Supplicity: Supplements Made Simple

With an increasing number of us being more conscientious when it comes to our health nutrition has definitely been on the front pages recently. However, the advice is confusing at best and all too often completely conflicting. We are constantly being told what to eat, and even more so what not to eat! Coupled with the heightened prevalence of allergies and intolerances this can lead to a somewhat restricted diet, even when disregarding the research that tells us our food is actually getting less nutritious by the decade (you can read more about it here) due to soil depletion, pesticide use and (dare I say it) GM! I personally have tried to decrease processed foods in my diet and eat organic produce, but my intolerances to dairy, gluten and eggs can make some meals repetitive and I always worry that I may be missing vital nutrients by cutting down on certain food groups (such as grains).

In an ideal world I know the optimal way to get nutrients is through a balanced and varied diet, but who lives in an ideal world? I certainly am guilty of burning the candle at both ends – working too much, not getting enough sleep, having too many glasses of wine… therefore I am very grateful to get a little help along the way!

Good quality supplements can be a great help as they ensure you get a top up of vital nutrients that your body needs. I always think that even if I am eating well it never hurts to make sure! However, the supplement market is so big that, just like nutrition, it can be very confusing to pick out what you need. I have bought many bottles of vitamins over the years that either stay at home, or on my desk at work, but as I am always on the go I find it hard to keep a routine and make sure I am being consistent.

Therefore, I was really excited when Supplicity contacted me to try out some of their supplements. The range is created by London-based brothers-in-law - a doctor and a health and fitness professional. They have designed Supplicity to make supplements super easy to use and fit into a busy lifestyle with little commitment required by splitting your bespoke supplements into labelled daily strips, which you can easily travel with!

I chose the Mojo* daily essential energy box, which contains B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Zinc, Omega-3 and Korean Ginseng (used for thousands of years to enhance cognition and stamina). The carefully selected vitamins and micronutrients have been blended to create a daily supplement that aims to leave you feeling energized, stronger and recharged. I felt that in these cold months my energy was definitely lacking and rather than rely on caffeine I wanted a more healthy alternative.

The Mojo box arrived through my letter box and has been the easiest thing to add to my daily routine. As the 3 supplements for each day are labelled in individual strips I can easily pop them in my bag in the morning or take a couple of strips with me when I go away without having to lug multiple bottles from work to home or fuss about with plastic containers. It also helps me to keep on track if I miss a day! I take mine after breakfast as recommended and have definitely felt the difference.


Each Supplicity box contains a 28 day plan with plans starting from £18 a month and your first month is free! Let me know what you think of this plan and if you are interested in trying them out for yourself!

Fitness: Psycle Review

In my quest to keep fitness fun and exciting I am always looking for new classes to try out so last week I popped into Psycle to see what all the hype was about! First of all I must mention that I am not a spinning pro. I attended a few sessions at Cyclebeat two years ago and the odd spinning class at my gym, but I have never been a hardcore spinner as I was concerned about overdeveloping one muscle group and just building my (already sizeable… thanks mama) thighs. Psycle, however is a totally different approach to the spinning sensation!

The Psycle workout is specifically designed to strengthen the body's core and tone key body parts whilst burning maximum calories. Light hand weights are used to tone the upper body whilst movement out of the saddle increases the engagement of core muscles and raises the heart rate. Everyone is given cleated shoes to wear, which promises to increase the connection between the leg and the bike, engaging the hamstrings and glute muscles resulting in lean, toned legs - and no big thighs (hooray)!

The music in the class is also a major element. I always listen to music when I workout so I loved it when the lights were turned down and the tunes turned up as it really helped to just get lost in the music and forget how hard you were working. The playlists are tailored for each different class making sure they are suitable for the time of day and week. As my session was on a Thursday night it was very much a club soundtrack - pushing us faster and faster into the weekend.

One of the things that makes Psycle stand out from other spinning classes is there is no competitive element or performance measurement. There isn’t even a resistance gage on the bikes! At Cyclebeat there is a leader board that plays to everyone’s competitive natures and the instructor gives recommendations of resistances for different tracks, but at Psycle novices and conditioned athletes can ride side by side, getting what they personally need from their workout experience. I would say that I fall somewhere in the middle… there are certain things I am not competitive about, but when it comes to sports I think a little competition is very healthy, especially when competing with yourself! Therefore, I do like to know my resistance and wear a heartbeat monitor to see how hard I have worked and try to use this to push myself further next time. Others may be happy feeling like they have done their best and not worrying about the stats and Psycle works perfectly in this case!

