EAST LONDON EXPEDITION- ETHOS

This post was written by my friend, Dr. Viva. She's a recently qualified medical doctor and a fellow Jamaican girl in London. 

We normally do fitness adventures together, but honestly on this occasion I was just way too hung over to even leave my house!

She very kindly did a quick review of Ethos Gym in East London. 

Enjoy!

So decided to try a new gym this weekend, ventured east for a change. 

Ethos is a very impressive gym overall, and an interesting concept. They have yoga, TRX, spinning and barre based classes- all with a bit of a twist ("Warrior", "Detox" etc). They also offer nutritional services, general "wellness" services, and a cafe with food and smoothies. They have pay as you go class option (£20 a class), or you can buy a block of classes, or a monthly pass for £120 for 8 classes OR you can go in it through class pass - so quite a few options

The location is great- right in Spitalfields Market which is 5 minutes from Liverpool Street Station. The set up is quite "open" and relaxed, lots of glass and open windows makes it seem bigger than it is 

In terms of the class- I did a ballet barre blast class. I was expecting a chilled but challenging barre class but was pleasantly surprised (I say this in retrospect, at the time I was nursing a hangover and on 3 hours sleep). The class was hard AF. It was classical ballet music, and all ballet technique, but at a faster pace in a warm (hot) room. There was more cardio (think jumping and high speed leg lifts), with resistance bands for added boost. I loved it. I'm a past dancer and it was taught by an excellent and clearly very experienced instructor who I really admired. (She even sent us music and choreography after the class). I sweat more than in a spinning class (alcohol allllll gone) and felt sore but energised and well stretched. 

Overall-  very different and cool gym, with variety of classes (my next one to try will be a TRX personally). 

Peace out east London, for now... 

photos above from google.com/images

BODYISM, LONDON - Be Kind to yourself

Any fitness class that starts with a shot has to be a good time, right?

'Bodyism Warrior' is the signature class at James Duigan's Notting Hill members-only wellness studio - Bodyism. Before each class you are given a delicious 'Berry Blast' shot filled with acai, green tea and amino acids to rev up your metabolism, boost energy and help burn fat.

I  was invited to take a complimentary class at the studio after stopping by the 'Clean & Lean' cafe a few weeks ago.

Bodyism is famous for whipping super bodies into shape like Rosie Huntington-Whitely, David Gandy, Pippa Middleton and the forever iconic Elle Macpherson.

The lights in the studios are designed to provide additional Vitamin D and the air is specially purified and oxygenated for maximum wellness effect.

photo above from my gym twin @vivalevee 

Best guy, standing gaurd

We were greeted by a lovely girl (and that dog above) who gave us a tour of the facilities and explained membership options. She explained that the focus of the club is 'optimal health', and made sure to let me know it's exclusive and members-only. Membership includes a welcome pack, classes (depending on which membership tier you purchase) and discounts at the cafe and beauty treatment centre. Membership begins at £110 per month for the basic package up to £30,000 per year (yes, you read that right)

The signature class is about an hour long - it's fusion of yoga stretching, High Intensity Interval Training for fat loss (like high knees and even crawling around on all fours like an animal, that part was really funny) and Pilates for toning.

During the class it felt like we weren't working that hard. I wasn't panting or sweating like the classes at the other boutique gyms I've been to. But today, I can definitely feel it! Sneaky and effective.

After the class I treated myself to a gluten free, diary free, refined sugar free (fun free) yet somehow still delicious chocolate chip 'Life Changing Cookie' and a 'Body Brilliance' Smoothie - tag line: the Supermodels secret weapon (I'm a sucker for marketing)

We were encouraged to try the signature 'Bulletproof coffee' - shot of espresso, organic butter and coconut oil, but I wasn't feeling for any caffeine. Maybe I will try make it at home.

Sticker from Anya Hindmarch

Then we went to have a very late lunch at Granger & Co.which is only a few minutes walk away. Westbourne Grove is one of my favourite parts of London!

Photo above from google.com/images

Scrambled eggs and sourdough toast (with yummy melted butter)

Verdict

The experience was Amazing. I love the mantra - be kind to yourself and taking wellness as an experience and a lifestyle. 

Maybe one day when I have enough spare time and cash I'll take the membership... but for now the smoothies, and cookies will be just fine.

x o x o