World Fitness Blog : Leading Global Bloggers

September 6, 2021

The 4-6pm danger period: How to take control of late afternoon over-eating

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: — admin @ 2:09 am

Working with clients on a daily basis, it is not uncommon to see a day of balanced, nutritious eating completely derailed late afternoon.

Come late afternoon, clients will find themselves snacking liberally on any food that crosses their path — demolishing tubs of dip, packets of crackers, the kid’s lunchbox leftovers and anything else they can grab and munch on quickly while preparing dinner. The issue with this is that it is entirely possible to consume an entire days’ worth of calories in a relatively short period time. When this eating pattern is coupled with a large meal at night, weight gain is common, even if you have consumed minimal calories throughout the day.

READ MORE: A spring smoothie for… muscle repair, weight loss, stress, energy, immunity

So, if you are a late afternoon binge eater, here are some steps to take control of this danger period for over-eating.

(Getty)

Plan a substantial afternoon tea

One of the key reasons we over eat late afternoon is that we arrive home from work starving, as it has been several hours since lunch was consumed. When you are extremely hungry, and your blood glucose levels are low, the drive to seek out sweet, carbohydrate-rich foods such as crackers, snack food and chips is strong, which explains why you can eat an entire packet of rice crackers in minutes. The easiest way to help take control of this drive to eat, is to ensure you have enjoyed a substantial, protein and fibre-rich afternoon tea, in the hour or two prior to arriving home.

Good options include: Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts, cheese and crackers and veggie sticks or a mini wrap with lean meat and salad.

Consuming 200-300 calories at 3-4pm each day will help to keep your blood glucose levels controlled so you remain much more in control of your appetite.

Develop some clear rules

There is nothing wrong with grabbing a snack when you arrive home, but the key is to choose a snack that has minimal calories so you do not displace your hunger and can still enjoy a nutritious, balanced dinner. Good options include cut up vegetables, low calorie dips (such as tzatziki), popcorn, berries or even sipping on soda water or sparking water instead of eating as a way to satisfy the need to have something in your mouth, minus any calories.

Get rid of the tempting foods

It goes without saying that if your cupboards are packed full of tempting treats — biscuits, crackers, bars, dips — you will eat them, eventually. So, if one of your goals is to take control of mindless eating, it is time to clear the fridge and cupboards of tempting snack foods that are easy to over eat.

One of the greatest predictors of discretionary or ‘extra’ food intake is availability, so the key is to set yourself up for success and make only the healthy, low-calorie foods the ones within easy reach.

Get out of the house

If late afternoons are especially tough, either because you are home alone, or simply bored and programmed to snack, one of the best ways to take control of your food intake is to get out of the house. Make this a time you walk and catch up with a friend, head to the gym (when you can), walk to the shop to pick up dinner or spend time in the garden. Changing the environment is extremely powerful when it comes to changing behaviour.

Prepare dinner earlier

One of the reasons many of us are likely to snack late afternoon is that we are in the kitchen preparing food when we are also hungry. A simple strategy is to prepare dinner earlier in the day, or even on weekends and store it, so then you only have to go to the kitchen to heat up the meal. Again being out of the kitchen at the time of day when you are most tempted to eat will result in you eating significantly less overall.

The best snacks to eat when you are working from home

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September 5, 2021

Max Verstappen wins Dutch Grand Prix to regain championship lead Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix in front of a raucous home crowd.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 6:53 pm

There were wild scenes at the Dutch Grand Prix as the championship lead changed hands in front of an insane crowd.

Max Verstappen has regained the lead in the drivers’ championship with a dominant victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Driving in front of his home crowd and raucous fans, the Dutchman led from start to finish to claim the first F1 race at the famous Zandvoort circuit since 1985.

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Lewis Hamilton fought hard but finished in second, with his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas rounding out the podium in third.

Strategy was always going to be crucial throughout the 72-lap race on a track that is difficult to overtake on.

