With the increased sunshine and daylight hours, I seem to have had a boost in my energy levels. I wanted to let you know what I have been up in recent months.
First off, I went on a week’s holiday at the end of April to Egypt and Turkey. My girlfriends from uni met me in Cairo for a few days. For the second half of the trip, I met my husband in Istanbul for a few days by the sea. It was really nice to get away from work for a few days. I will be sharing my Active Travel tips for both cities soon. Since then, I have been trying to get out and do more. The time off really helped me refocus and find my motivation to be fit again. With that has come more runs at lunchtime and more workout classes after work, such as Best’s Bootcamp, Studio Lagree, and Fierce Yoga (review coming soon!).
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| Inside Studio Lagree |
After watching The Runner Beans video, I had a better idea of what to expect at Studio Lagree. The name, better known in big cities like Toronto, doesn’t offer much insight into what the workout will be like. The founder is a reformer Pilates instructor, which explains the basic design behind their M3 Megaformer machine. But these have many more bells and whistles- straps, handles, loops, and two stationary platforms- than a regular Pilates reformer. Nadine, one of the master trainers for the London studio, took myself and the other new clients through the names of each feature to help us understand instructions during class. Instructors don’t lead the class by demonstrating on a machine, but instead giving verbal instructions continuously throughout class. Lagree method is big on slow and steady. Each in and out movement should happen over four counts. Nadine circled the studio to give one-to-one instructions for those (myself included) who needed help with their form.
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| Working my inner thighs |
I have done a few reformer classes before, but that didn’t make sliding on these machines any easier. I lost my balance several times and even stumbled off. Every muscle, partially the core, is challenged during this class, due to the design of the machine. No matter when you turn up, you will experience something a little different as every class is full body, but the instructor can choose which routine to lead. This will help to continually challenge your body in new ways no matter what your schedule is during the week.
The biggest struggle for me was remembering all the names for the different parts of the machines and then knowing which move I was supposed to do. Some had common names (lunge) some were trickier (Mermaid, Dancing Bear). The instructor will say to watch so and so but it can be confusing if you don’t know anyone’s names or simply can’t see them in the dimly lit room.
The studio holds 12 machines and there are changing facilities. Lockers have a keypad and showers are available. Towels can be hired for £1 and there is a small range of fitness clothing available from lululemon, Michi, and Toe Socks. (Studio Lagree recommends you wear grippy socks rather than go barefoot in the class). The staff was super friendly and helpful during my visits so far. I even brought a friend who hadn’t been to the gym in a while. She enjoyed it but also found it challenging- in a good way! We both moaned about our DOMS the next day over text messages.
Thanks to Studio Lagree for gifting me a few class passes. All opinions are honest and my own.
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