Top Santé Magazine – Fit tip of the month

Featured in Top Santé

Top Santé Magazine   November 2017
Our Founder Julia featured in Top Santé Magazine this month with her fit tip for keeping more active in the workplace during the festive season.  

Team lunches, office parties, chocolate everywhere!… with so many temptations in the workplace, it can be hard to find the time and motivation to exercise in December. Find easy ways to be more active during your working day. Anything that gets your heart beating a little faster will help; An active commute – walk, run or cycle to work. Use your lunch break – organise a workplace fitness class or go for a brisk walk with colleagues.  Take to the stairs – 15 minutes up and down your office stairwell will burn a few extra calories. Or park further away from work – you’ll be amazed how many more steps you’ll achieve.

Jacqueline Gold’s WOW Winner

Jacqueline Gold’s Women on Wednesday Winner!We were one of three businesses chosen by Jacqueline Gold for her Women in Business Award Exercise in the City Founder, Julia Scodie, with Jacqueline Gold at Ann Summers HQback in 2015.

Since then we’ve had some amazing opportunities to work with Jacqueline, including a mentoring lunch at the Ivy, London last year, and a full day of mentoring at Ann Summers Head office in August.

Jacqueline is passionate about supporting female founders, and it was so inspirational to learn more about how she has grown Ann Summers to the huge brand it is today.  It was a fantastic day at Ann Summers HQ.

Ann Summers Visit (2)

In addition to a fabulous goodie bag (of course!) our founder, Julia had the opportunity to meet with her team of Directors and a Q&A session with Jacqueline.

It was also really great to meet with some other inspirational women and fellow winners who have all set up their own businesses too.

Ann Summers HQ - Mentor Day with Jacqueline Gold , our founder Julia scoping the building!

We’re so grateful to Jacqueline for choosing Exercise in the City for her Women in Business Award and for taking so much time to spend with and advise us.

Find out more about Jacqueline Gold’s #WOW Campaign

Q & A with Jacquline at our mentor day - Ann Summers HQ

 

 

 

 

 

How healthy is your lunch?

We all know how hard it can be to try and eat well whilst at work. Colleagues’ birthday cakes, office bake-off competitions, team biscuit tins… it can be quite challenging to avoid temptations in the office right? Planning and choosing what to eat for lunch every day can be difficult too.

When thinking about yours and your staffs’ Health and Wellbeing, consider also the importance of healthy eating. What you eat and your diet can affect work performance as well as your health. If you don’t have a well-balanced breakfast, lunch or drink enough water during the day, this can lead to headaches, feeling tired or difficulty concentrating.

Riya Grover - Founder of FeedrWe’re passionate about making workplaces healthier and making it easy for staff to get active during the working week.  Feedr are a business who share our passion and can help your employees to eat well by bringing delicious, healthy food to the office.

We interviewed Feedr Founder, Riya Grover, to find out more about them and her tips for eating more healthily at work.

How did you have the idea for Feedr?
I love eating well and am conscious about what goes into my body, but I know not everyone knows where to find food that is both delicious and really good for you.

The ‘aha’ moment came in late 2015. I saw a line that extended around the block – people were waiting for one of my favourite healthy eateries to open. It dawned on me that preferences have evolved significantly and so many people aspire to eat well. I researched the industry and realised there are so many fantastic food providers with innovative concepts, just waiting to be discovered. So we built Feedr!  Our curated online marketplace bringing together over a hundred healthy, nutritious food and snack vendors for Corporates and individuals to purchase.

How do you choose the vendors you work with?
Healthy Lunch options from Feedr (3)We’re very selective about who we choose to work with. We’re not about cardboard salads and kale-only meals. We find food vendors who have innovative concepts, source high quality produce, strip out bad ingredients and substitute them for healthier ones, cater to varied dietary requirements and have a strong ethos behind their food.

