The Gym Group

For me The Gym is THE perfect gym! Open 24hrs, £20 a month (London price - other locations seem to be even cheaper!), masses of equipment & a big cavernous space to workout in.

It goes without saying that for this bargain price it's a no frills training zone, no fancy shower gel & body lotion in the changing rooms, no fluffy towel on arrival & no juice bar. That said, it is always kept spotlessly clean, theres normally some friendly PTs on hand if you need any advice & hardly ever a queue for equipment!

If your main reason for having a gym membership is for the classes on offer, then this gym probably isn't for you. They do have a small class timetable but it definitely isn't a priority - think a 15min abs class rather than spin & body pump every hour on the hour.

If you're comfortable training on your own (or with a friend) then I think The Gym Group is a great option. I don't use them for all my fitness needs, but given how cheap the membership is I can justify training at additional clubs.

I tend to use it for strength training - given the abundance of machines & free weights in a light airy space, it's a far more pleasant experience than being crammed in the dark corner most gyms allocate for the weights section.

If cardio is your thing I can't imagine you ever having a problem getting on the machine of your choice. There's roughly 3 times the amount of cardio equipment than I've seen in other gym chains. Many times  at Virgin Active (£90/month) I witnessed a 'treadmill queue' and each machine was stickered with a 'maximum 20mins use during peak times' notice.

all images courtesy of gymgroup.com

The one thing I miss about my more luxury 'health club' type memberships is the swimming pool & sauna facilities. But hey, theres always my local leisure centre if I feel the need to do some lengths in the pool.

You can join The Gym Group online, no negotiating with the sales team over your joining fee here. You can also freeze or end your contract at anytime for no extra charge! Find your local gym here - link!

Harriet x

Personal Training Promotion!

Just a quick post to let anyone in the London area know that Daniel Williams Fitness is having a January sale for all new clients!

Daniel is a Black Belt in kick boxing, an ABA boxing coach (15+ years boxing experience) and a fully qualified advanced Level 3 REPs Personal Trainer. He specialises in strength and conditioning, weight loss and pre & post-natal training.

He is a mobile personal trainer working predominately in the Clapham/Wimbledon/Fulham area, but will travel anywhere in London. He brings all the equipment to you and training can take place either in your local park or at your home.

If part of your January resolution is to lose weight, tone up, get fit, or run a race then a Personal Trainer will seriously help you meet your goals in the most time effective way possible. You'll minimise the risk of injury and see far greater results than training solo.

I know Personal Training can be very expensive and therefore considered somewhat of a luxury but when you consider how much money we spend at the hairdressers, on a night out or on a new pair of designer jeans it isn't so unreasonable. Training with someone who will get you your goal body will make you look far better than expensive clothes & makeup will!

When I first started training with Daniel my body fat was almost 30% within 6 months it was down to below 20%, I went from being unable to do a single push up to doing 50 and above all being so happy with my body & feeling fitter and healthier than ever.

As a January & February 2013 promotion Daniel is offering 50% off Personal Training packages to all new clients & referrals!!

Standard price - £70/hr. Promotion - £35/hr.
Trial session & consultation - FREE!

If you would like anymore information or want to chat to Daniel about your goals you can contact him here:

email- info@danielwilliamsfitness.com
twitter- @DanWilliamsFit
phone- 07885781560

Or check out his website here!

Bikini Challenge

In the new year I came across #bikinichallenge on twitter. The premise is simple- on January 1st you upload a picture of yourself in a bikini on twitter, 6 months later you upload a similar picture, same bikini but with one difference! Hopefully in the course of 6 months you will have made some positive steps towards improving you diet, health and fitness and these changes will be obvious in your new confidence & slimline waist!

The idea is that by having the evidence up on the Internet for the world to see, it will motivate you to keep going with whatever goals you have set for yourself & not give up at the first hurdle. There is also the additional support of the 100s of other twitter users taking part in #bikinichallenge and the online fitness community to inspire, motivate and jog you along. If you are trying to make fitness & healthy living part of your 2013 then I recommend you check it out! There also are some fantastic twitter accounts that update daily tips & ticks to get you that dream summer body.

As for my own goals, nothing drastic but I would like to add more definition to my stomach & arms as well as tighten my lower body. I'll be going about this mostly by tweaking my diet and continuing with my cardio & resistance training. I'm going to keep my diet as clean as possible, keep toxins to a minimum (eliminate alcohol and reduce coffee intake) and fill up on lots of veggies. Aiming for 5% less body fat by 1st June.

all images courtesy of weheartit.com

I'll be tracking my progress both on this blog and on our twitter account @twoloveslondon

Workout of the Day 01. 01. 13

I finally got back to the gym today after about 2.5 weeks of rest from proper training! I've still maintained an active lifestyle (lots of dog walking) and some bodyweight exercises at home. But with December packed full of Birthday celebrations, my boyfriend returning to London and the lead up to Christmas I just hadn't had the time or inclination to hit the gym for a full workout.
I really let myself relax over Christmas and enjoy the festivities with family & friends, this meant my diet and alcohol consumption was slightly all over the place. I haven't gained any weight as such, but I  definitely feel softer and less defined especially in my upper body and midsection. So I set off to the gym today keen to get my pre-Christmas abs back and get back on track.

Today 

Not wanting to give my muscles a massive shock I decided to do a light full body workout & some cardio.

Warm up 

10mins brisk uphill walk, maximum incline
Dynamic stretches

     Strength     

Squats
warmed up with empty bar (20kg) 15reps squats, 5reps squat thrusts x 5 sets
after the 5 set warm up my body was fully warm and feeling loose so I loaded up the bar to 50kg 10reps x 5 sets
Deadlift 
using the same bar (50kg) 10reps x 5 sets
Lat Pulldown superset with Pushups 
(started the lat pulldown on 15kg increased by 5kg each set)
10reps lats superset with 10 pushups x 5 sets

Bodyweight

Incline Pushups superset with Tricep Dips 

10 reps each x 5 sets

Walking lunges 

1min x 3 sets

Plank 

1min x 5 sets

Cardio

20 mins sparring with my boyfriend (really got my sweat on here!)

A good little workout for New Years Day, in and out of the gym in an hour & a half. I haven't lost any strength during my training break, however endurance and fitness I struggled with. Boxing completely kicked my arse but I'm feeling very virtuous now as I kick back on the sofa watching The Wizard of Oz.

I hope your having a lovely New Years Day. If your having any trouble getting back into your fitness routine after a Christmas break, just remember that you never regret going to the gym once its done. You just need to get that first session in and from there its easy! Hx

(I'll update progress pics as I get back onboard with my diet & training)