by thinkmarsh | Feb 29, 2016 | class review, yoga
It is fun to get invited to a new fitness studio in London. I had never been to the Turnpike Lane area before last week, and was excited to explore the area before my session at Omnida Studios. The studio has only been open since the autumn, but offers a wide range of classes- yoga, dance, Pilates, and fitness to name a few. Myself and a few other bloggers were invited to try out their latest offering, hot yoga. The room is kept at 38 degrees C (that is 100 degrees F for those in the USA). I thought it was perfect. The evening was cold and windy. The warm room wasn’t oppressive, like I have experienced at a Bikram studio in Texas. Last time I tried hot yoga was at Life Shoreditch and at the time my skin allergy was very bad. The sweat and heat made me very uncomfortable. However, my experience at Omnida was the complete opposite. The front studio is small, which means you get a lot of personalized attention from the instructor.
I felt instantly relaxed in the warm room even before we started out warm up. The high temps also help muscles become more elastic (more flexible) which will decrease your risk for injury. This flexibility also gives you the opportunity to try getting a little deeper into postures that might prove challenging at room temperature. Breathing and lung capacity are also improved when practising hot yoga. Other benefits include the body burning fat more effectively because of the warm muscles and cardio benefits as the heart rate is elevated.
I enjoyed the class as it was challenging but nothing I felt uncomfortable doing. The instructor was very welcoming and gave clear verbal instructions both when she was performing the poses and when she was walking around the room. We were each provided with a mat and towel. The owners and other studio staff were all friendly and the changing room was clean. There is only one toilet, but I assume more of the clients are local and simply go home after the class. The location is super convenient, just outside Turnpike Lane station.
You should check out Omnida Studios. They offer drop in rates (very affordable for London) as well as class packs. It isn’t very far from Central London and seems like a studio where they know every member’s name. The timetable is very diverse (with ballet, tap and ballroom dance classes for those more adventurous), and even offers children’s classes, so I am sure you will find something you find fun.
Thanks again to Omnida Studios to inviting me to their hot yoga taster session. It was fab to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while, as well as make new blogging friends. All opinions are honest and my own. Thanks also to Green People, Super Seeds, Faith in Nature, and Tea Pigs for the awesome treats too.
by thinkmarsh | Feb 26, 2016 | beauty, body image, organic
I don’t talk about it much now that it is under control, but I have a skin allergy. It is pretty severe and I struggle to find beauty products that don’t cause a reaction. My day job used to require me to have my hands in water most of the day, and that aggravated it even more. The UK and EU seems to have better standards that the US, but this have developed more in the 5 years we have been in London.
When I first came to London, I did some product reviews for Green People (
self-tanning lotion and
shampoo and conditioner). Currently, I use their intensive repair shampoo and conditioner, as well as rejuvenating eye creme on a daily basis, and their sun screen when on holiday. So I was super-excited when they contacted me about their exercise survey. Over 1,000 of their customers took part and you can see the results in the infographic below. Overall, results indicated that people who exercise just one hour per week are 17% more content with their appearance than those who do not take part in exercise regularly. It also suggests that you should find a form of exercise you like, rather than trying out each new fad (something I would 100% agree with. Do what makes you happy!)
Surely you have 60 minutes a week to make yourself feel content? Join in the conversation on Twitter with #JustOneHour and let us know if you agree.
Green People kindly sent me a few products from their new Quinoa & Artichoke range to try in exchange for this post. Product reviews coming soon.
by thinkmarsh | Feb 22, 2016 | eating, product review, recipe
One of the things I miss most about living in the USA is having space for all my stuff. We visited my mom and step-dad at the start of January and I am pretty sure my flat would fit in their basement. Don’t get me wrong, I love our flat and am excited to be putting decorations up that make it ours, but I do wish it had a bit more storage. For example, our galley kitchen has limited counter space, which means I can’t invest in every kitchen gadget I see. I couldn’t even bring my pink Kitchen Aid mixer with me when we moved (I did bring my hand mixer, which blew up the first time I used it so it was probably best that I left my stand mixer with my mom).
Aside from spiralizers, juicers seemed to be the hot Christmas gift this year. I was aware of the
Vitamix Total Nutrition Center Blender from my studies at Institute for Integrative Nutrition, but the NUTRiBULLET Pro 900 Series Extractor was new on my radar. There are lots of kitchen appliances aimed at improving your health, but they all involved a financial investment and coveted space in my kitchen. Plus, would I use it? (After uni, I really wanted a bread maker. My step-sister lent me hers to try out. I used it once and watched it sit unloved for a month before returning it).
I was super-psyched when my friend, Elle, told me about her new business venture, Borrow My Blender (BMB). For a low weekly fee, you can rent a Nutribullet, Vitamix, Kitchen Aid or MagiMix anywhere in the UK. London-based folks can arrange in-person delivery and pick up or Elle can ship to you if you live farther away. I had the Nutribullet, complete with several cups, handles and a recipe plan book. Elle also provides a bunch of recipes to customers. There is a required security deposit, but this is promptly refunded once you return the appliance.
