by thinkmarsh | May 3, 2017 | fashion, product review
Towards the end of last year, the lovely ladies behind La Redoute UK contacted me to try out some of the kit in their sportswear shop, as well as offer my advice to their customers about how to stay fit and healthy. You can check out their 2017 fitness guide here, which includes a few interviews with other fitness blogging friends too.
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| Dip in the pool at Champney’s |
I hadn’t heard of this site before they got in touch. The selection of sportswear is huge and includes many big brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Rebook, and R Essential. Every time I have a browse, I see their selection has a lot of classic pieces that will always be in style, as well as a few items that are brighter and bolder. There is so much selection that I had trouble picking out which clothing items to try.
In the end, I went with a one-piece Arena swimsuit with pink fish on it for my trip to Cape Town. Unfortunately, I only wore it under a wet suit on my cage dive because the water there is too cold for beach swimming. I hadn’t heard of Arena before but the product is meant to be chlorine resistant. I tried it out at my Champneys Spa break in early Febraury. It fits well but I knew to go order a few sizes up with my apple body shape.
Next I got a new sports bra to replace some of my Shock Absorbers that look a bit dingy. Have you heard you are supposed to replace your sports bras every 6 months? I struggle to find bras that are supportive enough for me, so I tend to stick to one brand and style. On the La Redoute site, The Z Sport Virtuosity bra claimed level 5 support and the color was bright so I though I would give it a try. I have worn it spinning and it did the job pretty well. It also supported my ‘kids’ well on a few Sunday long runs so I was able to discard my saddest looking Shock Absorber.
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Way outside my comfort zone here with a ‘topless’ photo. At least my bra matched the Overground decor.
Photo by Chloe Knott |
Finally, I gravitated towards the print of grey Puma capris, which fit really well and have a supportive waistband. To complete the outfit, I also ordered the grey branded Puma shirt to match. The bottom of the shirt flares out a bit, which would cover my bum. The shirt is made of cotton (I tend to prefer technical fabrics) but it is still really comfortable and fits me well.
The clothes are high quality and the prices on La Redoute are really reasonable for the brands and selection they offer. They have street wear as well so it might be you new go-to site for one stop online shopping. The collections are constantly being updated (which is why I cannot link to all of the kit I tried), so set it to your favorites and have a look around every once in a while.
Big thanks to La Redoute for the complimentary clothes and including me in their fitness guide. All opinions and body image concerns are my own.
by Mollie Millington | Apr 13, 2017 | clothes, fashion, product review
Yesterday on my way home from work, the Evening Standard had an article about how offices should offer showers and lockers to running and cycling commuters.
I am all about reducing stink and have been run commuting for a few months in prep for the London Marathon. I have learned the hard way that millions of microscopic bacteria are the reason why your gym clothes smell after a sweaty workout. If you wash your clothes with the wrong cycle, temperature or detergent, you will compromise the fabric, reducing its quality. Poor maintenance of the fabrics means less wicking, longer dry time and the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. If I am running a race in hot temps, I stink a lot more at the finish line if I dump water on my head than if I don’t.
Nobody wants to be ‘that guy or gal’ who has an office strung up with sweaty gym kit with a smell that permeates the canteen. Here are a few things to think about to keep the smell of victory to a minimum in the office.
Tip 1: Choose the right material
When you are buying new workout gear, avoid cotton like the plague and instead look for:
Merino wool is a natural solution to avoiding post-workout odours. Made from the wool the Merino breed of sheep, this kind of wool doesn’t itch, helps you thermoregulate and doesn’t smell due to a natural oil secreted by the sheep called lanolin. Icebreaker, Smartwool, and ashmei are all brands that work with merino wool.
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| ashmei offices in Tring |
You can also look for the Polygiene logo. It is a silver-ion treatment of the fabric before final manufacturing occurs that prevents bacterial growth. It is permanently integrated into the fabric and will not wash out. Companies such as lululemon, Ron Hill, Adidas, Poc, DaKine and Polartech are just a few examples of partner brands that use this treatment on their products.
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| Polygiene socks make stretching out in the dining room more bearable. |
Tip 2: Wash it with the right stuff
This seems like the natural thing to do but sometimes the detergent we use or the water temperature settings don’t actually kill the bacteria. Don’t use fabric softeners on your tech fabrics as this could leave a residue that will effectively take away the wicking properties. A few products you could try are:
Revive by Odo Sport is designed to keep synthetic sports kit clean, oudor-free, and functioning properly. It shields the fabric from acquiring dirt between washes and adds a fast-drying agent to help kit to dry more quickly (which will keep stink down too).
