PAMPER POINT: fitness

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If you have reached the point where you could do with updating your yoga wardrobe please take a look at our selection of exciting pieces below from companies that work according to ethical and sustainable standards. To see the slideshow, hover over the picture and click on the right hand side arrow.

1. Patterned Leggins - fashionable, feminine and comfortable yoga pants from Jala Clothing will be like a new lease of prana (energy) for your spring practice. You can pair them with pretty much anything you want, from basic t-shirt to casual tunic or a jacket should you feel to dress it up a bit.

Jala Clothing continually works on developing environmentally friendly manufacturing methods. The brand uses SUP fabric in their collections, a sustainable alternative to screen printed fabric. Screen printing is a method that engages many chemical processes on the way. In SUP fabric, there are no harmful toxins like formaldehyde, flame retardants, heavy metals or carcinogens. A safe and ecological choice.

INTERESTING FACT: The only waste by product after manufacturing of SUP fabric is paper which is fully recyclable.

2. Sleeveless Tops - a selection of feminine tops made by a company called FROM, is sure to give you the comfort necessary to perform your deep Ujjayi breathing. The main fabric is 98% organic cotton that is sourced from producers certified by Global Organic Textile Standards Association. That means the raw cotton has been harvested without the use of pesticides. Visit From Clothing

INTERESTING FACT:From Clothing is curve friendly, their designs flatter healthy looking women.

3. Yoga Bras. Another option from Jala Clothing, featuring funky crop tops and bras to compliment those super sexy open back tops. Too revealing for your liking? Of course not. Pop it goes on to your spring wardrobe shopping list.

4. Soft Cover Ups from Asquith, the brand committed to its "positive change" philosophy of being a fair employer, manufacturing their clothes with focus on durability and sustainability.

Not only are Asquith tops (see picture) versatile and practical but also, they are made from regenerated bamboo wood pulp or pesticide and fertilisers free grown cotton. Clean, honest and respectful.

INTERESTING FACT: Asquith factories are based in Turkey and Portugal where employees enjoy regulated work hours and working conditions.

5. Yoga practice often requires assistance of certain equipment. For beautiful back supporting bolsters, grippy mats and meditation cushions, there's no better place than Fushi, award winning ethical online store. Fushi is dedicated to offering the highest quality products from ethical growers and stockists. Their working ethos is based on three R policy - REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE. If you are after a unique piece that would help to take your asanas to another level, visit Fushi, your trusted online store that binds responsible consumer attitude with pure shopping pleasure.

INTERESTING FACT: FUSHI BLOG IS A TREASURE BOX OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH AND FITNESS. THE RECIPES ARE A MUST TRY TOO. SEE HERE

When it comes to fitness you need to keep your motivation high to avoid any gaps in your regime. If you have fallen off the wagon lately, it is very likely you just simply got bored with your routine.

I have a great suggestion that may be just what you need to be back on track in no time. It applies to both men and women. Do RUGBY training.

As ridiculous as it may sound, it is possible for anyone to train like a rugby pro and reap all the benefits of tough yet exhilarating sets of kicks, passes and sprints.

What do you need to start RUGBY inspired training?

- A friend to do it with

- A rugby ball (ideally about 5 balls)

- A bit of free access, grassy field

- A pair of football boots

Before I go into detail of rugby specific workout please keep in mind that this isn't with an aim to join a rugby team and participate in matches. This workout is to get you stronger, more agile, and your heart healthier in a very short space of time. I promise you (yes PROMISE), do two to three rugby workouts weekly for two months and you'll be flying off to the next level with your stamina of an athlete.

Still not convinced? I haven't mentioned that rugby teaches you many skills like eye to ball coordination, it speeds up your reaction times, it makes you sharper physically and mentally. Due to explosive nature of this training it also helps with high energy levels - so crucial in demanding life styles many of us have.

If you can see yourself enjoying a bit of mud on your shins and hands, a lot of fresh air in your lungs and pleasantly tired muscles then have a look at the workout pattern below:

WARM UP:

Do a few laps jogging around the field, find a bench or rail, hold for balance, do 20 leg swings on each side, then walking lunges throughout the length of the field.

