Fitness Friday: Hotpod Yoga

I love hot yoga. Yoga is fantastic for flexibility and the added element of performing yoga in forty
degree heat brings this practice to a whole new level. It's one of my favourite alternative workouts and I don't do it enough!

Hot yoga has grown in such popularity over the last few years, even small towns like Newmarket now offer hot yoga. In fact, Newmarket now offers two places to try hot yoga - the Wellbeing Warehouse and the new Hotpod Yoga, which I got the chance to review. 

Hotpod Yoga is a simple idea - the inflatable pod is blown up and heated with portable heaters. The pod is a perfect escape and when you enter it, you are instantly transported to a whole new world. The cocoon-like feel means you feel completely isolated from the outside world and can simply focus on the yoga session ahead. 

I love how accessible Hotpod Yoga is, meaning places like my hometown can give hot yoga a try even if there isn't a yoga centre with a specialist studio. My instructor was also fantastic; calm, supportive and motivational with a huge amount of knowledge. She was brilliant at checking everyone's technique and I left the class feeling sweaty, relaxing and ready for the world outside the pod!

Have you tried Hotpod Yoga? Find your nearest class here!

Jess

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Bad Brunch at All Bar One

I was recently kindly invited to review All Bar One's brunch menu in Cambridge. As a late riser who rarely eats breakfast, brunch is my dream meal and I love spending a weekend catching up with friends over food and cocktails. Therefore I was really excited about treating my parents to brunch in Cambridge - and disappointed that it didn't turn out the way I had planned!

I had reserved a table weeks ago and phoned to try and change the time a week before our visit. This is when the problems started; four attempts later, at various different times on different days, and I still hadn't got through. I finally got through one day before and was assured that my reservation would be changed.

When we arrived on Saturday morning, the restaurant was quiet and, after waiting for a few minutes for a waitress, were told we could sit anywhere - there wasn't a reserved table for us after all. As it was a quiet day, this wasn't an issue but why take table reservations at all then? Our order was taken fairly quickly but service was generally slow, especially as the restaurant was so quiet.

Our teas and coffees arrived accompanied by, bizarrely, a shot glass each filled with Smarties. A side of chocolate with your tea, whether you are a chocolate lover or not, did feel odd at 11am! When our food arrived, it looked fantastic - the presentation was definitely the best part of the meal. I had ordered the 'Protein Power Up' breakfast, my Dad had opted for the Full English and Mum had chosen pancakes.

My Protein Power Up consisted of smoked salmon, avocado and a poached egg, accompanied by seeds. My egg was perfectly poached, but cold, and my avocado slices were rock hard and impossible to eat. However, I did enjoy my smoked salmon and the various seeds added some texture to the dish. My Dad enjoyed his Full English, particularly the bacon, but also commented that his dish was lukewarm at best.

However, my Mum's pancakes were completely inedible. They tasted straight out a packet and were floppy and dense. They were accompanied by furry bananas and a handful of strawberries and blueberries, without any raspberries as mentioned on the menu. The oddest part was the ice-cold maple syrup to pour over - the whole dish was cold, and nothing like the light and fluffy pancakes I expect at brunch.

I think it's important to write honest reviews on my blog and for me, All Bar One's brunch simply wasn't up to scratch. The service was poor and my Mum's breakfast was completely inedible; we left feeling really disappointed and that's not how I want to feel after brunch!

Have you tried All Bar One's brunch menu? What did you think? Where's the best place you've ever had brunch?

Jess

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Fitness Friday: 5 Things To Know Before Your First Spin Class

Spinning is one of those exercise classes which inspires dread and the response "I couldn't do that." I used to think I was far too unfit and poor at cardio to attempt spinning but once I tried it, I realised that it is possible, whatever your fitness level. I wanted to write some tips which might encourage you to give spinning a go!

1. Don't be scared!

When you first walk into a spinning class, it will seem intimating, I'm not going to lie. I remember my first spin class where I was greeted with people in full-on Lycra, already warming up like they've been there for hours. Arrive early so you can choose where in the class you want to sit and get used to the bike. A water bottle is a must and a towel is also handy as it's a sweaty class! 

2. Ask your instructor how to set up your bike

If you're bike isn't set up correctly, the class will be so much harder as a result. Ask your instructor or a fellow class-goer to help set up your bike - the moment of embarrassment will mean you get much more out of the class. As a general rule of thumb, make sure your leg extends to a slightly bent knee at the lowest point when you pedal and ensure the handlebars are aprroximately the same height as your seat.

3. Pace is king

Personally, I find the hardest thing can often be keeping up with the speed of the instructor's pace. I pay attention to the music and find the beat, then move my legs to the music. When you're sprinting, point your toes forward to drive your legs faster. When you are 'climbing' and pedalling is harder, focus on the push and pull movement to drive your legs. 

4. Don't sweat about the resistance

As I've said, I prioritise pace and the key is to then build in the resistance. Spinning bikes are controlled by the amount of resistance you apply using a button on the bike - twisting clockwise increases the resistance, whereas twisting anti-clockwise reduces the resistance. During a class, the instructor may tell you to turn your resistance up by a certain amount of turns - but remember that you don't have to do this! The key to spinning is to push yourself as much as YOU want to, so keep the pace and up the resistance as and when you feel you need to.

5. Leave!

Les Mills' indoor cycling classes, RPM, recommend that for your first class you complete the first four tracks then leave. You may not want to only complete half the class then leave but it actually makes a lot of sense. By completing four tracks and leaving on a high, you are more likely to come back and stay for longer next time, rather than going too hard and scaring yourself off the class for life. My only criticism of this is that there is therefore no cool down - so if you do leave, please remember to do some stretches!

Spinning is a fantastic workout, but I really don't believe it's a terrifying class that anyone should be too scared to try. Once you realise that you are in control of your effort level and can push yourself as much or as little as you like, spinning is a brilliant class to improve cardio, tone and get fit. I get a buzz from spinning unlike any other form of cardio but it's all about taking that first step and getting on the bike! 

Have you tried spinning? Do you have any tips? 

Jess

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