Women's Fitness

Do you work out for your body or your brain? For the joy of getting active or the physical rewards? For most of us, it’s a bit of both. Often, our initial motivation to exercise comes from the desire to shape up. Then, as our fitness journey progress

I was motivated by your brilliant article ‘Run Your First 5K!’ (WF issue 2). I run regularly, but only short distances (less than 3km). Friends and colleagues are doing marathons and I’d love to give them a go but really didn’t know where to start. Y

I like hearing about professional athletes because they’re such good role models, so I read ‘How I build my body’ about footballer Steph Houghton (WF Issue 3) with interest. I play for a local football team and love the game. Steph’s advice on cardio

When she’s not in front of the camera modelling for sport, swimwear and fitness campaigns, Anna is a yoga teacher, holistic health coach and reiki practitioner. Originally from Finland, Anna lives in London where she teaches vinyasa, slow flow, yin a

Women of all backgrounds, body types and abilities deserve the right to participate comfortably in water sports. Which is why WF loves Nike’s new innovative Victory Swim Collection (nike.com) – a range of modest performance swimwear including the Swi

This year, the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon celebrates its 40th anniversary and, to celebrate, the New Balance Virgin Money London Marathon Collection pays homage by featuring ruby red throughout. If you still need kit to wear on the day, we lov

With a comfy jersey waistband and handy pockets, these shorts are built to go the distance. ■

‘I typically train 25 hours a week, accumulating up to 25km in the pool, 400km cycling, and 80km running, with one rest day a week. The majority of my running and cycling is done outside, but I’m also using a Wattbike (wattbike.com) to work on liftin

If you think working out will make you eat more than usual, think again. New research from The Centre for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science at Drexel University, in Pennsylvania, US, shows that rather than increase your appetite, working out helps

It’s official: a new study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology is the first to show that listening to music at a higher tempo reduces the perceived effort involved in exercise and increases its benefits. Interestingly, these effects were greater f

Elise Joan, professional dancer, Beachbody Super Trainer and Barre Blend programme creator (beachbodyondemand.com)** helps you get toned and lean. Follow her four-pronged attack: 1 ‘Think small-range movements that burn. Barre-based moves such as t

Before you start, warm up with 20 star jumps, 20 high knees (jogging on the spot) and 10 arm circles (10 forward, 10 back). These moves will help prep your muscles and mind for the workout ahead. Then progress from one move to the other and perform t

Fitness fact: our breasts move an average of 10cm in three directions when we run. Even small ones bounce. And while we’re willing to fork out a small fortune for snazzy trainers, statistics show that a whopping 9.5 million of us are not wearing a su

Filling up on protein may help your weight-loss or muscle-building goals, but did you know too much could be bad for your heart? New research from Penn State University in the US found that certain components of protein – the sulphur amino acids meth

Whether a low-carb or a low-fat diet is healthier has been endlessly debated. A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that overall, neither way of eating is linked with higher death risk. However, when the researchers looked more clo

Breakfast is the meal that sets your mood and energy for the day ahead but how much thought do you put into it? If you grab a piece of toast or coffee as you rush out of the door, it’s time to think again! Eating well not only helps you take the day’

‘Breakfast is definitely my most important meal of the day! When I’m snowboarding I use a lot of energy, so it’s important to fill up on good food. A typical breakfast is two pieces of wholemeal or seeded toast with scrambled egg or baked beans. Or c

The UK is on the brink of a stress epidemic. Reports reveal nearly a quarter of us feel overwhelmed by stress, while further data shows 4.3 million Brits are unhappy at work and cite stress as the main contributing factor. It’s not good news for your

How did you get on with your new year’s fitness resolutions this year? If you’re one of those rare people still keeping them up, congratulations. But if, as recent research shows, you’re one of around 80 per cent of people who fail their resolutions

Looking for a competitive edge? A growing number of studies now show that eating a plant-based diet is linked to improvements in heart health, recovery time and endurance performance among athletes. It’s a diet that’s being heralded by many professio

