Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to celebrate the launch of the Lucozade Sport Fitwater, more than Water campaign, which featured an intensely fun (and tough- ow my poor glutes and quads) Skifit session at Chel-Ski followed by getting to chat all things fitness with one of my ultimate girl crushes Gemma Atkinson.
Fitwater’s new campaign ‘More than Water’ is driving awareness and insight into the benefits of electrolyte soft drinks and the need to replenish fluid you lose whilst you work out, something I’m all too familiar with during my running and cycling. Unlike other sports/hydration products (including their own Lucozade Sports products) Fitwater brags that it is calorie free and zero sugar- plus I found it to taste identical to regular spring water which is also a bonus for me on gruelling training sessions when you’re getting a bit sick of sweet tasting gels. I have a big summer of cycling ahead with training for Ride London in August and it is extremely important, to prevent dehydration. Just to get all sciency, because I love science…Water in the body is essential for regulating body temperature, removing waste products, lubricating joints and maintaining cognitive function. When we become dehydrated the blood becomes thicker and the body is less efficient meaning you can feel sluggish and tire quicker during exercise. The Department of Health advise individuals to consume approximately 2litrs of fluid per day to maintain good health, however you do need to adapt your consumption to your exercise load and temperature conditions.
Gemma Atkinson is already reaping the benefits of Fitwater during her exercise regime and I was certainly keen to give it a try with my workout! So once we were warmed up, we headed onto the ‘slope’ for my very first experience of Skifit! I’ve snowboarded a few times on an indoor slope and managed a small level of proficiency but having my feet in two skis felt completely alien! The ‘slope’ is akin to a treadmill, and a brilliant confidence boosting way to become accustomed to the sensation of skiing. The class consisted of a great deal of squats, including some one legged squats which were an absolute killer.
After the session I had a chance to sit down with Gemma and ask all things training, strictly, managing time, advice for those new to fitness and her favourite workout. Despite the 4:30am start she was full of life, down to earth and passionate about fitness- especially women in fitness. Gemma crams a lot into each day and still manages to find time to train. She gets up at 4:30am on weekday mornings to head to her Hits Radio breakfast show, then heads to the gym 1-2pm to meet with her trainer. Some days she’s then in London or Manchester for ad hoc appointments. I honestly do not know how she does it.
Following her recent publication of her book ‘The Ultimate Body Plan’ which links a positive mental attitude to a fit, strong and healthy body, I was keen to hear of her fitness journey and advice for others. Surprisingly Gemma started her fitness journey as a runner, regularly competing with her club. She now loves to train to help de-stress and keep her mind fresh during her hectic work schedule- I think we can all relate to this! Her favourite workout is HIIT and in keeping with her positive mind, healthy body mantra she stressed the need to seek progression not perfection.
I envy her confidence in her training, especially when it comes to weights. I know a lot of us ladies are a tad scared of the weights section (myself included) so I was keen to seek her advice for overcoming the fears and getting down to it. Gemma top tip is whenever something feels daunting to write a list of your accomplishments, and challenges you have overcome. We’ve been through so much as women, that picking up a set of dumbells seems small in comparison. She went on to say that we owe it to ourselves to train well and feel good.
I left the event with a beautiful goody bag, a renewed and positive focus towards my training (thanks Gemma) and a killer set of DOMS. Thank you Fitwater for having me!
Gemma Atkinson is an ambassador for Fitwater, the functional water from Lucozade Sport. For more information about hydration during and after exercise, visit https://www.lucozadesport.com/fitwater/
This post is in collaboration with Fitwater as a thank you for inviting me to such an incredible evening.
This Bunny Runs 