Nik Wax Basewash® effectively cleans, deodorises, inhibits the build up of body odours, accelerates drying and improves cooling efficiency of synthetic base layers. If you have wool baselayers (we’ll talk about material choice in a minute), use NikWax Wool Wash™ instead.
Mr Black’s Sport Wash is all natural and biodegradable, yet able to squash the bacteria that cause your technical kit to smell a bit funky. Their philosophy is to prolong the life of your clothes as you have invested in them (and we all know how much good kit can cost).
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| Run commute warrior! |
A final option if you want to wash your clothes is to send clothes out during the day to be laundered. Indoor cycling studio and fitness gym H2 offers this as a service with a 48 hour turn-around time, which means the sweaty clothes never make it to your office to cause any offence.
Tip 3: Use Pay As You Gym (PAYG) to shower
Perhaps your training schedule only requires you to run or cycle in once or twice a week. If your office doesn’t offer shower or lockeroom facilities, look on the PAYG website to locate an inexpensive gym facility near work where you can freshen up and change before your first meeting. Long term it might not be cost-effective, but it could also help you smell fresh for the rest of the day.
Tip 4: Run home instead
Sounds simple enough, but make exercise a priority and run home from work instead of going to the pub. That way sweaty clothes can air out in the comfort in your living room instead of your work cubicle. Of course, it is challenging to keep the motivation up over the course of a day but think about how you will feel as the endorphins start flowing after a few minutes of sweating.
If you have any other ideas on how to keep your office from smelling like a locker room, please comment below. I know Londoners can be pretty creative with this sort of thing.
Portions of this post originally appeared on the H2 Life Blog.
by thinkmarsh | Apr 13, 2017 | clothes, fashion, product review
Yesterday on my way home from work, the Evening Standard had an article about how offices should offer showers and lockers to running and cycling commuters.
I am all about reducing stink and have been run commuting for a few months in prep for the London Marathon. I have learned the hard way that millions of microscopic bacteria are the reason why your gym clothes smell after a sweaty workout. If you wash your clothes with the wrong cycle, temperature or detergent, you will compromise the fabric, reducing its quality. Poor maintenance of the fabrics means less wicking, longer dry time and the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. If I am running a race in hot temps, I stink a lot more at the finish line if I dump water on my head than if I don’t.
Nobody wants to be ‘that guy or gal’ who has an office strung up with sweaty gym kit with a smell that permeates the canteen. Here are a few things to think about to keep the smell of victory to a minimum in the office.
Tip 1: Choose the right material
When you are buying new workout gear, avoid cotton like the plague and instead look for:
Merino wool is a natural solution to avoiding post-workout odours. Made from the wool the Merino breed of sheep, this kind of wool doesn’t itch, helps you thermoregulate and doesn’t smell due to a natural oil secreted by the sheep called lanolin. Icebreaker, Smartwool, and ashmei are all brands that work with merino wool.
|
| ashmei offices in Tring |
You can also look for the Polygiene logo. It is a silver-ion treatment of the fabric before final manufacturing occurs that prevents bacterial growth. It is permanently integrated into the fabric and will not wash out. Companies such as lululemon, Ron Hill, Adidas, Poc, DaKine and Polartech are just a few examples of partner brands that use this treatment on their products.
|
| Polygiene socks make stretching out in the dining room more bearable. |
Tip 2: Wash it with the right stuff
This seems like the natural thing to do but sometimes the detergent we use or the water temperature settings don’t actually kill the bacteria. Don’t use fabric softeners on your tech fabrics as this could leave a residue that will effectively take away the wicking properties. A few products you could try are:
Revive by Odo Sport is designed to keep synthetic sports kit clean, oudor-free, and functioning properly. It shields the fabric from acquiring dirt between washes and adds a fast-drying agent to help kit to dry more quickly (which will keep stink down too).
Nik Wax Basewash® effectively cleans, deodorises, inhibits the build up of body odours, accelerates drying and improves cooling efficiency of synthetic base layers. If you have wool baselayers (we’ll talk about material choice in a minute), use NikWax Wool Wash™ instead.
Mr Black’s Sport Wash is all natural and biodegradable, yet able to squash the bacteria that cause your technical kit to smell a bit funky. Their philosophy is to prolong the life of your clothes as you have invested in them (and we all know how much good kit can cost).
|
| Run commute warrior! |
A final option if you want to wash your clothes is to send clothes out during the day to be laundered. Indoor cycling studio and fitness gym H2 offers this as a service with a 48 hour turn-around time, which means the sweaty clothes never make it to your office to cause any offence.
