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Fitness

Crossfit with the Fittest Women Alive

Posted on November 30, 2017

Total inspiration… Having won the Reebok Crossfit Games 2017, Tia Toomey is officially classed as the Fittest Women Alive, so when Reebok and the new Goldbox gym in Business Bay brought her across to help us all get a bit more physical during the Dubai Fitness Challenge, I was initially in two minds.

Not usually a Crossfit fan, (I’ve maybe only tried it once or twice in the past) I can’t say a morning of burpees and squats amongst a room full of Crossfit instructors was quite my #morningmotivation, but I wanted to hear from the once Olympic weightlifter about her shift in training.

Toomey is fairly young too, but having recently married to her coach, she has a few insights to share. The key with her training has been communication and actually acknowledging that her partner is doing what’s best for her, so listening to him 100% out on the floor is non-negotiable. Off the Crossfit floor however… 😉

Having been asked which she preferred between this and the Olympics, Toomey said “the games have an unbeatable atmosphere, something which helps push you through the toughest parts. It’s all about the fans, family and community out there who are literally willing you to win.”

Well, I was certainly beyond sore the next morning, and as much as Toomey gave persuading me a good go, Crossfit isn’t my forte. But I love the feeling of inner competition it gives you, especially as a team, so it won’t be my last.

Fitness

Event Recap: Go Pink at Cyclebar

Posted on October 29, 2017

Pink October is more than just a chance to dress up, it’s a way of showing support to all the ladies (and men) who’ve shown so much spirit and energy when faced with breast cancer and its effects. We love to show our support and with the ZSI team we organised a great little ride at the newly opened spin studio Cyclebar in Citywalk.

It was an awesome turn out, having completely filled their studio’s 55 bike capacity, we rode with some of our favourite people and some true #TeamZSI adventurers. Honestly one of the best spin classes i’ve ever had done, we bounced, travelled and sprinted our way through some cult classic songs and sweated it out on those climbs too.

Spinning is such a great way of getting your cardio fix, without putting too much pressure on your knees too.

There’s plenty more events coming up too so stay tuned to their Facebook for more…

Fitness

Testing Out: The Platform

Posted on October 24, 2017

We really are spoilt here, with a plethora of programs and places to train in Dubai, it’s quickly become the new fit hub of the region. So what can possibly be missing? Well for one thing – these set ups are often unique to their own studio’s and to get more of a one-stop shop, you’d need to sacrifice your favourite instructors or juice bars to get all your equipment and classes in one place. The Platform offers you a more flexible workout, with its part-studio, part-gym and part-lifestyle space setup.

Practising what it calls ‘exercise mixology‘, the combination of efforts helps to build a unique workout blend that will literally have everything you could need under one roof. Featuring 3 core studios… Cycle, Mind/Body and HIIT, but there’s also a dedicated PT zone, Wattbike area and even a climbing wall.

To top it all off, there’s a CRYO facility to help you cool down after one of your sessions too. Offering classes in 30, 45 and 60 min sessions, there’s a very dynamic offering here that will ensure you don’t get bored.

Fitness yoga

Underwater Yoga with Lululemon

Posted on September 19, 2017

There are plenty of places out here to practice yoga that will blow your mind, from skyscraper rooftops to desert haven’s and even on a boat out at sea, but this one just set a new bar. Not satisfied with having a cool studio to do yoga in, Piloga instructor Allie McLaughlin brought her strong vinyasa flow to a new level, underwater to be exact. Supported by the amazing team at Lululemon, the session was hosted last Saturday morning in The Dubai Mall‘s famous Aquarium tunnel.

So practicing Savasana surrounded by sharks has got to be one of my all time favourite ways to meditate, although it’s pretty hard to keep your eyes closed the entire time and you can forget about focus… all the while, filtered through a beautiful blue light, you gain a sense of clarity and energy that just isn’t there in a white four walled room.

