Plant-based diets, hiking boots, adventure podcasts and seafront running festivals
Summer may be drawing to end, but as we all know winter is the best time for fitness. Sure, the nights are getting darker but that just means you need to organise your time as effectively as possible.
Luckily we’re here with the weekly guide on things to buy, watch, read and race. So sit back and see what’s on the agenda.
And while we’ve got you, check out the best content from Get Sweat Go:
- Running: Running races in New Zealand you need to know about
- Workout: Getting a personal trainer – the zero BS guide
- Yoga: Seven benefits of a wellness retreat
- Trek: Hiking guide to the Tatranská Magistrala
Watch this
The Game Changers
The Game Changers has actually been floating around various special screenings over the past year, however, it isn’t until now that the film is being released to the masses. The only tricky thing is that it’s about to be released to the big screen for a one-off premiere showing only on Monday 16 September. So if you want to watch it, you’d better get it booked.
The documentary focuses on the world of plant-based diets, tackling the pertinent issue of how viable that is. For the average person, the discussion around a meat-free diet is one of the most important topics at the moment, for athletes, the debate of recovery without meat is another matter entirely.
Featuring a frankly ridiculous number of celebrities and sportspeople including executive producers Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton and Novak Djokavic as well as athletes like ultra-runner Scott Jurek, strongman Patrik Baboumian and Olympic medalist Dotsie Bausch, it’s a documentary on the grandest scale possible. Yes, it may be a big PR piece for a meat-free world – but we’re not going to argue with that.
Find out where to watch it here
Read this
Light on Life: The Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace and Ultimate Freedom – BKS Iyengar
Buy now: Amazon | From £9.99
If your interest in yoga lies towards the traditional, then there aren’t many teachers out there with the wisdom and experience that BKS Iyengar had. One of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people as well as the founder of the popular Iyengar Yoga style, he wrote some of the most highly praised books about yoga in the 70 or so years he spent practising.
- Essential reading: The best yoga books to buy
Light on Life is not so much a textbook on poses and practice as it is a source of guidance around how consistent daily yoga can have benefits across many aspects of a person’s life. Expect honest and witty autobiographical anecdotes as Iyenga provides not only a learning framework for yoga but an invaluable discourse on life.
Race this
Bournemouth Marathon Festival
If the realisation that you’ve got an autumn marathon coming up very soon has suddenly hit you hard then it’s likely you’re frantically searching for races to get in before the big day. Welcome to the club – we’re in exactly the same boat.
The Bournemouth Marathon may well be sold out for general race places, but you can still get yourself on the start line of the half marathon event in a few weeks. Why Bournemouth? Well, there aren’t many running experiences that match the joy of running by the sea as you head towards the finish line – and Bournemouth has by far one of the best seafronts in the UK.
- Check out: The best London running events
Not only that, but the two-day running event includes 5k and 10k distance races as well as a range of options for junior runners. You even get to run out to sea via two different piers – which has got to be a first for a half marathon.
When: 5-6 October
Where: Bournemouth
Price: £20.25 (5k) | £30.50 (10k) | £36.75 (Half)
Buy this
Adidas TERREX Free Hiker GTX boots
Buy now: adidas (UK) / adidas (US) | £179.95
When Adidas launched the first Free Hiker boot last year we were initially skeptical about using it for hiking. Compared to most other boots available it looks and feels more like a hi-top trainer than a technical walking shoe. It wasn’t until we used it for a two week trip to British Columbia that we really got to grips with it though.
The Free Hiker is not a competitor for highly technical mountain boots. It’s a ridiculously comfy and lightweight boot made to fit into the world of hiking the same way a shoe like the Adidas Solar Boost is designed for running – a stylish piece of kit that has an underlying bed of technical features for the more general outdoors adventurer (think trail hikes as opposed to technical scrambles).
- Sort your footwear: The best hiking boots for men | The best hiking boots for women
The one problem we had with the previous Free Hiker model was the fact that it isn’t waterproof – fine for nice summer walks but not an option if you’re heading out in the rain. Now in its second iteration, Adidas have included a Gore-Tex outer to rectify that, making the latest GTX model a great option for day hikers and walkers.
Sweat this
Digme Live
If you love your spin then the latest large-scale event from Digme is going to be right up your street. Taking place in London’s Fabric Nightclub, the evening will see two sessions of 120 people frantically bobbing up and down fuelled by music through the famous Fabric sound system.
Expect flashing nightclub lights, a gin bar, protein-packed smoothies and loads of goodies from some of the best brands in fitness. Just save the drinking for after the class.
Where: Fabric Nightclub, London
When: 19 October 2019
Sign up to know when tickets go live
Listen to this
Outside Podcast
There aren’t many podcasts out there that have such a massive range of interesting topics week in, week out. Just read through the last few months and you have a man who actively gets bitten by snakes, a focus on the healing power of running, how to break the world 24-hour pull-up record, and a detailed account of the aftermath of being hit by lightning.
As you’d probably expect from the Outside team the choice of topics covered are brilliantly creative and offer something new and unexpected with each new podcast released. Smart, insightful and by far one of the best podcasts out there for lovers of the outdoors that don’t just want to listen to someone nattering on about hiking for two hours.
Listen: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher
The five-minute fix
Could using mouthwash ruin the benefits of exercise? Researchers at the University of Plymouth have some thoughts on the matter (3.00)
Ankles, one of the most important thing to look after for any runner but something we don’t often train effectively. Here, James Dunne takes us through some of the best exercises for injury rehabilitation and protection (5.00)
Sure, hiking poles seem to be popular with hikers and ultra-runners, but how do you actually use them effectively? Watch this video for a nice simple overview (5.57)
