If ever there’s a time when community feels important, it’s Christmas time. When a year comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on the highs and lows of the past 12 months, and the highs almost always involve my friends, clients and all those moments that contributed to a sense of community. In 2015, the fitness community particularly impressed me. So much so that, as of yesterday, I left the security of a rewarding full-time job to give more of my time and attention to the inspiring trainers, journalists, clients and friends who I am proud to count among my fitness family.

I’ve been part of a lot of communities during my life so far. There have been office communities, residential neighbourhoods, branches of extended family and my husband’s family, school and university networks, interest-related clubs and societies, online communities… so why did the fitness community make such a big impression on me?

I recently came across an Instagram quote that read: “I’m not interested in competing with anyone. I hope we all make it.” I saved this quote because I think it’s a perfect summary of the fitness industry. Like sport, fitness can certainly give rise to competition, but beneath that sense of friendly rivalry rests an inherent respect for others within our fitness family and a wealth of goodwill to see others do well. Because in fitness, it’s precisely the success of others that inspires us to break down boundaries and be the best we can be.

When I was first thinking about training for my PT qualifications, I was astounded by how much encouragement I received from others in the fitness industry. There was no sense of unwanted competition, or fear of others’ success. There was only a desire to join together and spread the benefits of wellbeing, safe in the knowledge that each of us brings something unique to the table. Eager for the opportunity to reach more people and help them find that unsurpassable sense of empowerment that comes from surmounting the physical and mental challenges of exercise.

Fitness professionals and enthusiasts make up one of the biggest communities in social media for this very reason. We love to see others succeed, whether it’s through new PBs, trying new workouts, creating something delicious in the kitchen or making a complete physical and lifestyle transformation. On more practical terms, social media also plays a huge role in introducing us to new exercises or classes, meeting people who share similar goals or workout preferences, and keeping engaged through the advice and motivation always just one scroll away.

While I love social media, one of my favourite benefits of the fitness community is the way it fosters offline connections. Last week, after teaching TRX in Heartcore Fulham, I sat down on the tube beside a girl with an adorable dog nestled in her handbag. Her canine companion rightly sensed the dog-lover in me (and the golden retriever hairs on my coat after cuddling one of Heartcore’s many studio dogs) and jumped onto my lap. After mentioning I teach at Heartcore, the girl told me she is a regular at the nearby Power Yoga Company and we immediately bonded over our favourite yoga instructors and classes. Making conversation on the London Tube is a rarity, so I put this new addition to my growing fit fam down to the welcoming, supportive and inspiring community of people who strive for the best in wellbeing.

As we say goodbye to 2015 and usher in 2016 with more love, energy and determination than ever, I just want to say thank you to everyone who continues to teach, inspire and motivate me. And that includes YOU. Even more than fellow trainers, I am constantly learning from my clients. YOU are the reason I happily set my alarm for 5am and feel continually inspired to be the best version of myself. Your success is my success, and there’s no motivation bigger than that. Happy Christmas team! Let’s make 2016 epic!

Love Brit x

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my new fitness services, available from January!

Blur’s famous summertime anthem talks about those joggers who go “round and round and round”, but exercising outdoors doesn’t have to centre around the same old running trail. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Hit the sound on my videos below!) When the weather is glorious, there’s nothing I hate more than staying indoors – whether I’m stuck at my desk or constrained to the gym. But my boredom threshold is also quite low and you won’t find me pounding pavement for mile after mile.

Time for the good news. There’s no reason to look longingly out the window when you can get a well-rounded workout that’s every bit as interesting and effective as a gym session. How? With two pieces of portable equipment that weigh less than your water bottle and fit into a small rucksack. No, I’m talking about a TRX, which can put you out by £150 or more… The following workout uses nothing more than a skipping rope and resistance band – I picked my rope up from Sweaty Betty for £12 and got my resistance band free at a ZICO coconut water event (but these £10 Sweaty Betty ones also deliver excellent bang for your buck).

Your instructions are simple.

1. Find a park bench.
2. Unpack your resistance band and skipping rope.
3. Perform the following circuits.
4. Be prepared to sweat. 

Warm up

Jog to your nearest park. If you’re lucky enough to live with green space on your doorstep, run a couple laps until you’re just slightly breathless. You may even want to take your skipping rope for a spin around the park with you – just watch out for passersby and pooches.