TRAINING: (two people)

DRILL ONE:

Run parallel to each other up to five metres apart, pass the ball as you run in the same direction, the person with the ball runs ahead and throws the ball to the person just behind, the roles switch here, keep passing the ball to each other. Do as many drills as you like. Challenge yourselves by speeding up the pace.

DRILL TWO:

Run in circular direction around your friend, he/she passes the ball to you, you throw it back immediately while moving; challenge yourself by increasing the amount of throws, also vary the height of throws. Swap roles, do three circles each until exhausted.

DRILL THREE:

Measure a distance of around 40 metres, your friend passes the ball to you half way through the sprint, you leave the ball on one end, sprint to catch the next one, leave on the other end, continue until you've run out of the balls, then start collecting the balls one by one off each end (while sprinting), pass them back at your friend half way through your sprint; finish off with an all out sprint with no ball passes involved. Recover and repeat at least once.

DRILL FOUR:

Kick the ball in the air, let it bounce once and then try to catch. Rugby balls can be very unpredictable in contact with uneven ground, a lot of short run bursts and changing direction here.

DRILL FIVE:

One person practices kicks, the other collects the balls, from the field, concentrating on swift ball pick ups and powerful runs while holding the ball in one hand. Switch roles.

To finish off, do two sets of 20 press ups, squats, burpees and mountain climbers.

STRETCH (please see this link HERE)

Hope you are roaring to go. Please share your training experience. Use comment box below.

INSANITY INSPIRED TRAINING - EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED SERIES

As obvious as it may sound, some of us still seem to need a short reminder of why summer is the best time of the year to start a fitness routine.

1. You will naturally have more energy

My sport idol Rafa Nadal once said "Sun is energy" and he was so right - the moment some warmth of sunshine touches our skin, we tend to immediately crave some outdoors activities, and that's when we should understand the gift of our natural ability to feed off this powerful resource. No matter your fitness level or goal, you are going to achieve better results. If there are some of you thinking right now...I actually feel very sluggish on a hot day... it's not the sun, it's the situation you are unfortunate to find yourself in...snap out of it quickly by distraction, like an "all out" run, or chasing after seagulls...

2. Days are longer

I know this may not be the favourite for the spontaneous types but if you want to get anything done in life, it takes some planning. Guess what though.... summer means we have a day extended to some ridiculous measures, you have any time from 5am up until 10pm to squeeze your exercise- again, trust me it won't be a pain or chore...that rejuvenating run or cycle after work hours. Do it.

3. You will be more creative with your workouts

With sunshine, and more fresh air in our lungs we become more active mentally as well as physically. Make the most of this fantastic opportunity of higher brain alertness to create sets of exercises that you enjoy doing, discover new routes for your endurance training or... find courage to try a completely new activity. Military training challenge anyone?

4. You are more likely to develop good habits you will stick with throughout winter

This is by far the most important reason out of the lot because it creates positive changes to your whole life for the future. Just imagine yourself getting excited about a sports' packed weekend instead of a sofa slouching in front of TV with soul draining soaps on. Don't do this to yourself, you are born to do much more. There are many of you that are still not motivated enough, thinking, "when summer sunshine is gone, what is going to give me my energy?" My answer is...YOUR RESULTS AND EFFECTS OF YOUR SUMMER TRAINING...and believe me..you will notice them in your body and mind, just put some heart to it.

With so many internet resources available with fitness advice there is no surprise people get confused of what to do, how to do it and at what stage of their workouts. I would like to help you find answers to these questions in my article.

WHY?

I think it would be fair to remind a few FACTS about streching before I go ahead and present you with my own theory.

A - Stretching is an integral part of your fitness regime, there's no point to start exercising and neglect your stretches

B - Stretching balances out the physical action in your muscles - your muscles are stimulated to grow, or just become stronger by flexing and tensing them, but to get them back to their normal length and keep the same range of motion, you MUST stretch the shortened and tired muscles.