Tip 3: Use Pay As You Gym (PAYG) to shower
Perhaps your training schedule only requires you to run or cycle in once or twice a week. If your office doesn’t offer shower or lockeroom facilities, look on the PAYG website to locate an inexpensive gym facility near work where you can freshen up and change before your first meeting. Long term it might not be cost-effective, but it could also help you smell fresh for the rest of the day.
Tip 4: Run home instead
Sounds simple enough, but make exercise a priority and run home from work instead of going to the pub. That way sweaty clothes can air out in the comfort in your living room instead of your work cubicle. Of course, it is challenging to keep the motivation up over the course of a day but think about how you will feel as the endorphins start flowing after a few minutes of sweating.
If you have any other ideas on how to keep your office from smelling like a locker room, please comment below. I know Londoners can be pretty creative with this sort of thing.
Portions of this post originally appeared on the H2 Life Blog.
by Mollie Millington | Apr 3, 2017 | fitness, product review, sport
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| Pink Ladies! |
Last week, I headed back to Surrey Quays, which is the neighbourhood we lived in when we first moved to London. It is always nice to go back and see how the area has changed. I am so happy when I go back to the area, probably because of the fond memories of our gorgeous flat and exploring London with fresh enthusiam.
When we lived there, the Decathlon in Surrey Quays was the only one store in the UK. Most of my personal training/fitness kit and cycling accessories came from there, as it was easy to access and really affordable (it took me 2 years to stop converting pounds to dollars). In the USA, most stores carry a variety of items while I find in the UK you have to go to a specialist store to find each thing you need. Decathlon has everything from running kit to ski gear to protein powder to free weights to warm fleece for the winter and wellies for dog walks in the spring to good old bike inner tubes. But it wasn’t until the scavenger hunt that I learned just how much variety they offer.
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| Bloggers are big on selfies |
Decathlon kindly invited nine bloggers down for a fun scavenger hunt through the store. There were three teams of three and I was on the Pink Ladies with Beki and Eileen. Each team started in different parts of the store and had a dozen or so questions to answer about the products on the shelves. We also had a bonus question about the Decathlon brands and what sporting discipline they represented. I had no idea that Decathlon had over 20 of their own brands for everything from camping to swimming to rock climbing to equestrian to court sports. They also carry big brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Salomon, Karrimor, etc. but in my experience, I have found that the Decathlon quality is just as good depending on what I need and how much I am willing to spend on it.
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| I bet you can’t see us. (Decathlon made us wear these jackets around the store) |
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| No one told us we were going to have to do math as part of one of the tasks. |
Decathlon even has their own brand of fitness technology products, Geonaute. If you are looking to invest in a heart rate monitor, GPS watch, action camera accessories, or ear buds, have a look at their selection. With Decathlon, they really aim to remove the finacial barrier of getting stuck in to a new sport or physical activity. Often times, I see people discouraged from trying something new because they don’t have the proper equipment or don’t want to invest too much in case they don’t like it. After walking around the store, I can tell you there are many products that can help increase your heart rate without decreasing your bank account by too much.
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| Trying to find the right strawberry-flavored protein and one of the answers to our questions. |
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| I just wanted to eat all the protein. Apparently, Eileen did too. |
After exploring nearly every bit of the store looking for clues, I am thrilled to say that our team won and were given awesome medals for our efforts while we enjoyed some great canapes and wine with the other bloggers. Each attendee was also given a brightly colored 20L rucksack, a fitness ball, a running bumbag, and soft microfiber towel. I was actually eyeing the 1 bottle carrier belt bumbag for the London Marathon and have pleased with it so far.
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| First place team celebrating our win over social media. |
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| ‘In-tents’ bloggers after the challenge was over. |
The scavenger hunt would be a lot of fun for families or schools to learn more about different types of ways to be active and there is a great potential for it to be even more interactive with the products available. I found a few new pieces of kit I would like to try (stand up paddleboard, horseback riding boots, and a Subea face mask with a snorket built in). As this was the first time the scavenger hunt was put on, Decathlon is taking our feedback and will tweak the experience a bit more (I suggested adding a time limit).
I would highly recommend keeping your eyes out for similar interactive events at your local Decathlon store. You can always stop by and have a wander around though to see what inspires you to get more active and/or explore the outdoors.
