With an Instagram feed full of Christmas trees and five consecutive days of flu (that means no exercise for me; cue crazy house fever and endless lusting over exercise class timetables), my latest holiday feels like decades ago. However, my winter escape to Australia made a lasting impression on me and a little extra downtime seems the perfect excuse to relive my adventures. A la pied, wheels or fins, these are the unforgettable ways to explore one of the world’s most captivating countries.

Hike

To me, exercising on holiday means maximising my time outdoors and using nature as a fitness playground. I was lucky enough to do two of Australia’s most iconic walks: the coastal hike from Bondi to Coogee and the steep ascent up to Passage Peak on Hamilton Island. The unspoiled beaches of Queensland also proved a stunning place to explore, and my husband and I walked hand in hand for miles without meeting a single person (or giant unsightly spider, much to my relief).

Run

You all know I can’t resist picking up the pace every one in a while, so Sydney’s Botanical Gardens proved the perfect place for an early morning workout. With jet lag on our side, and the company of numerous super fit locals, my husband Ben and I almost justified our ample holiday indulgences. Which brings me onto the next means of discovery…

Eat

Undisputedly the culinary capital of Australia, Sydney has a mouth-watering selection of restaurants to choose from. As experts in Asian fusion cuisine, I was charmed by both the service and the delicious tasting menu at Billy Kwong in Potts Point (which also happens to be excellent value for money). Pictured below is the fresh and immaculately prepared sushi at Toko in Surry Hills. I also joined the Manly surf crowd in my adoration over local favourite Pure Wholefoods, which has the most extensive menu of raw, organic and wholefood meals I’ve seen in all my travels. For healthy cooking inspiration, this is one place you simply can’t miss.

Buggy

When it’s time to give your feet a rest, Hamilton Island presents my favourite alternative: high-power golf buggies. Cars are strictly banned from this Whitsundays Island. Instead, tourists can hire buggies to explore the island, while locals personalise their buggies to stand out in the busy parking lanes. As you can see, I was quick to peg my favourite of the lot.

Boat

A trip to Australia isn’t complete without some time on the water. We took the fast boat from Sydney’s ferry terminal to Manly, and I loved pretending to be a local and joining in on what must be the coolest commute around the globe. With glorious beach, beautiful boutiques and enticing cafes at every turn, I can see why Manly is a popular place to live. It’s said to be the home of Australian surfing, and sharks or not (ideally not) I’d happily convert to a surf chick if it meant I could hang in Manly just a little longer.

Another necessary boat trip is to Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays – the iconic beach with the world’s whitest, softest sand. It was stingray season, but I couldn’t resist a little dip in the water. Check out my Instagram feed for some more snaps of the beach itself.

From either the Whitsundays or further north in Port Douglas, you can get a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. We went on a dedicated snorkeling trip with Wavelength Tours and I can’t recommend them enough – small groups, incredible snorkeling sites and super informative marine biologists on board. I’ve snorkeled and dived in a lot of destinations, but nothing will beat a face full of colourful fish and a (friendly) 15 minute encounter with a reef shark.

Swim

As swimming in the sea presents a few difficulties in Australia (you wear stingray suits snorkeling, but this isn’t the most comfortable if you’re after just a quick dip), there is a rather innovative alternative that beats a chlorinated swimming pool any day. All across the Australia coast, and famously around Sydney, there are natural pools that contain real ocean water without any of the ocean threats. Bondi Icebergs is the most famous (note you can also practice yoga there with Yoga By The Sea), but I also fell in love with some beautiful spots for swimming lanes along the walk from Bondi to Coogee.

Does this post remind you of your own adventures in Australia? Or has it inspired you to plan your next trip? Share your stories with me below (because more temptation to return is EXACTLY what I need :P).

Brit x

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!

Chiara Pellegrino is one to watch on the London fitness scene. With a professional dance background and a teaching presence in two of the city’s top studios, barrecore and Psycle London, she instils every class with high energy and precise effective movements. She also helps to spread her wisdom at the online home of her personal blog, 4fitnessake.co.uk. And lucky for Fit Brit Collective readers, she’s agreed to share five of her favourite barre-inspired exercises that you don’t need a barre for. Which means you can start incorporating them into your regime today – right now, wherever you are… 

When I say that I teach at barrecore I’m often asked, “Oh so you teach ballet?”…Well, not exactly.

