I don’t want to paint myself as
the out-in-all-weathers,
red-cheeked through the sleet
kind of dog walker, because I’m
not. When it’s foul outside
I delegate. To be honest, I quite
often delegate when it’s medium
outside too. But once spring
kicks in and the hedges are
bursting first with hawthorn
blossom and then with cow
parsley, I happily slip on my
boots and trudge out. I love a
beach walk best of all, despite
the often overwhelming
temptation to just lie on the sand
or shingle for an hour or two.
Happily the dogs race so far
ahead that this is impossible. (At
weekends kind people are always
phoning up saying, “I found your
dog,” even though this particular
dog isn’t remotely lost, just
exploring the beach that he
knows like the back of his paw.)
The thing is, even this feeble
attempt at exercise makes a
difference. I can walk for miles
without ever becoming
breathless or tired, which is all
I ask. I really believe in walking,
and anyone able-bodied can do
it, at any time, in any place and in
their normal clothes. It doesn’t
matter if you go for a quick
20-minute trot around the block
or hike for hours — the act of
marching along at a reasonably
brisk pace makes you fitter and
healthier, and the dogs make you
laugh with love as you walk,
especially when their ears stream
out behind them. I also do
at-home yoga via online classes,
for bendiness and in the hope
that it will stop me from ever
developing that kind of stiff-
hipped elderly gait.‘Walking the dogs?
It’s the best
exercise I know’
India Knight
Style beauty columnist5 Big Brother
is watching you train
The evolution of the home gym kit has taken a very
personal route: artificial intelligence (AI) will now
enhance your workout. This month Peloton moved
into the world of strength training with the launch
of Peloton Guide (below, £450, plus membership
£12.99 a month), which uses AI-enabled camera
technology connected to your TV to monitor how
you lift and check your form. It also tracks your
workouts to understand better which muscles
you need to exercise more. It’s far from alone in
providing algorithm-boosting fitness: the AI-
powered spinning bike Carol delivers workouts that
are proven to give you the benefits of a 45-minute
run in just 8 minutes 40 seconds (from £2,195, plus
membership £12 a month). But it’s not just smart
gyms — our clothing is getting high-tech too. The
Manchester-based smart-clothing brand Prevayl
has created a range of workout gear that incorpo-
rates biometric technology that takes clinical-grade
ECG readings to customise your training in real
time. And the future? The Massachusetts Institute
of Technology has developed a prototype smart
carpet with 9,000 pressure sensors that can feed
back information as you exercise — bringing a
whole new meaning to a “home” workout.
onepeloton.co.uk; carolbike.com; prevayl.com4 Sweat it out
We might have favoured more gentle
at-home workouts in recent years, but the
new cult class SweatCon is all about getting
a sweat on. Created by the personal trainer
Faisal Abdalla — who counts the singers
Ellie Goulding and Ella Eyre as clients — it
has just launched at BXR City and involves
60 minutes of strength and metabolic
conditioning with aerobic and anaerobic
exercises. Think along the lines of circuits,
weight lifting and Pilates, using SkiErgs,
assault bikes and free weights. Whatever you
do, don’t forget your towel. bxrlondon.com6 Jumping is trending
While some might be revelling in how technology
can maximise fitness gains, others are going retro.
Google searches for “plyometric training” have
shot up since the start of the year. Plyometrics is
basically any form of bodyweight training that
uses explosive movements to activate the
quick-response muscles, such as skipping with a
rope, jumping or clap press-ups. “The idea is that
the contractions need to be at speed,” says Loui
Fazakerley, a personal trainer at the London gym
Third Space. “What’s happening is a muscle
lengthening followed by immediate rapid muscle
shortening, and the main benefit is power
development.”
But while the moves are generally quite simple,
plyometric training isn’t necessarily easy. Created
in the mid-Sixties to train track and field athletes,
and originally called the “shock method”, some
form of plyometeric training is now used by most
athletes around the world. Fazakerley says that
while there are obvious advantages for athletes —
running faster or jumping higher — the rest of us
can benefit too. “I see plyometric training as
valuable for everyday life. If you have to run for a
bus or prevent yourself from falling, you need to
contract your muscles very quickly.” Jump to it!Getty Images
The Sunday Times Style • 11