Tag Archives: Fitness in London

Clocks go back… darker earlier… harder to motivate yourself to exercise right?

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The clocks go back; it’s darker earlier, days get colder, you’re finding it harder to motivate yourself to leave the office at lunchtime & an increased desire to go straight home after work and not exercise… Sound familiar?! 

Clocks go back Yes it’s that time of year again… and we had such a fabulously long and warm summer, I fear the impending darkness will be sure to hit us Londoners hard! It will be at least 5-6 months before we can enjoy after-work jogs in the sun, lunchtimes spent sat wherever we can find a piece of green, waking up to the sun streaming in through the curtains…. Feeling depressed yet?!

So you know you’re going to find it hard to motivate yourself to keep active right? Not leaving the office for your usual lunch time walk – preferring to microwave some soup and browse the internet instead. And then rushing home from work to stay warm on the sofa and catch up on the latest box set is far more tempting than the gym or an exercise class after work.

Do not fear …. Exercise in the City is here to help!

We bring lunch-time or before/after-work Pilates classes (or any other fitness class of your choice) to you at your London office. It’s easy to organise, low-cost and a great way to keep active during your working day.

Did you know? Melatonin is a hormone that affects sleep. It’s produced by a small gland in your brain (pineal gland). When it’s dark, the pineal gland produces melatonin to make you feel sleepy. So in winter, when we’re exposed to less sunlight, some people produce higher amounts of melatonin. This results in symptoms such as sleepiness & low energy levels *

Physical activity is a great way to keep energised, stay motivated and can also help combat the effects of SAD (Seasonal affective disorder, also known as ‘winter depression’)…. And if we’re coming to office each week…. you’ve no excuses!

Contact Julia at julia@exerciseinthecity.com to find out more and book your first session today.

* NHS Choices website 

Bit of calm for the HuffPost offices

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Huffington Post UK invited Julia, Exercise in the City Founder, into their London office to teach a lunch-time Pilates class for staff last week. This is what they had to say via @HuffPoLifestlye …

Julia from @eitcLondon brings a bit of calm to the HuffPost offices pic.twitter.com/p785g0Rvpx
— HuffPostUK Lifestyle (@HuffPoLifestyle) June 13, 2014

Find out more about organising Pilates Classes in your office 

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The easy way to keep your ‘do more exercise’ new years resolution

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Hands up if one of your new years resolutions was ‘do more exercise’ … ‘get fit’… ‘go to the gym more often’... ?

Hands up if by the end of January you’re pretty sure you’ll be back to your old ways?! After all January is wet, cold, grey… the last thing you want to do is go to the gym or for a run after work when it’s dark and rainy.

Exercise in the City makes it easy and affordable to keep your ‘do more exercise’ new years resolution. 

I bring Pilates and other fitness classes direct to you at your London office or home. So no need to go to the gym, drag yourself out into the cold and. no excuses!

exercise-in-the-city_w-logo1.jpg… at work
All you need is a free room or space in your office and some willing colleagues.
Classes can be held during a lunch break, before or after work.
Find out more about exercise classes in your office

… at home
Private Pilates classes in the comfort of your own home.
First session includes a free postural analysis so I can design your personal workout plan and help you achieve your fitness goals. I am also qualified to teach pre and post natal ladies so can help you stay active whilst pregnant or get your pre-baby body back.
Find out more about private Pilates classes in your home.

Serve with a side of Pilates!

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Feeling inspired to play tennis watching the Wimbledon Final today? Perhaps you’re already an aspiring Murray?!…  Serve with a side of Pilates to help prevent injury and strengthen your serve.

Tennis is a fantastic sport and exercise choice, not only for its cardio benefits, but the skill and coordination required gets your brain working too. But like all one sided activities, it can take its toll on your body. All the force used on one side to serve and the power required to return the ball can result in muscle imbalances which can lead to back and shoulder pain, or even injury. Pilates is a fantastic exercise for injury prevention and recovery.