If it’s something that appeals to you too, they have plenty more sessions coming up… book here!

fashion Fitness

ELEVAETE X Emirati Women’s Day

Posted on September 7, 2017

Celebrating homegrown talent and the love of sport, the U.A.E.’s own unique fitness apparel brand ELEVAETE is creating more than just a statement this Emirati Women’s Day.

ELEVAETE worked with a young local Emirati artist, Amna al Banna, at just 21 and studying graphic design at Zayed University, is known for her passion for calligraphy. With their collaboration, using traditional calligraphy to highlight local culture, Al Banna uses 6 words to represent both traditional UAE culture and sport culture. With these words alone, she’s created unique artwork that is screen printed on two pieces of barre-ready apparel in gold.

Both Al Banna and ELEVAETE reflect the same values at their core – victory, strength, faith, passion, energy, life. So we don’t expect them to available for long, these two pieces are a limited edition run set sold either together or separately and named after two of Al Banna’s identified words.

The pieces themselves are a beautiful fusion of tradition and function. A dark, monotone base colour just helps to highlight the calligraphy and each piece is handprinted with care.

We can’t wait to get our hands on set – get yours HERE.

STRENGTH / QUWA TEE

PASSION / SHAGAF LEGGING

Fitness

Staying Fit on Holiday

Posted on August 10, 2017

I love to travel, but when I do, my body automatically goes into holiday mode. Throwing caution to the wind i’ll have that extra glass of wine, the bread and olive oil, or go all out and have a dessert too! Things i’d normally be uber cautious about back home. But what I do miss is the day-to-day routine of my Classport workouts and wake-surfing that balances out the foodie in me.

I’ve just spent 6 weeks in Europe and the first thing I did when I arrived to our holiday home in France was google translate the nearest gym and try to get myself into a more work to workout mode. I feel it’s a bit like jet lag, if you don’t assimilate quite quickly, it’s harder to get out of it. I certainly feel that with my body type, if i’ve gone more than a couple of days without some sort of fitness, it’s as if i’ve never done any at all! So I jumped at the chance to keep even a little bit of it going. I signed up with France’s version of Fitness First L’Orange Bleu, which for all intents and purposes is a great little outlet about 20 mins from our home in the countryside. They also have week by week plans which are great for the shorter trips across to Europe.

From spinning to pump and ‘abdos / cuisses’, every class was in French but didn’t take me long to pick up the routine having done similar style classes back home.

As it’s France though, the gym itself has now closed as they’ve decided to go on holiday for the last two weeks!?!…

…so back to square one. Heading to the local sport shop i’ve picked up a couple of weights to get myself motivated at home. Just a pair of 3kg’s to give myself a little resistance, i’m working on my own daily routine but so far so good… so after a 5-10 mins run around the surrounding fields, I stick on the radio, grab my weights and get to work in the garden, with last night’s pasta dish as my only motivation.

Adventure Fitness

Testing Out: X Park at Bounce

Posted on July 6, 2017

Ever watched Total Wipeout on TV and though “I could do that”, well thanks to Bounce, you can now prove your Gladiator-esque skills on their new dedicated parkour-ninja-warrior course.

From spider wall climbs to ring swings and a fireman’s pole that leads to a zipline, it all looks innocent enough when you step up to the first challenge, but then to be told the entire two floor course is being timed and you’ve got about 2 mins to make it onto their daily hall of fame board… well, that’s a different story.

I managed about 3/4 of the entire course, the starting blocks see you free-running your way in a ‘the floor is lava’-style manoeuvre, from which you can get a false sense of security moving through the next few fun steps. It’s the monkey bars that got me. I was a childhood swing park kinda kid, so I know my way round an obstacle course and a jungle gym, but these are more Spartan than they look. From there, I found it almost impossible to get my body swinging far enough on the hoops to make it onto the landing pad, so out of frustration, I just skipped it 😉

The wall climb was much more my style, and I felt I could make up the lost time on all the over-and-under obstacles that were back upstairs. The final jumps were the last hurdle and as soon as I stopped actually thinking about jumping, and just jumped, my timer stopped with a very beginner’s score of about 4 mins (give or take an obstacle).