C - It speeds up recovery time after training

D - It improves your posture and agility, therefore it makes all physical tasks or playing sports much easier

E - It prevents you from painful injuries

F - It boosts blood circulation in your system ( again this helps with recovery, and endurance when exercising for longer periods o ftime)

WHEN?

This is a very important part as the confusion is often linked with not being sure when to stretch - BEFORE or AFTER exercise.

Stretching can only be safe AFTER you have warmed your muscles up, so I recommend you leave it until you have had a minimum of 15 minutes of physical exertion.

It is important you make your STRETCH time a priority - remember that if you want to reach long term goals in fitness and stay injury free, stretches are the key.

What about stretching during a workout? You'll find many opinions regarding this matter. I wouldn't recommend it knowing that stretching relaxes your muscles and thus may weaken them temporarily. You'd risk some sort of strain if you stretch right in the middle of your exercise.

Just to help you believe my words, I would like to confess that within years of my running, interval training and tennis palying, I was guilty of not doing my stretches in favour for a few more sit ups here or two more sprints there. I ended up damaging my left foot - so that now I have to manage the combo of plantar fascitis and achilles heel injury. I mainly do it by regular, diligent stretching routine. Let me put that in capitals: INJURIES ARE SO PAINFUL TO RECOVER FROM - DON'T RISK GETTING THEM - STRETCH

WHAT AND HOW?

There are many stretches you can do for each muscle group, but bearing in mind that people are very busy nowadays, I'd go for complex types of stretches that target many muscle groups all in one go, in other words, do YOGA POSES

FOR CALVES, HAMSTRINGS, BACK - perform Downward Facing Dog,

FOR BUTTOCKS, HIPS AND SHOULDERS - perform Half Lord of Fishes

FOR QUADRICEPS, CHEST, ABDOMINALS AND BACK- perform Bridge

FOR GROINS, HIPS, HAMSTRINGS - perform Seated Forward Bend

FOR ENTIRE SIDE OF THE BODY - perform this Side Angle Pose

These five poses will take you through a complex, full body stretch routine, that will create a healthier, stronger ATHLETE...or leaner, more supple and happier everyday WARRIOR.

It may take you a little longer to master the above poses initially, but once you do, you'll be able to perform them without any tutorials, as your awarness of your body increases. It is really easy. Start today.

To sum up, whatever you train for, stretches are CRITICAL to accomplish your goals with SUCCESS. Commit to it, and you'll feel the positive difference that extends beyond your workout matt.

Fresh Workout Look by pamperpoint featuring an under armour eyewear

I created this look to show how switching from most often worn black to lighter colours can uplift both your mind and body for a more effective workout. The key colours here are silver slate of capri pants and sparkly grey of the hoodie. They blend in with white shades of tank top and stylish sportsbag creating a balanced effect. Subtle accents of lime and peach are sure to bring out the sporty spirit of wearer. Purple trainers are a contrasting juxtaposition with the whole outfit but not clashing. (please be aware that I used this model of shoes for aesthetic purposes and don't know much about the fit or performance as I have never tested them).

Everything you see on the picture is by Under Armour, a make created by Kevin Plank back in 1996, former American football player, who was fed up with cotton sweat drenched t-shirts. He introduced a moisture-wicking fabric that keeps athletes dry, cool and hence, performing better.

I am a natural skincare enthusiast but when it comes to sport clothing, I usually wear the engineered fabrics as they don't leave you looking like a mermaid emerging from deep waters of your own sweat . I have done some research on bamboo fitness clothing before and must admit, I still haven't tried it, so here's something to put on "to do" list.

Hopefully I inspired you to refresh your sporty wardrobe, don't hesitate, ditch the black and beat your personal best this Summer.

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Wearable Wellbeing - Ethical Yoga Clothing Edit

HOW CAN RUGBY SPECIFIC TRAINING HELP YOU GET FIT QUICKLY? WORKOUT IDEAS

INSANITY INSPIRED TRAINING - EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED SERIES

Four reasons why summer is a perfect season to start exercising

STRETCHING - Why, When What and How?

Fresh Workout Look

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