I really enjoyed my first Psycle class, despite the simple fact that I found it so much harder than I thought I would! Most of the 45 min class was spent out of the saddle with a lot of pumping in the arms, which was not something I was used to. It really helped to work my arms, shoulders and core and I truly felt like I had an allover body workout afterwards. As I normally do weights and a bit of cardio the repetitive pulsing and holding a lot of weight on my arms for longer periods was definitely a challenge. However, the music really helped with my endurance and I found that as long as I stayed with the beat it was easy enough to follow! The instructors (I had Becky) are super enthusiastic and really motivational, which was another big help!

The studio itself was great. The changing rooms were clean, with good sized lockers and lovely ila products. Though if I’m completely honest as mine was a full capacity evening class I could have done with a little more bench space to get myself sorted, so it’s worth arriving a few minutes early if you can. I loved the fact that the cleats are provided as it saves you lugging around trainers all day and I felt so much more secure on the bike (especially with all the movement out of the saddle) knowing that my feet were not going to slide off. The cycle studio is crammed full of bikes and does look a little intimidating, but with the lights down low it’s easy to forget about everyone else. Despite everyone working away the studio still felt cool and air conditioned and even had a fresh scent (lemon grass maybe), which definitely made a change from my normal gym and I very much appreciated! Though this may have been aided by the class being 90% ladies too…

Overall, I really enjoyed the Psycle experience and would recommend it for anyone looking to add variety and fun to their workout. My silly heart rate monitor decided to die half way through, but I estimate I burned at least 500kcal in the 45 minutes session.

Have you ever been to a Psycle class? Are you a fan of spinning! I would love to know your thoughts!!

Fitness: 1Rebel Review

After hearing a lot of buzz around the opening of 1Rebel I was not one to shy away from the challenge. I was compelled to try out the new fitness revolution for the modern age, especially with one of the studios so close to my office. I was excited to see that when you sign up online 1Rebel offers you a complimentary 1st session to try their service. As I already pay a hefty gym membership I really appreciate offers like this as it lets me review the experience before having to commit, which is perfect as the whole thought process behind 1Rebel is a modern approach with no subscription or membership fees. All you do is choose a package (a number of sessions) and use these up as you wish (though of course the more sessions you purchase the more cost effective it is).

I opted for a 30 minutes lunchtime full body Reshape session. Although these sessions are short (given all the classes are the same price) they do come with an added benefit of a Roots and Bulbs lunch or juice, which is ideal for me when popping out of the office!

I attended the 1Rebel studio on St Mary Axe (almost opposite the Gherkin) and after being given a large towel and chilled bottle of water on arrival descended to the changing rooms and studios underground. The changing rooms are among the best I have seen – smart, roomy lockers with no keys needed (and definitely no £1 coins in sight), modern brass accents, plenty of mirrors, GhD appliances and clean showers with a good range of complimentary products. I was impressed!

The Reshape class studio is split into work benches (with weights underneath) and treadmills (these were fantastic and so easy to use). We only had 4 people in our class so we had one each, but the idea is when classes are full people alternate between benches and treadmills. I understand that space in the City is at a premium, but even with so few people I could imagine the studio getting pretty full. For me personally the mat space between the benches was a little small. I wouldn’t like to be doing inchworms face to face with anyone so I would have preferred a little more room (though I appreciate I have been somewhat spoiled by my home gym where I usually have a whole area to myself). 

With one instructor keeping an eye on people using various equipment (and in club style darkness) I think it may be easy to get lost in a full class, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for complete beginners. If you are just starting your fitness journey and need to learn basic exercises with good form I think this class may be confusing as it is very fast paced. However, as I had done all the exercises before I felt pretty confident – it was still a challenge, but having learned the correct way to do them my main test was to repeat or hold for the right amount of time. As we had a small class we had plenty of attention and encouragement from the super energetic Melissa, but I guess it just depends on the popularity of your session!

Throughout the class we switched from various programmes on the treadmill (warm up jog, run, sprint, incline sprint and dynamic mode of pushing the treadmill yourself to pick up speed) to plyo work such as squat jumps, weights such as bench press and lunges with dumbbells, cardio building burpees and core strengthening dynamic planks and leg raises. The class was mainly HIIT with short rest periods so my heart rate was up throughout the full 30 minutes - burning 350 calories. Melissa was fantastic at giving us tips or encouraging us to run that bit faster or hold that plank a few seconds longer and the loud music and club atmosphere kept it fun!

After a quick shower and change I grabbed my complimentary Roots and Bulbs lunch and was back in the office with a nutritious meal, a rush of endorphins and more than a slight flush to my cheeks!