First off, I didn’t realise the Nutribullet had a lifestyle plan. It was really interesting to read what they recommend in terms of ingredients for smoothies, shakes, and soups. I made the following cholesterol busting recipe off of their website and it was really yummy!
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Nutribullet Cholesterol Crusher
Blast Smoothie- before |
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| After! Yum. |
I also experimented a little with flavours I like and things we had in the cupboard. The book gave inspiration too. I would have never considered adding whole nuts or dates to my smoothies. The Nutribullet is so powerful, it chopped up everything I threw in in less than 1 minute! The handles made it easy to blend and go without too many extra dishes to wash. A few mornings, I brought a smoothie to sip on the train with me instead of having breakfast at the table.
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| Improvising with what I had in the house. |
BMB was really helpful to me as I could rent the Nutribullet without having to buy it first. I learned it wasn’t as big as I thought it would be and I found it easy to clean. I could also see people using BMB if they want to kick start a healthy habit of smoothies for breakfast or if preparing for a big event, such as a wedding, beach holiday or family reunion. BMB also can come to your London event and prepare smoothies for your guests, which is a nice touch after a group run or yoga class.
I am very proud of Elle and encourage you to support her small business. Like the BMB Facebook page to stay in the loop with her latest news. Or contact BMB to rent one of their appliances.
I received a complimentary loan from BMB of the Nutribullet. All opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Feb 19, 2016 | giveaway, recovery, running
It’s Friday and what better way to welcome the weekend than to have an amazing giveaway.
I have teamed up with the good folks at Urban Massage to offer one lucky reader free entry into the Vitality North London Half Marathon on 20th March 2016 (complete with a finish in Wembley Stadium). In addition, the winner will receive a 60 minute massage from an Urban Massage therapist, to be used either in preparation for the race or as recovery.
I will be running the race and am looking forward to the new route this year.
Please note, there are some T&Cs with this. The same person must run the race and receive the massage. The winner must contribute one blog post to ptmollie.com by 10th April 2016. Winner must also complete 2 social media shares tagging @massageapp by this date.
So what are you waiting for? Enter now and good luck! Big thanks to the folks at Urban Massage for this fantastic prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by thinkmarsh | Feb 19, 2016 | class review, exercise
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| Waiting for the session to begin. |
Two weekends ago, Pay As U Gym (PAUG) invited me to their first Urban Movement Festival (check out the video!). The concept was an indoor market area with 70 minute group exercise class that offered 10 minute tasters of classes you could attend with a PAUG membership. So on a Saturday morning, I made my way to Shoreditch’s Underground Village to get my sweat on with 100 strangers.
All of the Urban Movement staff in pink shirts were really friendly and helpful. They were quick to answer questions and volunteered to take photos when I was struggling with selfies. Beki from Miss Wheezy and Pennie from Oh My Quad were there. I tried to snap a photo of them twerking but it was hard to do in the dark and a roomful of people (but I did ok, see end of post). I also met a few other bloggers I knew form Twitter but hadn’t met in person yet.
Schedule of workouts: We started with a warm up with Bradley Simmonds (which seemed a lot like my old football warm ups. He used to play professionally), yoga, Pilates, my first Capoeira, box fit, twerk, and HiiT. The schedule went to time and was a lot of fun. The crowd seemed to love Capoeira and twerk the most, as I assume these were new to most participants.
Goody bags: Packed full to the brim with healthy snacks, Urban Decay make up, Pop Bands, Nuva water, (plus many more) and we got to keep the pink yoga mat. I was thrilled to find at the bottom of my bag several gift vouchers for Pay As U Gym. Now I can incorporate Power Plate sessions into my last weeks of taper. Score!
Pay As U Gym is planning on holding Urban Movement events quarterly so keep checking their social media, as I bet the next one will sell out too.
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The market area where a few of the brands had stands where you
could shop or learn more about the products. |
And because I had to share:
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| Beki and Pennie twerking! |
It is fun to get invited to a new fitness studio in London. I had never been to the Turnpike Lane area before last week, and was excited to explore the area before my session at Omnida Studios. The studio has only been open since the autumn, but offers a wide range of classes- yoga, dance, Pilates, and fitness to name a few. Myself and a few other bloggers were invited to try out their latest offering, hot yoga. The room is kept at 38 degrees C (that is 100 degrees F for those in the USA). I thought it was perfect. The evening was cold and windy. The warm room wasn’t oppressive, like I have experienced at a Bikram studio in Texas. Last time I tried hot yoga was at Life Shoreditch and at the time my skin allergy was very bad. The sweat and heat made me very uncomfortable. However, my experience at Omnida was the complete opposite. The front studio is small, which means you get a lot of personalized attention from the instructor. 
I felt instantly relaxed in the warm room even before we started out warm up. The high temps also help muscles become more elastic (more flexible) which will decrease your risk for injury. This flexibility also gives you the opportunity to try getting a little deeper into postures that might prove challenging at room temperature. Breathing and lung capacity are also improved when practising hot yoga. Other benefits include the body burning fat more effectively because of the warm muscles and cardio benefits as the heart rate is elevated.
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