Yes, the barre workout includes some typical positions derived from ballet, but they are revised and refined to provide a holistic fitness workout. No “port the bras” or “grand jeté’ (split jump), but lots of painful isometric contractions.

Painful yes, but definitely results-oriented.

And this is why I would wholeheartedly recommend giving these five barre-based moves a go – whether you are a barrecore addict or have yet to experience it.

Lunge

The lunge is a very popular movement in any kind of workout as the exercise has many toning, strengthening and flexibility benefits.

You can hold a bench or a surface in your kitchen for more stability, otherwise simply prepare for your lunge with your hands on the hips. Step your left leg back and make sure the right knee is in line with the right ankle. The back knee should hover just above the floor.

To give the position a “barre twist” add little isometric pulses, dropping the back knee a little lower. At all time keep the spine strong and vertical. Rolling the shoulders down the back, you want to engage also your lats and abdominal muscles.

Lunge is a great position to work on the quads, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors.

The isometric contractions will further help in burning the fat around your muscles, and breaking down muscle fibre only to rebuild it so it’s leaner and stronger.

After a few reps, flush out the lactic acid with the full-range movement, then come back to the starting position and pulse in the low stance. For an extra tough challenge, lift the front heel off the floor as you pulse – bringing the calf and ankle stabiliser muscles into play.

Wide Second

The classic ballet “grand pliè” is very common in a barre workout.

The benefits of the position include: working your adductor (inner thighs) muscles, as well as your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.

To set up the position, step your feet wider than your shoulders with a natural turn out of the hips. Then lower the tailbone in line with the knees, making sure the knees are tracking over the middle toes.

Get your hands in prayer or in a high V – this will increase your heart rate by pumping blood against gravity, therefore burning even more calories.

You can use isometric pulses in this position or wrap the knees out towards the pinky toes – adding to the tension on your abductors (outer thighs).

To challenge your core stability, peel your heels off the floor and continue with the same exercise.

After lots of isometric holds, it is best to release the lactic acid with a full range of motion. For a cardio burst that will leave you a little sweaty, accelerate the movement – make sure there’s a solid surface nearby for extra stability at speed.

Plank

Plank is one of my favorite positions in barre workouts as it’s a full body exercise, engaging core, back, legs and shoulders for the isometric hold.

To start, get into a kneeling position and place your elbows in line with your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and fully extend your legs, keeping lots of tension through your hamstrings so there’s a nice straight line down your back.

There are lots of choreographic options that you can perform while in a plank: twists, legs lifts, shifts of the weight forward and back, circles …

The side plank is a great option to work particularly on the obliques.

Keeping your body in a straight line, and shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other, try to lift the top leg a couple of inches or as high as you can. Squeeze it up and down for an extra glute contraction, or simply hold it and breathe through the shaking.

Bridge

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One of the very best booty builders, the bridge is a great way to focus on your glutes.

Lie on your back with the arms along the side of your body and the knees bent. Draw the heels as close as possible to the pubic bone and hover the tailbone off the floor. Make sure the spine is nice and neutral and engage the abdominals to avoid any arch or strain in the lumbar spine.

Press your hips towards the ceiling, tucking the tailbone and squeezing the glutes. Lift one leg up to tabletop or straight to the sky for a more advanced option. Lower the leg (straight or bent) to hover over the floor, then lift it back up for a full range of motion.

Abdominal Curl

This is the best position for building a rock hard abdominal wall.

Sit down with your knees bent and place your hands on the back of the thighs. Squeeze the belly button into the spine, tuck your tailbone towards your chest and hinge back, coming into a C shape with the spine.

Holding this position should feel challenging, even before you progress the movement. Once you’re comfortable in the C shape, start drawing the abdominals in to your knees without adjusting your spinal alignment. See if you can release your hands from your thighs to keep the work in your core.

Finally, to increase the work even more, lift your legs off the floor in table top or straight out to 45 degrees.

For more workout inspiration from Chiara, visit 4fitnessake.co.uk or join one of her popular classes at barrecore and Psycle London.