Circuit 1

Bench single leg step up with reverse lunge

12 reps each leg

Plant your right foot firmly on the seat of a park bench and explosively channel your weight through that foot to bring your opposite knee in towards your chest. Keep your chest pointing forwards and your core strong to help stabilise through the spine. Now step down and take the right foot behind you into a deep lunge.

Single leg bench squat

12 reps each leg

If you found that easy, just wait until the burn kicks in on this one. Take a seat (for now) and keep your right foot on the ground while you hover the left foot out in front. Squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to come to a single-leg stand while your left leg hovers in the air – the higher you lift it, the greater the challenge for your hip flexors. Come back down, slow and steady!

Fast skipping

60secs

Pretty self-explanatory, this one! If you don’t want to keep checking your watch, you can expect to get about 120 fast skips in 60 seconds. If that’s not true, it’s time to turn up the tempo! Too easy? Try getting 2 full rotations of the rope with every jump or hopping from side to side to work a little bit harder.

Rest up to 60 seconds then repeat the circuit two times.

Circuit 2

Static squat with resistance band bicep curl

60sec

While trees are a great source of shade on a hot sunny day, they can also help to turn up the heat on your squats. Find a good sturdy trunk and rest your back flat against it, your knees bent to 90 degrees so your thighs run parallel with the ground. Now place your feet hip-width over a resistance band and keep your elbows glued to your sides as you curl your hands towards your shoulders. You’ll feel mercury rising in both your legs and your biceps!

Resistance band pulls

12 reps

Hold the resistance band straight out in front of you with your hands in line with your shoulders. Now pull the band down and out until it brushes your hips and you feel a deep squeeze in your upper back muscles. This one is amazing for correcting kyphotic posture – those rounded shoulders often associated with desk jobs!

Single arm overhead tricep extension

12 reps

Step on one end of the resistance band and take the other end in your right hand so your elbow points to the sky and there’s at least some tension in the band when your arm is bent. Now extend that band straight overhead, keeping the elbow as stable as possible. Perform all your reps on one side before switching to the left.

Plank with resistance band row

10 reps

This one hurts – in a full-body, core-sculpting kind of way (that’s a good thing). Tie the resistance band in a big loop around the base of the bench. Now get into a plank position on the ground and move far enough away from the band that you have to extend one arm to reach it. Keeping your hips stable and level with the ground, slowly row the band into your body until your elbow grazes the midsection. Do this 10 times, then grab the band in your opposite hand and perform another 10 reps. If you feel your lower back start to dip, come onto your knees and tuck your hips to maintain a straight line from your pelvis to your head.

Resistance band Russian twists

12-15 reps

Turn over onto your backside and sit far enough back that you have to create tension in the resistance band in order to hold it. Now find a 45 degree seated position and slowly twist your right elbow to the ground as you exhale all the air out of your right side. You should feel the contraction in your obliques. Alternate sides and try to resist relaxing your core between reps.

Rest up to 60 seconds then repeat the circuit two times.

Cardio Blast

These moves need no introduction but they’re here because they work and they are the perfect way to finish with a strong cardio burst after some full-body conditioning. You’ll get your heart rate soaring one last time and fire up your metabolism for a good 24 hours after you pack up and jog home in the direction of a hot shower. You’ve earned it…

Skip

60 sec

Squat jump (check your form here)  

30 sec

High knees

30 sec

Rest up to 60 seconds then repeat the circuit two times.

How do you like to exercise outdoors? Let me know how I can help to inspire your summer workouts, and check in with me on Instagram for regular insights into how I get my RDA of vitamin D and exercise all in one!

I’ve been home a week now but when I close my eyes I can still hear the strong waves crashing against the untouched beaches and see the healthy green aura Sri Lanka’s lush vegetation casts over everything. Sri Lanka is a country that stays with you, and in those particularly frenetic moments at my desk, part of me wishes I could have stayed with it, too. But now I get to relive a few of the highlights by sharing them with you. Perhaps you’ll feel inclined to book the next flight to Colombo, and hopefully you’ll also pick up a few tips for staying active on holiday – whatever the destination on the departure board.

The scenery

Green is the first word that comes to mind when describing Sri Lanka. Everything from the tropical trees to the low-lying plantation to the grass on the ground is so vibrant it seems to radiate a halo of light. And nowhere is this more true than in the tea plantations around Kandy.

