NEW YORK CITY - THE VISITOR

City of Lights Vibes.

So I've arrived! I'm here, in this big bad city... alone... kind of but not really 

To be honest, I am totally overwhelmed, excited, exhausted, almost broke and sometimes filled with intense homesickness - you know the feeling? You know it, man... those "What the fuck am I doing?!" moments.

I am officially the insane 20-something who quit a perfectly good job, left her amazing boyfriend in her well-designed flat to go live in an Airbnb with a total stranger and dog in Brooklyn. Breathe deep. Don't have a panic attack. Breathe.

Still trying to figure everything out. Still. 

But life is all about learning, growing, adapting to changes and making it all work for you. 

First thing to know about NYC is that everyone is either painfully cool/stylish, beautiful or recently had a mental breakdown. The lifestyle is so fast paced and everything is expensive. You can't leave your house without dropping at least $50. 

London underground trains aka "The Tube/The Underground" are a very polite space. People respect the rules that blast over the intercom in that posh lady accent. They stand on the right and walk on the left. They wait for fellow Londoners to exit the carriage before entering. They avoid eye contact like the plague. 

NYC is SO friendly and talkative. American people will speak to you in the streets/train/queue like you're an old friend. Honestly, my first day here this really nice lady struck up conversation with me about my height and the height of my parents and siblings - so many questions and jokes, we were chatting for so long I missed my stop and had to take 2 trains to find my way again. Rookie error.

Corner shops aka "Bodegas" in NYC do not sell alcohol. They sell salads, sandwiches and useless fattening snacks. Everyone in America says liquor not alcohol, and to buy liquor one has to find specific liquor-only stores. Its not that hard, but I was just surprised by this because England and Jamaica don't work this way. 

The bus system is intimidating and I still haven't even tried it yet. 

A lot of grown ass people in NYC play games on their phones on loud on public transport. Very annoying. 

But at least consistency lies in the fact that no matter where you go in the world when you open your phone on the front camera when you're lying in bed it is one of the most humbling experiences. 

She's a badass explorer

Just bouncing along folks... we will see what the next few months have in store for me.

Please leave any tips and tricks for NYC in the comments below! 

x o x o

Tasmin

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