As someone who works out regularly I think these classes are great fun and a fantastic way to get a quick workout in during the day, especially if I have evening plans. I find that exercise is absolutely the best stress relief and even after 30 minutes you feel the difference. 1Rebel has fabulous facilities and a super convenient location if you work in the City and I would definitely recommend checking it out whether you are looking to shape and tone up for the summer, or fit in some exercise around your busy day without giving up your evenings or having to get up at the crack of dawn. There is also a Rebel Ride class if you are a fan of spinning. There’s nothing to lose as the first session is free!

There are various offers available at this introductory stage if you want to purchase sessions…

If you mention my name you can get a 20% discount off either a 10, 25 or 50 pack on the website using the code IWANTMORE. Alternatively there is a special offer where you can get 20% off 50 sessions and £200 worth of Charli Cohen sports-luxe range with the code 50shades.


Let me know if you try it and what you think of 1Rebel. You never know... I may be on the treadmill next to you next lunchtime!

Review: Barrecore and Reformer Pilates

As many of you know over the last year (or two) I have really found my love and motivation for fitness and exercise. Going from not even owning a pair of trainers to working out 5 times a week I am now trying to settle into a manageable routine that I can enjoy without feeling time deprived, while keeping my new found level of fitness and shape. With working long hours alongside a host of other commitments I do sometimes struggle to find balance. I know many people say they feel guilty if they do not exercise, but since I have learned to enjoy it I genuinely miss it if I don’t and have to confess that I have turned down social invitations in favour of a gym class… honestly I find Zumba on a Thursday night a much better stress reliever than a glass of wine (or 3) in a cramped City bar and it definitely leaves me with a much clearer head on Friday morning.

So with this in mind I have tried to expand the type of exercise I do, especially now we are in the depths of winter and going outside is just not an option for me (although I have signed up for my first 10k in Feb... madness). Often if you do a particular exercise repetitively your body does adapt so you may no longer feel the benefits. I definitely noticed this when going to the same weekly gym classes so I am trying to change up my routine to keep it effective, challenging and fun. In the last week I have tried both Reformer Pilates at Klinik  (Liverpool street) and a barrecore class at their new Chiswick/ Turnham Green studio.

Barrecore – Having heard so many fantastic things about barrecore (if it’s good enough for VS models!) I was super excited to be invited to their new Chiswick studio to try out one of their classes with Niki the founder. Barrecore is an innovative type of class that integrates the fat-burning format of interval training with static stretches after each major muscle is worked. The changes seen through barrecore are the results of working and exhausting all muscle groups and subsequently stretching the muscles for relief. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect as my ballet training finished pre teen (being 5’10 definitely didn’t help), but I knew that it wouldn’t be easy as I am extremely inflexible and often struggle with touching my toes, let alone anything more acrobatic!

Before I share my experience I have to confess that this class was more challenging than I had envisaged, but I absolutely loved it as it was such a different way of exercising and a huge eye opener! The class concentrated on very small, repetitive movements to try and exhaust specific muscles. It is a sheer case of determination in those last few minutes, and definitely as much of a mental exercise as a physical one, as your muscles start to burn while you have to carry on ‘pulsing’. A lot of the exercises are done with a small rubber ball to help you really squeeze and tone. One of my particular favourites was what I would call a reverse sit up where you use your core to push back into a ball placed midway under your back, rather than curling and pulling yourself up. It felt quite strange, but I could definitely feel my stomach muscles working in a completely different way to regular crunches. Some of the exercises done at the bar were fun, but also very challenging, such as attempting a standing split while balancing one hand on the ball on the floor and pulsing your raised leg outwards. I have no shame in admitting this was not one that I came even close to achieving, but it was fun trying and I imagine it would be extremely rewarding to see how quickly you can progress after a couple of classes!

(Niki and me after our class)

Niki was a fantastic instructor and to my amazement did all the exercises with us while also correcting us if we got a little tangled along the way. She looks absolutely incredible, toned yet very feminine, which is exactly what barrecore hopes to achieve. I definitely felt the burn throughout many of the exercises, but though I was a little sore the next day it was not at all debilitating and I felt that I had worked areas that many regular gym visits don’t target (such as the inner thighs). I will definitely be returning to barrecore in the future as it is such an effective exercise that perfectly compliments my existing routine.

Reformer Pilates – I had tried reformer before many years ago at Bootcamp Pilates in Fulham. However, this was before I had any fitness capability and to say that I struggled was a major understatement. As I have a variety of back problems keeping alignment and balance is a real challenge for me. I therefore decided to concentrate on my stability and having now done mat based Pilates once a week for the last year and a half I felt I was ready for the challenge. Plus the first class at Klinik is free so there was nothing to lose! 