Give us a few examples of the healthy lunch choices you have available?
We’ve hundreds of boxes and buffet options to choose from. I’ve picked just a few examples from vendors; Vita Mojo, Karma Cans and Fork Deli.
Healthy Lunch options from Feedr (4)

  • Spicy turkey meatballs with quinoa, avocado, crispy polenta and a kale salad with a spicy thai dressing 
  • Chicken breast with jewelled cauliflower cous cous, mixed leaf salad and herb dressing
  • Seared salmon with za’atar, tahini and pistachio with a kale and spelt fattoush salad
  • Healthy Lunch options from Feedr (5)Sweet potato Falafels, siracha, yogurt dressing, chickpeas marinated in parsley, coriander, olive oil and lemon zest, dark green leaves blanched.

What are your three top tips for eating more healthily whilst at work?

1) Seek variety and ensure balance. Try to fill your week with a range of nutritious foods.

2) Keep healthy snacks at your desk like dried fruit, almonds, carrot sticks or apple with nut butter. Small snacks through the day help you keep focused and avoid you binging on junk food.


3) Plan – it’s not always easy to find healthy meals near your office. Plan ahead by bringing healthy leftovers from home. You can also sign up to Feedr’s Daily Menus .

Find out more about Feedr at www.teamfeedr.com.
We’ve got special offer for you too… Use the code “FEEDR15” to get £15 off a corporate catering order, or £15 off a credit pack of meals for individuals using Daily Menus. 

As well as offering healthy lunches and catering for meetings, another great way to promote healthy eating in the workplace is to signpost staff to reliable information. British Heart Foundation and NHS Choices  provide the most up to date and reliable advice and have lots of useful resources on their websites. 

We can support you too and can organise bespoke Health and Wellbeing days for your workplace to include; fitness and physical activity, talks, healthy food and more.  Contact us for more information about how we can help make your workplace healthier.

The Guardian – How to be more healthy at work in 2017

the_guardian-logoThe Guardian Online    January 2017
How to be more Healthy at Work in 2017

After the festive over-indulgence, experts shared their tips for keeping fit and healthy in the workplace.  Our Founder Julia featured with her top tip for an active lunch break!

Read the full feature here

Healthy Workplace Charter Awards

Julia Scodie, Exercise in the City -4.jpgA fantastic initiative backed by the London Mayor, the Healthy Workplace Charter provides clear and easy steps for employers to make their workplaces healthier and happier.

Our Founder Julia Scodie was invited to speak at the Awards ceremony held at City Hall last month.
London Healthy Workplace Charter Awards 2016
The ceremony recognised and celebrated organisations dedicated to creating healthier working environments for their staff. It was such an honour to be invited to speak and to meet so many employers who are passionate about their staff Health and Wellbeing.

AHealthy Workplace Awards.jpgbout the London Healthy Workplace Charter
The Charter provides a framework for action to help employers build good practice in health and work in their organisation. It’s essentially a set of standards that organisations must meet in order to receive an official accreditation (and award).

Standards include: Physical activity, healthy eating and mental health and wellbeing. To date over 140 organsations have been accredited with more than 260,000 employees benefitting. The Charter is open to all employers; private, public, big, small and across industries.

Find out more about the Health Workplace Charter and register your interest

Did you know?
Almost 14 million working days a year are lost to sickness absence in London.
An average London firm of 250 employees can lose up to £250,000 a year, or £4,800 per week,
due to sickness absence.

 Physically active workers take 27% fewer sick days than non-physically active counterparts and happier workers are 12% more productive than average, with unhappy workers 10%productive.

The Guardian – Wellbeing at Work

the_guardian-logoThe Guardian Online November 2016
Tips on staying healthy in the Workplace

Our founder Julia featured on the expert panel for this live Q&A.

Continue reading

Rooftop roundup… our season at Coq D’Argent

Pilates with a view at Coq D'ArgentWe took our workplace Pilates classes out the office to the fabulous roof terrace at Coq D’Argent. It was so great to wake up with the City and teach in this beautiful setting. Feedback from everyone who came was fantastic.

Staff from; The City of London Police, Goodman Masson, CBRE Global Investors, Schroders, London Sport, Janikin Rooke, Grey London, Standard Charter (..to name a few) joined us on the roof. julia-scodie-teaching-pilates-exercise-in-the-city-at-coq-dargent-3Pixxie Lott even came along to a class!

