Work out with your weans at Turtle Tots, a new swimming class for toddlers that benefits mums and dads too.
While it teaches the little ones water confidence and stroke development through singing and structured games, it gives parents a chance to socialise and get fit – one 30-minute class can burn up to 250 calories. Classes start at the Novotel Edinburgh, Lauriston Place in September. £110 for 10 weeks.
• {www.turtletots.com|turtletots.com|turtletots.com}
FITTEST BRIT
Men’s Fitness has launched this year’s FitBrit Challenge, which aims to find the fittest men – and women – in the UK. Simply complete eight exercises in the fastest time possible: rowing, cycling, running, shoulder presses, bunny hops, press-ups, box jumps and squats. You can take part at any Fitness First gym until 24 November – they’ll record your time and if you’re one of the top performers, you’ll be invited to London for the final.
• {www.mensfitness.co.uk/fitbrit|mensfitness.co.uk/fitbrit|mensfitness.co.uk/fitbrit}
EFFORT AND EASE
For the perfect pain/pleasure package, try the Balmoral Spa’s Sporting Spa Treatment. Start with a workout using their cardiovascular gym, exercise room and 15-metre pool. Then you’ll get an invigorating salt scrub, a 25-minute back, neck and shoulder massage, and the chance to unwind in the relaxation suite. You can also use the Finnish sauna and Turkish steam room. £60pp. Until end September.
• {www.thebalmoralhotel.com|thebalmoralhotel.com|thebalmoralhotel.com}
LET’S TWIST AGAIN
Got a spare tyre or muffin top? Spin it away with Powerhoop, a new form of exercise which uses a special weighted and shaped hula hoop. Whirl for just 15 minutes a day, five days a week, and you could shift between five and seven inches off your waist in just six weeks. Powerhoop also strengthens your abs and back muscles, and tones your glutes, hips and thighs.
• Monthly membership from £33.50. {www.edinburghleisure.co.uk|edinburghleisure.co.uk|edinburghleisure.co.uk}
EAT YOURSELF FIT
Giving your body the right fuel at the right time can make all the difference to fitness but it can be hard to know what to eat and when. Cooking for Sport and Exercise, a new cookbook and app from a former pro-athlete and senior lecturer in dietetics at Coventry University, makes it simple. It’s full of recipes and tips that, if followed, promise to improve your exercise and training regime. £12.95.
• {www.store.coventry.ac.uk|store.coventry.ac.uk|store.coventry.ac.uk}
GOOD VIBRATIONS
The key to staying fit as a fiddle could be found in sound, according to the alternative therapy of cymatics. Working on the theory that sound affects matter, cymatics teaches you how to improve your health and wellbeing using sound and resonance – at one of a series of workshops run by the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. Others include yoga, reiki and Pilates. Sound of Good Health, Botanic Garden, 21 October, £50/£45
UP AND AT ‘EM
If you hit the snooze button on a Saturday, you could be making Monday mornings even harder. Recent studies have shown that having a lie-in over the weekend can make you feel more tired and sluggish come the start of the working week. To wake feeling refreshed, try new Sleep Patch-It. These essential oil-containing patches claim to stimulate the main reflexology points on the feet and, somehow, deliver FAR-infrared energy while you sleep, leaving you ready to face the day. £3.99 for two patches.
• {www.hollandandbarrett.com|hollandandbarrett.com|hollandandbarrett.com}
THINK DIFFERENT
October sees the return of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival for a sixth year. Dedicated to raising awareness and challenging preconceptions of mental health, it also highlights the links between mental illness and creativity. The programme includes music, film, visual art, theatre, dance and literature at locations across Scotland. Check out Living with Labels/Powered by People, a film double bill plus panel discussion at Brunton Theatre. Free but ticketed, 20 October.
• {bruntontheatre.co.uk|bruntontheatre.co.uk|bruntontheatre.co.uk} • {www.mhfestival.com|mhfestival.com|mhfestival.com}
DON’T WORRY, BE APPY
A recent government survey found that the people of Edinburgh are among the most anxious in the UK. If you’re among the 45 per cent of worriers in the capital, then iThinkSmarter could be for you. This new personalised cognitive behavioural therapy app uses a self-help approach to problems such as anxiety, stress and depression. Free. Available from iTunes.
WALK THIS WAY
Teach your kids the health benefits of walking by taking part in International Walk to School Month in September. According to the NHS, nine out of ten children who don’t get regular exercise could develop cancer, type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Walking to school is a perfect way to build healthy habits and avoid problems in later life.
• {walktoschool.org.uk|walktoschool.org.uk|walktoschool.org.uk}