I found the beginner class at Klinik really fun as it had quite a slow pace, but still let you work specific muscles well. Many of the exercises were similar to those in regular Pilates, but of course with movement on the machine, which used the muscles in different ways. I also loved the fact that some exercises that I wasn’t able to do well because of my back were doable on the reformer due to the counterbalance of the springs. It was a good way for me to practice without having to hold my whole weight (eg. while lowering your legs straight down and keeping back flat in the supine position).  It was also a great way to stretch and I particularly felt it in my hamstrings, which are always super tight.

While I enjoyed the reformer class and will definitely try to progress to the more advanced classes in future I would stress that the best way is to start with Pilates on the mat, work on your core and stability, before moving on to the reformer. I discussed this with the teacher and he was very clear about his views following the many beginner classes he had taught. If it is your first time trying this kind of exercise you may find it near impossible to get the correct alignment while moving using the pulleys and therefore may not get the intended benefits. He said that it wasn’t about strength or fitness, but mostly core stability and just knowing how to keep your back in certain positions, which takes some practice. However, if you are familiar with Pilates and have a good base to work from I think Reformer is a fantastic addition to your routine. It’s such a fun and dynamic class and I can’t wait to try it again! Frankly I always feel that if I can do a class with my lack of coordination and horrendous back problems anyone can!

 

What are your favourite ways of keeping fit and healthy? Have you ever tried barrecore or Reformer Pilates? I would love to hear your recommendations of new classes to try!

Review: Cowshed Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum and Skin Perfecting Facial

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of popping down to Cowshed’s Carnaby spa to sample their new Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum in a mini facial. After an early start and a long day in an air conditioned office my skin was looking far from its best and I was definitely in need of a few quiet moments to let the day melt away. The new Cowshed Skin Perfecting Facial (£85 for 75 mins) is a gem. While it keeps true to the usual routine of a facial (cleanse, steam, exfoliation) the yoga style massage that is performed using the new Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum is absolutely fantastic. While being extremely relaxing it works hard to bring out your facial contours, get rid of any puffiness with lymph drainage and stimulate blood flow while firming and tightening the skin. Divine! I would love to book in for the full treatment soon.

Cowshed’s Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum itself is the ultimate all in one skincare treatment. I have recently tried to simplify my skin care routine (to save time and in the hope that if it’s simple I will be more diligent in doing it every day). I have always struggled with my night-time routine as by the time I’m finished with my day I am so ready to crawl into bed (probably having already fallen asleep somewhere beforehand… on the sofa, on the tube, but hopefully not at my office desk). However, as I wear makeup regularly I know how important it is to have a thorough cleanse and make sure my skin can recover overnight and stay hydrated. Therefore, I have been sticking with a micellar water for makeup removal, a cream cleanser and then an eye cream and an oil left on overnight. The Cowshed serum- oil hybrid is absolutely perfect for this and fits into my routine really easily. It has a beautiful, calming scent, is lovely to apply as it feels smooth, but not too ‘oily’ and is packed full of botanical actives and essential oils.

The Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum is designed to address multiple ageing concerns such as loss of radiance, fine lines, pigmentation and dry skin. It is infused with brightening, tightening ingredients such as the Actiscent complex, which not only gives the serum its dreamy scent (combining natural extracts of Sandalwood, Green Tea and South American Copahu), but also works to stimulate cell renewal and turnover. VC IP is an extract derived from Vitamin C, which is added tp help strengthen skin’s antioxidant abilities. Matrixyl 300 Lipo Peptide stimulates skin’s repair process to improve skin tone and elasticity, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Juvenity is a complex anti-ageing lipid, that works inside skin cells to protect, restructure and thicken the dermis and epidermis, encouraging the production of healthier skin cells. It also features natural compounds such as of Rosehip oil, Evening Primrose oil, Jojoba oil, zinc and vitamins B and E.

I have been trialling this oil serum for the last 2 weeks and have to say that I am really impressed. I am sometimes wary of oils as some I have tried in the past have had a slightly unpleasant scent and have been a little heavy, taking a long time to absorb into the skin making it feel greasy. This serum is very light and smells beautiful. It sinks into the skin leaving a light layer of oil on the surface so that you feel your skin is protected through the night, but not suffocated. It definitely plumps and smoothes while keeping skin nourished and hydrated, which is particularly important in the harsh, cold months of winter. I adore it.


Cowshed Anti-Ageing Perfecting Night Serum (£48.00) is available from all Cowshed UK Spas, shops and www.cowshed.com