City Matters Edition 036

CITYMATTERS.LONDON 07 - 13 June 2017 | Page 13
Wellness Matters
AUSSIE FITNESS CRAZE F45 HAS ARRIVED IN FARRINGDON
Form follows function
Best ever bedtime
Top 3 sleep tracking apps
Sleep Cycle
The smartest alarm clock you’ve ever set, Sleep
Cycle uses your device’s accelerometer sensor and
microphone to analyse your sleep throughout the
night, and wakes you up in the lightest phase just
before your alarm goes off. Wake up to a report on
your sleep quality and average sleep time.
Free, iOs, Android
Pillow
One for those who like bedtime with bells and
whistles, Pillow takes into account body motions
during sleep to deliver a sleep quality index rating
via slick animations. Instead of hitting snooze
when your alarm goes off, take the time to record
your ‘wake-up mood’ or jot down notes to build
your sleep profile.
Free, iOs
from down under: and
having quite the impact
Beddit
Recently taken over by Apple, this app is excellent
if you want detailed metrics on sleep, heart rate,
respiration, snoring, and bedroom temperature
and humidity. Beddit tracks your daily activities
and compiles a report on how they relate to your
sleep quality via a sleep score each morning.
Free, iOs
IF the bodies on Bondi Beach are anything to
go by, the Aussies know a thing or two about
working out.
This could be why the latest training craze to
emerge from Down Under is set to become the
world’s fastest growing.
F45 (or Functional 45), the high-intensity,
circuit-based group training brand, is rapidly
expanding across London, with 15 studios
expected to open across the Capital in 2017, just
18 months after the first UK outpost launched at
London Bridge.
The latest, tucked beneath Farringdon’s
converted warehouses and design studios,
opened last week to a chorus of whooping and
hollering from fans of the franchise who like
their workouts lean and mean and a body to
match.
What is it?
F45 Training offers a 45-minute, high intensity
interval training (HIIT) workout that is
designed to burn over 750 calories using a
combination of strength and cardio.
Through an array of interval stations, the
team-based workout features 27 distinct
workout systems that incorporate more than
3,000 exercises to ensure the highest level of
variation for participants, who will never do the
same workout twice.
How does it work?
Each of the 27 workouts have a different
combination of HIIT, circuit and functional
training.
‘Flamingo’ is a team-based cardio session that
will get your heart rate up enough to burn 820
calories, ‘Gravity’ uses bodyweight training to
improve mobility and fat loss, while ‘Romans’
combines resistance and functional movement
training to activate muscle mass and encourage
afterburn.
The studio is split into three circuits with
several stations at each. The rotations depend
on the workout but expect a 35 to 45-second
burst of movement followed by 15 to 25
seconds of rest. Huff, puff, and repeat. Screens
overhead show the moves required and
trainers wander between the stations to correct
form and scrape you off the ground at the end
of each set.
What are the benefits?
Sydney-based equities trader Rob Deutsch
founded F45 in 2014 after identifying a
gap between low-cost commercial gym
memberships that offer little in terms of
motivation and more effective personal
trainers that come with a higher price point.
The rapid expansion (F45 is Australia’s
fastest growing franchise with 480 studios and
more than 750 around the world) is put down
to a results-driven following that is proving
almost cult-like, counting professional athletes
and actors amongst its devotees, including
Hugh Jackman, who trained with F45 to get in
shape to play X-Men’s Wolverine.
So what makes this workout so effective? The
combination of interval, cardiovascular and
strength training is a proven fat burner and
lean muscle builder, and the variety of sessions
means you won’t get bored or see your results
plateau.
There is also no time for clock-watching, so it
won’t feel like a 45-minute workout until your
muscles are screaming afterwards; perfect for
the time-poor who want to change their bodies
fast.
How much?
A five-class bundle will set you back £110 so F45
addicts usually get more value out of unlimited
monthly memberships, which usually start at
£220, although Farringdon is currently running
introductory offers on foundation memberships
for those that get in early.
Where can I try it?
F45 Farringdon, Denmark House, 9-13 Cowcross
St EC1M 6DR or go online to f45training.co.uk
for more locations.
better off upright:
office furniture can
improve performance
Workers should stand to deliver
OFFICE workers with sit-stand or treadmill
desks are more productive with fewer signs
of workplace stress than their sedentary
colleagues, according to a new report.
Researchers at the University of Queensland
studied the effects of activity-promoting desks
on workplace efficiency, and found employees
with the option to stand or walk at their desk
throughout the day delivered improved business
outcomes.
Demand for standing desks in the UK
has grown by more than 20% in the last 12
months, according to research by construction
consultancy TowerEight, although previous
studies on the benefits has been limited that of
the health of employees.
UQ School of Human Movement and
Nutrition Sciences researcher, associate
professor Nicholas Gilson, said they uncovered
differences in attention allocation and stress
response between workers who sat for the
duration of a typical work day and those who
used a sit-stand or walking desk every 30
minutes.
Brain activity was measured using an
electro-encephalography (EEG) cap to
assess attention during computer tasks, and
saliva samples were taken to measure stress
levels.
“We found people who use activity-promoting
desks were more able to focus on urgent tasks,
avoid non-urgent tasks, and manage stress
better than people sitting at a desk all day,” Dr
Gilson said.
“The workers who used sit-stand or walking
desks allocated attention most effectively and
had lower levels of cortisol – known as the
“stress hormone” – in their saliva.”