Fun, sweaty and challenging in ways you never knew you could be challenged. I wander if adults can host Birthday parties here too…

Fitness

Testing Out: 1SIX8 NuPowerYoga

Posted on June 17, 2017

Yoga is all about bending, stretching and breathing right? So power yoga… something a little stronger perhaps? Described as where strength meets flexibility, NuPowerYoga was introduced to us last week at one of my favourite hotspots, Hautletic, through Dubai based fitness studio 1six8. It cites more than just using weights in its vinyasa flow, with innovative Nubell-technology designed, circular hand weights, which are created to be ergonomically optimal, providing an even, all-round weight distribution for your hand, wrist and (occasionally) ankle too.

The benefit of all this is that it helps to alleviate any stress or tension on your joints, often seen with other weights and bells. I know from personal training that I much prefer kettle bells to barbells as I feel I can keep my wrist more controlled when using them. The creator of these circular designs did so due to an accident where he needed to regain strength in his hands and wrists.

Created in the States (of course) there’s been a real trend towards combining different fitness techniques and classes, to ultimately try and create a more thorough body workout. What Nu Power Yoga does is aid those long muscle movements in yoga by adding a little more resistance, helping to get everything firing and ultimately engage with more core.

NuPowerYoga classes start in June, at their hotspot in 168, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai.

Fitness

Testing Out: Rips, Ropes & Straps at Fitness First

Posted on June 6, 2017

Fitness First is the giant of all gyms. Open everywhere and providing pretty much everything you could need for a one on one gym session with a trainer. They’ve progressed to classes as well, but let’s face it, it’s that shiny new equipment we’re most tempted by.

So when a new one popped open up in Mudon, I was first in line to check out their various HIIT regimes. One which stood out for me the most was their Rips, Ropes & Straps set up. We tried a mixture of 5 different exercises, in a group of only 6 people, so ultimately we had more one-to-one time with the instructor… in this case that meant we couldn’t cheat. Hailed as a 45 minute loaded movement training class, using TRX, Rip Trainer, Battle Ropes & Ankorr. It is designed to use 3D movement, aiming to improve your muscular endurance and core strength.

From being strapped in to a harness for elasticated resistance running to core crunches and assisted side winders, the floor became as tough as the wall. Not somewhere to be underestimated either… I always thought Fitness First would be more of a factory, churning out the gym bodies one by one, but I was pleasantly surprised at the homely feel and support systems.

Fitness

Getting To Grips With AnimalFlex Yoga

Posted on May 30, 2017

I thought i’d pretty much tried my hand at everything yoga wise, from aerial to Bikram and everything in between, so as soon as I saw we were trying AnimalFlex, I was intrigued…

Not your average workout I have to admit, but a lovely 7am start down in the Marina (why can’t all workouts be outside), with the crew from Fit Squad Dubai and Exclusive Yachts, aboard a double decker boat that carried us around the Palm whilst we soaked up the morning sun and tested out what’s sure to be the new fit trend.

AnimalFlex is a curious combination of yoga with what I can only describe as playing. It isn’t for kids though, oh no… this is a test of balance, core and agility with well-known yoga positions like the scorpion and crab. To top it all off, our mini-workout saw us racing in cat (or was it cow) from one side to another. The fun of it all certainly helped keep your body from realising the brutal ab and thigh practice too.

To continue the #MINDBODYSEA experience of the morning though, we headed downstairs to enjoy a little meditation. I have to say, trying to keep my mind aligned and body focused after all that running around was trickier than i’d imagined, but it was a thoroughly uplifting recovery. Here’s to more workouts on the sea!

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