City Matters Edition 035

CITYMATTERS.LONDON 31 May - 06 June 2017 | Page 13
Wellness Matters
‘UBER FOR YOGA’ APP CONNECTS STUDENTS WITH YOGIS
The downward
dog on demand
FROM humble beginnings in a little-known
start-up called Uber, to shelter puppies
delivered to your door for a 15-minute
petting session, the on-demand economy has
expanded to make almost every aspect of life
that bit more convenient.
Experts agree that it’s all product of our
fast-paced lifestyles, but that does not mean it
should discriminate against services designed
to slow things down.
Yoga is the latest lifestyle arena to be dealt
its very own on-demand button thanks to apps
such as The Private Yogi, a new service that
delivers private yoga instruction to homes,
workplaces and hotel rooms across the Capital.
Tuition
Users can select from The Private Yogi’s
network of fully qualified yoga instructors
and have them sent to their door for bespoke,
one-to-one yoga tuition to build form and
technique and generate better results from
practice, with prices starting at £49.
The app is the brainchild of yogis Charlotte
Morse and Paul Artiguas, who wanted to
capitalise on the growing popularity of
studio yoga by making private coaching more
accessible.
“In yoga’s tradition, it was primarily taught
on a one-to-one basis,” Charlotte explains.
“With popularity sees bigger yoga class
rail woes: the longer the
trip to work the higher
risk of stress, studies say
Long commutes trigger stress
YOUR long commute to work could lead to
stress or depression, according to new research.
The study from private health firm Vitality
found that lengthy travel times have a
significant impact on mental wellbeing, with
those commuting an hour or more 33% more
likely to suffer from depression than those who
travel for less than 30 minutes.
Of the 34,000 respondents, long commuters
were also 37% more likely to have financial
concerns, and 12% more likely to report multiple
dimensions of work-related stress.
Researchers found that employees commuting
less than half an hour to get to work gain an
additional seven days’ worth of productive time
each year compared to those with commutes of
60 minutes or more.
They also made a strong case for flexible
balancing act: helping
to tune the wellbeing
of the masses
working, with employees able to work from
home or with flexible hours less likely to be
stressed or depressed, less likely to smoke,
be obese, and more likely to get sufficient
sleep.
These employees also had an additional five
productive days each year compared to those
with no flexible working arrangements.
Shaun Subel, director of strategy at Vitality
Health, said: “These results demonstrate
the significance of the daily work routine in
influencing individuals’ health and productivity.
“Allowing employees the flexibility to avoid
the rush-hour commute where possible, or
fit their routine around other commitments,
can help reduce stress and promote healthier
lifestyle choices and, importantly, this is shown
to actually impact positively on productivity.”
[sizes], which are wonderful. However, we were
inspired to build a company based on tradition.”
A former RAF military medic who swapped
the battlefield for the yoga mat after a
particularly tough final deployment, Charlotte
began practising yoga alone as a way to create
inner calm and balance.
Friends and colleagues began peppering her
for tips and sequences, planting the seeds of an
idea, which she developed with partner Paul, a
tech and marketing specialist and fellow yoga
fan.
Charlotte says the service eliminates the pain
points of practicing yoga – overcrowded studios,
inconvenient times, exorbitant prices – while
making the advantages of private instruction
more accessible to the masses.
Recovering
“The main benefit for practicing yoga alone
is that you get the undivided attention of your
teacher designed around your individual
needs,” she explains.
“A student will develop their personal
practice must faster and their progress will be
quicker. The Private Yogi serves all corners of
the Capital, catering to everybody from athletes
to pregnant women and those recovering from
injury, at any level.
“There are no subscriptions, users simply
choose a service, select a teacher, date and
time, and make payment, but those seeking
more structure can opt for one of the fourweek
programmes tailored specifically to the
individual with nutritional advice and targeted
outcomes.
“The tailored experience is on the rise,
self-care and mindfulness have become a
priority,” Charlotte says. “As yoga’s unwavering
popularity grows so does that need for a bespoke
individual experience.”
theprivateyogi.com
Pimp your gym kit
Top 3 gym essentials
Wrap it up
Tiny gym towels never quite seem to cut it when it
comes to protecting our modesty in the changing
rooms, which is how London PT Danielle
Armstrong came up with a clever new cover-up.
The Modesty Company’s Classic Towel Wrap
(pictured) is a ‘towel-meets-bandeau-dress’ with
a clever Velcro fastener to secure that sucker to
your body while you get dressed and prevent your
neighbours from copping an eyeful.
£49.50 from themodestycompany.com
Arm yourself
Hit the treadmill with your phone secured to your
arm, not bouncing around in your pocket.
Belkin has a range of media armbands designed
to provide a secure fit for your smartphone, even
through strenuous workouts. Each has a non-slip,
thin profile strap, breathable stretch material, and
provides full access to the haptic sensor in your
iPhone makes it easy to access features at any
point.
£19.95-£34.95 from belkin.com
Hydration station
Memobottle’s notepad-shaped water flask slides
neatly into your bag, alongside your laptop and
books – unlike that bulky cylinder you’re toting
around. Memo bottles are BPA-free and come
in A5 (750ml) and A6 (375ml) paper sizes. The
company was also chosen to gift a bottle to each of
this year’s Oscar nominees. What’s good enough
for Ryan Gosling…
£29 from memobottle.com
City suits clocking up the
miles for fitness challenge
CITY workers have shunned the Tube and
laced up their trainers throughout May,
walking, cycling and running over 7,100 miles
as part of a new health and fitness challenge in
the Square Mile.
The Business Healthy Challenge was
launched by the City of London Corporation’s
Business Healthy division in partnership
with online wellbeing engagement platform
HiMotiv to coincide with Living Streets’
National Walking Month.
The 20-day campaign challenged City
workers to increase their physical activity,
rewarding teams with prizes when they
reached fitness milestones.
The Corporation, City Police, Capital Asset
Management, RGL Forensics, and RBC Capital
Markets were among the firms that took
part, with participants racking up more than
10,406,555 steps throughout the duration of the
challenge. More than 77% of people committed
to at least 21 minutes of physical activity per
day, with the majority walking, running or
cycling for at least 10 consecutive minutes on
an average of six days a week.
Joyce Nash, chairman of the City of London
Corporation’s health and wellbeing board,
said: “Over 30million working days were
lost through sickness over the last two years,
costing the UK economy £14.1billion.
“Our free Business Healthy Challenge gives
City workers a chance to improve their health
and wellbeing, which in turn creates a more
dynamic and productive workforce.”
Marcile Moulene of HiMotiv echoed
the sentiment: “HiMotiv is pleased to have
partnered with the Business Healthy team and
Living Streets to help promote physical activity
to City workers during National Walking
Month.
“It is great to see so many people taking part
and doing more to get fit and healthy.”
active city: workers
have been inspired