Pilates focuses on strengthening your ‘core muscles’, those which protect your spine, give you support and balance – beneficial for all sports (not just tennis) and everyday life. Pilates also rectifies muscle imbalances and can improve posture and flexibility – to name just a few of the many benefits.

There are plenty of other one sided activities we do every day that can cause muscle imbalances  – carrying your bag on one shoulder or sitting at a desk using your mouse.  So Pilates really can benefit everyone… So book your first class today!!

Find out more about lunch time or after work Pilates classes at your London office

Find out more about open group Pilates Classes in London

Contact me today to book your first class julia@exerciseinthecity.com

Today is Workout at Work Day

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Today is Workout at Work Day! A fantastic initiative led but the Charted Society of Physiotherapists (CSP). The campaign highlights the importance of why employers should be keeping their staff healthy with lots of tips on how to do this.

Exercise at work in 3 easy steps!!

Exercise at work in 3 easy steps!!

One easy and low-cost way for employers to help their staff lead healthier lives is by offering fitness classes during the working day.

Exercise in the City brings Pilates and a range of other fitness classes to offices across London.  All you need is a free room or space in your office. Classes can be held during the lunch break, before or after work.

The CSP today released shock poll results highlighting London ‘screen slaving’ workers are putting their health at risk. They are warning London office workers that they are putting their mental and physical health at risk by working nearly three hours extra each night on their commute and at home.

Three quarters of officers workers polled in the city for the CSP said they continued working on smartphones and other devices after they left the office, and spent an average of two hours 50 minutes doing so.

These stints came on top of an average of six hours 54 minutes in front of a screen in the office during their regular working day.

Physiotherapy staff across the UK are encouraging people to be more physically active in order to combat stress and avoid musculoskeletal disorders, like back pain.

Dr Helena Johnson, chair of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “The results of this survey are a huge concern to physiotherapists, who see the consequences of poor posture and bad working practices each day.”

The survey also revealed that 66% of those surveyed reported suffering job-related ill health such as headaches and back pain.

Fewer than one in four people told the survey that they considered their posture when looking at screens outside of work. Long hours can also contribute to stress-related illness.

The CSP hopes employers will become more aware of the need to keep their staff healthy, and will encourage better working habits among staff.  The CSP recommend these simple low cost measures.

  • Arranging and supporting activities that help staff to get active, like lunchtime Pilates classes
  • Encouraging staff to report any concerns about their health at an early stage
  • Encouraging staff to take regular breaks and be physically active during lunchtimes
  • Displaying leaflets and posters promoting good posture, health advice and activities for staff
  • Encouraging workstation assessments to reduce and treat musculoskeletal disorders.

Access to fitness classes were one of the top three services that many workers in the survey said they would like in their office.

…And I know it works – I first started practising Pilates through weekly classes held in my office, during a lunch break, in a meeting room with the desks and chairs pushed to the side! The opportunity to get away from my desk for an hour, network with colleagues, and generally re-energise and stretch always made me more productive and focused for the afternoon.

So book your first class today!
Contact julia@exerciseinthecity,com

Find out more about hosting classes in your office 

NOTES:

Exercise in the City… bringing fitness to you

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Today is the launch of Exercise in the City!

I recently took the plunge and left my full-time Project Manager job to focus on setting up Exercise in the City. Like everyone, I found motivating myself to go to the gym after a tiring day at the office hard.  So I make it easier by bringing a range of classes to offices and homes across London.

Bringing fitness to you…

… at work
All you need is a free room or space in your office and some willing colleagues. Classes can be held during a lunch break, before or after work.
Find out more about fitness classes at your office

… at home
Private Pilates classes in the comfort of your own home.
First session includes a postural analysis so I can design your personal workout plan and help you achieve your fitness goals.
Find out more about Pilates classes at your home

For more details or to book your first session contact me at julia@exerciseinthecity.com

I look forward to hearing from you