We stayed in the luxurious ‘tents’ of the Madulkelle Eco Lodge; more than a worthwhile resting place after a rather hair-raising four-hour ascent. The one-lane mountain road is bordered by steep cliffside vistas over a valley so lush I thought heaven must be near (though I wasn’t ready for early entry and, in any case, can’t be sure I’ve made the cut). It’s no coincidence that the nearby hiking hotspot called Adam’s Peak is a pilgrimage site with visitors believing Adam stopped here to take a final look over the land of Eden.

The final hour of the drive is lined by miles of tea fields. Beds of tea leaves looked so dense you’d think they would hold your weight if you were so inclined to jump in. On arrival, it was captivating to see the clouds roll in below and the base of the valley disappear.

After spending a few days with our heads above the clouds, it was time to get a little closer to sea level. The ocean on the south coast of Sri Lanka likes to make a statement – waves erupting from the rocks like lava. Yet the rhythmic lapping against the shore is the ultimate soundtrack for relaxation. Stick around for dusk and it’s impossible not to feel at peace – the big red sun sinking beneath the horizon in minutes as it leaves its trace in the evening’s rose-coloured clouds.

Staying active

Staying in shape (and getting even fitter) was easy in Sri Lanka. As the temperatures rose to 30 degrees and above by 8am, we established a healthy habit of going to bed and waking up early. Often the first up in the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel in Galle, I’d have the gym to myself. Most of the equipment was a little out of date (head over to my Instagram account to see a step machine straight out of the 70’s), but it was fun to get a little old school and even run on a self-powered treadmill.

Daily swims in the beautiful Infinity pool were also the perfect way to stay cool. To avoid burning in the midday heat, I’d break my swims into two 15-minute sessions.

Making the most of the outdoors is especially important for me on holiday, as on working days in the UK I’ll easily spend all but one or two hours inside. I booked two private yoga classes on the balcony for my husband and I. Our instructor Upali specialises in Hatha yoga and had some unique approaches for getting into familiar moves, which I’ve since found useful for practising inversions like crow and headstand. Here he demonstrates a pretty impressive Scorpion handstand.

Upali definitely pushed me into some more progressive poses, so I was glad I’d spent a morning in the tea plantations warming up with a gentle stretch and flow session.

I also used the beautiful backdrop of the tea plantations to film this short sunbed circuit – proving that a sun lounger is good for more than just R&R. This sequence of step-ups, single-leg lunges, glute bridges (using the balcony railings for a little extra elevation), decline press-ups, tricep dips, plank-ups and teasers was an ideal full-body circuit to boost my metabolism and prevent any muscle loss while I took a break from my full-time routine.

Natural nourishment

Although I confess to the odd indulgence in Indian food, I prefer the creamy western varieties like Korma and Pasanda to the chilli-heavy variations loved by Sri Lanka’s locals. These fire dancers even swallowed the flames from their batons to prove just how resilient they are to the heat.

However, a daily soup course was a nice surprise, with ginger-infused broths having a warming quality without making your eyes water.

During a trip into the walled city of Galle Fort, we also stumbled across this independent spice boutique called Chilli Dragon, where I stocked up on some of my favourite ingredients like cinnamon for porridge and protein balls.

A cooler treat for the taste buds was a local drink called the Mint Frappe. Here Ben poses with the bright green beverage, which tastes as refreshing as it looks. I asked for the recipe so I could make it at home this summer, and it couldn’t be simpler.

Just blend the following: One large handful fresh mint leaves, juice of one lime, shot of sugar syrup and two handfuls ice.

I also loved the King Coconuts, served straight up with a straw, but those are a little harder to source at home…

My final favourite culinary discovery took place at the breakfast buffet: passionfruit crepes. Light and super sweet, passionfruit works so well as a pancake filling because it doesn’t need any further sweetener and packs in plenty of the antioxidants vitamin A and C, plus high amounts of dietary fibre to set up your digestive system for the day.

Serenity found

This was definitely the healthy getaway I needed to reflect on the remainder of the busy year ahead and restore some balance to my life. As I watched the sun set on our incredible holiday, I felt inspired to test some of my newfound balance in the Sri Lankan waves. Struggling to so much as to reach my foot in this pose only a few months ago, it says a lot that within a week I was able to advance my yoga practice and feel stronger and taller inside and out. In part, that’s because Sri Lanka is a land of letting go. There on the island’s southern shores, I let go of a lot of things – stress, uncertainties and ego among them. And so far I’ve managed to leave them at sea…