given it was a drizzly sort of day. I only wear caps or visors when it's raining, to stop the rain from getting in my face. The visor has a really nice wide elastic band which was just about small enough for me, and came in two colour ways, pink and green. I obviously went for green as I actively shy away from all things pink (purple is a different matter). Again it was really comfortable and I still use it on sunny or rainy runs to this day. I couldn't find these to buy, so I think they were just a promotional item, which is a shame as I would have paid money for another, but thankfully I was able to keep it.

Unfortunately I had to give the Hokas back at the end of the race, but at least I had relatively clean and dry shoes to go home in. I've yet to purchase a pair of the Challengers but they are certainly on my list for when I need some more trail shoes. At £100 they aren't going to break the bank and are certainly comparable to other shoes out there.
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