Two Fridays ago, I posted a #FridayFive listing what I missed about London. I had scheduled the post a few months before, not knowing that the day I posted it, I would actually be in London. Coincidence, fate – both?
If you didn’t know (where have you been?) I lived in London for a full year working in PR which you can read about in the 100 or so blog posts I wrote during those 12 months. One thing I struggled with in London was the gym/work/life balance. I was drinking quite often (too often) and rarely made a home-cooked meal.
Recently I was introduced to a new app that would have suited me so much when I lived in London. I even had the opportunity to try it out and hence, here is the review. I know a lot of people that visit my blog are based in London, so I thought it would definitely be of interest, especially when it comes to trying to get that gym/work/life balance in order.
My sob story
We’ll not be getting into my lifetime relationship with the gym, weight or food because I could write a 1000 page novel on it. Instead, I’ll just walk you through the year that I was in London.
I went through a few phases of being super motivated and for three weeks in January (new year, new me) I wakened at 6am and was in the gym for 7am, working out for an hour before going to work. I felt amazing. Being awake for three hours prior to sitting at my desk actually made me feel much more prepared and ready for the day ahead. But that was short lived. I saw a lot of progress in toning etc. but the cold, dark mornings got a bit too much.
London gym memberships don’t come cheap, but I had a membership with Better Gym and it was around £35 per month which wasn’t the breaking of the bank. However, by March I had divorced Better Gym as I was paying for a membership that I wasn’t using. I realised that £35 could be put to better use (behind the bar).
The fit life did not choose me
After my birthday in March, I had been on a few holidays, celebrated my 21st for the whole month and could notice the effects afterwards. A new gym opened up around the corner from my work and they offered half-hour lunch time classes which I thought would suit me and get me into a routine. They also included a free PT session once every month with the membership.
My three months spent at Fitness Space in Wimbledon were great. The gym was really small, but the classes were brilliant and each trainer knew you by name. It had a personal feel to it and the trainers were always willing to offer help and guidance. I’ve realised now that when it comes to the gym I definitely prefer classes to doing my own thing. I need someone there to push me or I’ll just take a leisurely approach and spend fifteen minutes lifting the same barbell before getting bored and heading home.
One of the main reasons I was so excited to get back to Liverpool, was to get back to my old gym and lose the ‘Coty stone’. I wish I could inform you that this happened, but I’ve reunited with my social life and been to the gym all of four times since September. In my second year of university I basically lived in the gym, and it was noticeable. I’m heading to Vegas this week for a holiday and am very determined to fall back in love with my old gym in the new year and get into a better routine when Dry January comes around.
So, if like me, you’re ready and willing to get back to the gym and enjoy it, I may have the app for you.
The test drive
As I was only in London for the day and had a few meetings to attend, I chose to book a class in Carnaby, near Oxford Street. I chose a Kettlebell class as I much prefer weights over cardio and have a phobia of spin classes. I booked in at the Good Vibes gym as it seemed quite quirky and informal. Going to the gym is always quite an intimidating thing for me, so choosing the right gym was important.
I really enjoyed the class and the employees were very welcoming. It was an incredibly easy process as when I arrived I just had to show my booking on the app and I was good to go. The app gives all details about the gym you book in with which I found super helpful.
There’s a huge variety of classes and I felt spoiled for choice. There were also some gyms on there that I really want to get back to London to try out, like Sweaty Betty and Barry’s Bootcamp. The pictures below show just how many classes are available all over London – so convenient!
Here’s the deets
The app is currently only active in London and Sydney and lets you book on to gym classes all over the city. It means you don’t need to have a membership and can join in any class of your choosing at any time, in any area of London.
No matter what you’re into, whether it’s boxing, ballet, swimming or spinning, there will be a class on offer.
If like me, you have commitment issues and end up wasting your money on gym memberships that are never used, this app will be the best thing to happen to you. I used to work out how much I was paying per day for gym membership and try to push myself to go as often as I could in order to get the most for my money. Savvy spending, right? But this meant that the more days I went without going to the gym, the more guilty I felt.
You can download the app from the Google Play Store, or Apple App Store and receive £20 credit when signing up – that’s a free gym class straight away!
And I have a referral code too. If you sign up with my code, I receive £20 credit for the app and so do you! And once you sign up, you’ll get your own referral code for a friend to sign up, meaning another possible £20 credit for you. Think of all those free gym classes…
My code is: OSHANKS23898
*This post is a sponsored collaboration with Esquared – all reviews are honest and I wouldn’t recommend something that I wouldn’t purchase/use myself.*
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