Sales of CBD have roughly doubled in the past two years, making it one of the fastest growing wellbeing product categories in the UK. In fact, around one-in-10 adults in the UK has now tried it in some form. And at the current rate of growth, the mar

Struggle to get out of bed for an early workout? It could be down to your morning alarm, say researchers. In a study at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in Australia, scientists quizzed 50 participants about the sound of their m

Whether it’s pressing deadlines, juggling work and family or chipping away at a never-ending to-do list, 40 per cent of us feel stressed daily, reports the Health and Safety Executive. But are external factors really the main cause of our worries? So

When you’re wide awake in the middle of the night, surrounded only by your racing thoughts, it’s easy to believe the rest of the world is sound asleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the UK alone, 67 per cent of us struggle to get a good

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Good news for the environment – 28 per cent of women in the UK have reduced the number of products they use in their skincare routine. If you’re thinking of doing the same, Oskia has launched its first skincare/make-up hybrid. ‘In my eyes, there’s no

‘I’m Canadian and came to the UK for university – I studied manufacturing and management engineering at Durham. Since then, I’ve worked for Ernst & Young Consumer Products and Retail team, as a financial analyst at Sky and on the Burberry finance tea

Going away for a weekend-long fitness retreat might seem counter-intuitive when you’re feeling exhausted from a tough week at work, but it’s one of the best tonics around to refresh a frazzled body and mind – especially when relaxation time is deemed

Add some sunshine to your plate this spring – new research shows that switching to a Mediterranean diet could help you age more slowly. In a study reported in the BMJ, scientists discovered that people who ate a Mediterranean diet for a year, saw ben

With a top beautician for a mother and a chef’s training at the age of 15, it’s little surprise Caroline Artiss has written her first book about the power of diet to help you look and feel your best. When growing up, ‘the house was filled with scents

This nutritious combination of eggs, potato and vegetables contains plenty of carbs, protein and healthy fats, making it an ideal pre-workout meal. It provides sustained energy, so will fuel the toughest of workouts and keep hunger at bay. Adding spi

Not getting the body-toning results you want from your gym workouts? It may be time to swap some high-intensity workout sessions for a new, low-impact approach, believes star trainer Stephen Pasterino. Loved by celebrities, models and fitness influen

All the moves in this workout use the P.ball (£47, pvolve.com), but if you don’t have one, you can tie a resistance band around your thighs or wrists in moves 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8, and use a medium-sized ball in moves 5 and 6. Work your way through al

Kettlebells are one of the most efficient, effective ways to create a strong functional body. Instead of isolating muscle, you work all your major muscle groups at once. That’s because the weight isn’t evenly distributed so you have to work continuou

‘If your enthusiasm’s waning for running training and events, why not try something different to boost your motivation? Adventure races involve doing multiple disciplines, triathlon-style, in the wild, are a full-body workout and loads of fun! ‘Ther

Round up a team of four and start at dawn to complete this race before the sun sets. The event begins with a 60km cycle along country roads, before a 10km hike up Pen y Fan and then a 2km canoe along the River Usk; findarace.com. This one’s for seri

‘When I was at university, my energy was all over the place, and I wanted to understand how I could sort this out by eating the right foods. After uni, I signed up for a four-year course at the Institute of Optimum Nutrition and graduated with a nutr

1. You find small tasks challenging. 2. You wake up after a good night’s sleep and still feel tired. 3. Social interactions feel like a chore. 4. You’ve lost your drive and motivation. 5. You snap at the tiniest thing. ■

Over the past two months, you’ve worked through basic pelvic-floor and core moves while seated or lying to learn to engage your muscles correctly, and then progressed to working these muscles while you’re on the move. Now comes a final bit of work, b

£32; tribesports.com ‘Tribe Sports’ sweat-wicking, breathable racerback top ticks all the boxes. It feels silky soft and is superlight. It has a fit that skims without being tight, plus a longer length, which would work well if you’re taller or want

YOU’RE WORKING HARD TO BREAK THE MENOPAUSE TABOO – WHY? ‘My menopause experience was so intense that talking about it to help others has become my passion. I felt isolated and didn’t understand what was happening to me, both physically and emotional