We were so lucky with the weather and ran the classes through August to the end of October. Classes were taught by our Founder Julia.  Read on for some rather lovely reviews and photo highlights

“I’ve been to Pilates with Julia before at London Sport HQ, so when I heard about the morning rooftop classes, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse!  Julia’s a fantastic teacher and very inspirational.  Her enthusiasm set again the backdrop of a sunrise against London skyline is one of the best ways to start a Friday morning. london-sport-staff-at-coq-dargentI was utterly hooked. I’m really upset it’s winter now, so we aren’t able to do it anymore – I’ll definitely be back with the sun next year!”  Lizzie Stanton, Funding Manger – London Sport

“I just wanted to thank you for the class this morning, we all really enjoyed it – what a great way to start the day!”  Natasha Brady, Project Coordinator –
City of London Police

goodman-masson-coq-dargent-group-shot-crop“What better way to start the day than with a Pilates class on the roof of Coq d’Argent?!  When Julia first approached me with the idea I thought it was just great, and the team agreed. We booked out an entire session. It was such a success that we rebooked a few weeks later. Everyone loved the class and raved about Julia’s teaching style. A thoroughly enjoyable and recommended class.”
Louise Goddard, EA – Goodman Masson

exercise-in-the-city-pilates-class-at-coq-dargent-5“Initially I thought the early mornings would be difficult to take. But, once I’d got myself to the Coq d’Argent rooftop on a warm summer’s morning, I wished I could do Pilates with Julia up there every day! A true escape from London’s morning chaos, I almost skipped to work after every class. Can’t wait for next year.”
Ana Saffer, Account Manager – Grey LondonStaff from Janikin Rooke at Coq D'Argent rooftop Pilates

“Early morning Pilates on the roof at Coq D’Argent was definitely worth getting up for! The setting was fabulous and Julia was excellent at making the class work really well for all levels of abilities.  We rewarded ourselves with a work breakfast after the session and got to work buzzing and energized”.
Janikin Rooke staff


BBC Radio 4 – Office cake or office workout

radio-4-logoWe featured on BBC Radio 4’s report ‘Cake Culture vs Active Workplaces’.  Listen to hear our Pilates classes at software company, Pivotal, and what staff have to say about how much they value their weekly classes.

Listen to the full report here… we’re at 2 minutes!
pivotal

We’ve been bringing lunch break Pilates and Yoga classes to Pivotal for over seven months. Staff tell us how much they enjoy the classes and value the break from their computers.

Continue reading

Pilates and Brunch – Saturday Sessions

Pilates with a view at Coq D'ArgentExciting news… we’ve launched our Mindful Movement Pilates classes with City restaurant Coq d’Argent.

Our first class on Saturday 1st October will take place in Coq d’Argent’s stunning rooftop garden, with participants invited to exercise, relax, and release tension surrounded by spectacular City views.

Some of you may have already joined us for our popular  weekday morning classes at Coq D’Argent which are a fantastic way to start the working day. We’re really delighted to have the opportunity to help Londoners start their weekends well too!

Pilates is proven to improve strength, flexibility, and posture, it can ease back pain, and is also great for general fitness and wellbeing. Our Mindful Movement Pilates classes suits all ages, skills, and fitness levels, with alternatives given for each exercise, allowing everyone to enjoy and benefit from the classes. The exercises focus on core muscles, thus improving posture and strengthening the entire body, and also incorporate mindful breathing to help reduce stress and tension.

aw_exerciseinthecity_373Classes will be taught by our founder and leading instructor Julia Scodie.

Dates and tickets 
Saturday 1st October – Book here
Saturday 5th November – Book here
Saturday 3rd December – Book here

Following the classes, guests are invited to enjoy Coq d’Argent’s indulgent brunch dishes, including; Coq D'Argent- Logo BlackMushroom pancake with poached egg and Hollandaise sauce; Croque-Madame with roasted ham, Emmental cheese, béchamel, fried egg and mixed salad; London oak smoked salmon and spinach benedict; and Heritage tomato and basil salad. All dishes are served with a choice of coffee, tea, juice or a mocktail included in the price of your ticket.

BOOK TICKETS FOR OUR FIRST SATURDAY SESSION HERE or
contact info@exerciseinthecity.com if you have any questions