Thanks to Decathlon for providing us with a fun evening and great sporty items. All opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Jan 31, 2017 | education, product review
Since finishing my bachelors degree, there has rarely been a time when I wasn’t studying part-time. My career goal was to become an aquatic veterinarian so for several years I took classes part-time at the community college in my hometown to complete the prerequisite requirements. But unfortunately, I didn’t get in. I then found myself taking courses to become a nurse practitioner before realising I didn’t like people as much as animals. Grad school came a few years later, then my spinning certification, personal training, and additional certifications, such as Coach in Running Fitness, along the way. I enjoy learning new things in fields that interest me and enjoy the challenge of mastering new materials. Plus, these courses are often great ways to meet other people with similar interests or who work in the same field as you.
Lately, I haven’t been keeping up with the fitness industry advancements. As the day job isn’t allowing much time for part-time work in the gym, I find it hard to justify the expense of my time and money on fitness courses. Plus, I would need to take time off from work to attend classroom sessions or to revise for final assessments.
I was intrigued when Future Fit Training contacted me to be one of the first to try out their new Pro Zone. Offering webinars, discounted online CPD, and networking opportunities, it is perfect for busy trainers like me. It is a private Facebook group, meaning you can check in with the app you most likely already have on your phone. Plus, checking Facebook is something you already do automatically so you don’t have to worry about remembering to log into a separate place. Everyone in the group has been really friendly and willing to share tips and advice whenever someone posts a question.
Key benefits of membership include:
- 12 accredited webinars per year
- 25% discount on all Future Fit CPD courses
- Membership of an exclusive online fitness industry group
- Specialist guest webinars
- Unique promotions and competitions
- Engaging content to help maximise your PT skills and business
The webinars tend to be on Wednesdays ar 2pm, which unfortunately is while I am at work. However, they are recorded for later viewing and emailed to you if you registered. The first one I signed up for was about mindset training with the founder of the Body Transformation Academy. There are many more that I cannot wait to see. Here are a few examples:
It has only been two weeks since I have joined, and I am still getting used to navigating the group and having it be part of my daily check in. I see tremendous value in it though for new PTs or PTs who are trying to grow their business. I will be posting updates in the next few weeks on how I get on with it and what new stuff I am learning that will help you be healthy and happy.
When was the last time you took a class to learn something new? Did you continue to pursue it after the course ended?
by thinkmarsh | Jan 31, 2017 | education, product review
Since finishing my bachelors degree, there has rarely been a time when I wasn’t studying part-time. My career goal was to become an aquatic veterinarian so for several years I took classes part-time at the community college in my hometown to complete the prerequisite requirements. But unfortunately, I didn’t get in. I then found myself taking courses to become a nurse practitioner before realising I didn’t like people as much as animals. Grad school came a few years later, then my spinning certification, personal training, and additional certifications, such as Coach in Running Fitness, along the way. I enjoy learning new things in fields that interest me and enjoy the challenge of mastering new materials. Plus, these courses are often great ways to meet other people with similar interests or who work in the same field as you.
Lately, I haven’t been keeping up with the fitness industry advancements. As the day job isn’t allowing much time for part-time work in the gym, I find it hard to justify the expense of my time and money on fitness courses. Plus, I would need to take time off from work to attend classroom sessions or to revise for final assessments.
I was intrigued when Future Fit Training contacted me to be one of the first to try out their new Pro Zone. Offering webinars, discounted online CPD, and networking opportunities, it is perfect for busy trainers like me. It is a private Facebook group, meaning you can check in with the app you most likely already have on your phone. Plus, checking Facebook is something you already do automatically so you don’t have to worry about remembering to log into a separate place. Everyone in the group has been really friendly and willing to share tips and advice whenever someone posts a question.
Key benefits of membership include:
- 12 accredited webinars per year
- 25% discount on all Future Fit CPD courses
- Membership of an exclusive online fitness industry group
- Specialist guest webinars
- Unique promotions and competitions
- Engaging content to help maximise your PT skills and business
The webinars tend to be on Wednesdays ar 2pm, which unfortunately is while I am at work. However, they are recorded for later viewing and emailed to you if you registered. The first one I signed up for was about mindset training with the founder of the Body Transformation Academy. There are many more that I cannot wait to see. Here are a few examples:
It has only been two weeks since I have joined, and I am still getting used to navigating the group and having it be part of my daily check in. I see tremendous value in it though for new PTs or PTs who are trying to grow their business. I will be posting updates in the next few weeks on how I get on with it and what new stuff I am learning that will help you be healthy and happy.
When was the last time you took a class to learn something new? Did you continue to pursue it after the course ended?
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