Posts tagged 'h&m'

POWER WALKING IN SANTORINI !

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On my Active Escape to the breathtakingly beautiful Greek island of Santorini, I went on a serious 3-hour power walk from the town of Oia to Fira – a 3 hour uphill, downhill, rugged, mountainous, perilous and absolutely breathtaking path. This post, in collaboration with one of my favourite apparel brands (being a patriotic Swede) H&M, lists the many benefits of power walking set alongside the photos from my trek! Click MORE to see it all… (more…)

REALLY WARMING UP!

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I’ve written extensively about post-workout stretching, but not specifically on the importance of pre-workout stretching. Warming up is the key weapon in your anti-injury arsenal, as it maximises joint flexibility and blood flow to the muscles, all of which limits the chance of strain/pain which could put you out of action for some time! It gets you into the groove for the coming workout, massages the heart rate slowly upwards, and even contributes to the process of ‘recovery’ after your session. Click MORE to get one of my favourite warm-up routines, and see these pictures shot at the stunning Jardins Exotiques atop Eze Village…

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HIIT ME AGAIN !!!

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What a stunning day it was in sunny London – to celebrate it, I did a high intensity interval training (HIIT) session this morning in lovely Primrose Hill, which almost killed me! This workout is not for the faint-of-heart (literally). It involves alternating between intense bursts of activity and relatively relaxed action – the constant motion keeps your heart rate elevated. You set the level, but the main point is that you push into the anaerobic zone. Listen to your body; if you haven’t trained for a while you may find that your interval training may be alternating between power walking and jogging. Others will sprint and run. Finding your level and then slightly exceeding it is the whole point of HIIT for me.

Why HIIT?
If you’re bored of endlessly running on a treadmill HIIT is for you! 15 minutes is all you need – it’s time efficient, burns more calories in a shorter amount of time, maintains muscle whilst toasting fat, and it stimulates the production of human growth hormone (HGH) which increases calorie burn even further! You don’t even need a gym membership because it can literally be done anywhere and doesn’t require any equipment. Finally if you’re looking for a challenge this heart-healthy session will push you into the dreaded anaerobic zone leaving you huffing and puffing (probably not for more!).

My Workout:
I did a sprint up the (steep) hill followed by a super light jog back down the hill. I did 8 rounds which took c 15min. That was c. 30 sec up the hill, and then 60sec down the hill. The last bit of the hill getting up is definitely the worst!! I would love to hear what you guys think about in those seconds when all you want to do is give up. For me, it’s cupcakes!

Motivation?
One thing that really gets me going is listening to awesome music. I’m really loving Disclosure at the moment especially the songs “What’s in your head“, “Running” and “Latch“.

Wearing?
Check out this extremely fluorescent H&M pink top I’m wearing. I think it’s quite fun, great value and plus when else can you get away with wearing Barbie pink ?! Also, H&M running tights looks fitted, feel comfortable and breathable, and won’t break the bank too!