Mercedes pitted twice in an effort to give Hamilton fresh tyres to help him chase down Verstappen, but Red Bull followed suit and was able to keep the seven-time world champion at an arms-length for the entire race.

Hamilton wasn’t happy Mercedes decided to take his second pit stop early, arguing he could have got a few more quality laps out of the tyres he had.

“Doesn’t seem to be an advantage,” he said over team radio, adding: “Called our bluff too soon.”

Verstappen was delighted to win his home Grand Prix in front of a boisterous crowd, which made the most of capacity crowds now being allowed at F1 races.

Dutch fans turned out in force to support their local hero. Thousands of fans wearing bright orange shirts packed the grandstands and lit orange flares during and after the race to celebrate Verstappen’s historic win.

The crowd threatened to cause chaos when Alpine’s Esteban Ocon said a stray plastic bag had made its way into his front left brake, but he was able to finish the race.

“As you can hear, it’s incredible,” Verstappen said of the support he enjoyed at his home race.

“Obviously the expectations were high going into the weekend and it’s never easy to fulfil that, but I’m just so happy to win here, to take the lead in the championship as well.

“It’s just an amazing day. The whole crowd … it’s incredible.

“Mercedes tried to make it difficult for us but we countered them all the time really well. We can be really pleased with the whole team performance today.”

“Well done mate, that was epic,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said, congratulating his driver over team radio.

“You’ve won your home race, you were brilliant today.”

Hamilton was disappointed by the result but praised the crowd for creating an electric atmosphere, even if they weren’t cheering for him.

“What a race, what a crowd,” he said after the race.

“Honestly it’s been an amazing weekend. Max did a great job, congratulations to him.

“I gave it absolutely everything today, flat-out. I pushed as hard as I could. But they were just too quick for us.”

“They were just too fast this weekend, and today.”

Verstappen now leads the drivers’ championship by three points, just ahead of Hamilton.

Mercedes now have a 12-point advantage over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

They made an interesting tactical decision very late in the race to pit both their drivers and give them fresh tyres.

After coming out of the pits with sensational pace, Bottas was ordered not to go flat out, effectively to leave the door open for Hamilton to record the fastest lap of the race.

But Bottas appeared to ignore those instructions and set the fastest lap time of the grand prix, only for Hamilton to go faster on the final lap, which secured him a crucial championship point in the context of his battle with Verstappen.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo started 10th on the grid and finished 11th, continuing his underwhelming first season with McLaren.

F1 fans won’t have to wait long for the next race, with the Italian Grand Prix taking place next weekend.

Dutch Grand Prix Top 10

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

4. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

6. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

10. Lando Norris (McLaren)

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Stepz Fitness urges Australians to prioritise activity and health – Australasian Leisure Management

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 1:26 am

Stepz Fitness has launched a post-lockdown spring campaign that helps Australians get back to the gym, develop a routine, and be affordable.

Taking account the toll that lockdowns have had and are having on exercise routine and that people have stopped using the gym, the campaign considers hopes to help all Australians get back their health and fitness routine.

The campaign, for a limited time, sees Stepz Fitness offer a range of benefits on all memberships, including: No Joining Fee; one free personal training session, ‘first two weeks free’; complimentary body scan and no minimum term contract.

With 16 locations across Queensland and NSW with 24/7 access, a statement from the Australian-owned franchise, advises “regular gym-goers know that routine is hugely important when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals.

“The lockdowns in Brisbane and now Greater Sydney, whilst vastly different durations, both have similar impacts. Both on physical and mental wellbeing.  The restrictions have the effect of putting a circuit breaker in life as we know it.

“Stepz Fitness urges Australians to develop a routine regardless of whether they are in Lockdown or not. They recommend you write down two different sets of daily routines – one for lockdown and one when lockdowns ease. Keep them flexible but clear. A good routine is one that you can adapt when needed without feeling uncertain of the activities planned for the next day.

“Too many Australians don’t put their health at the top of the list. The pandemic reinforced how important your health is and what freedoms are at stake if the health of a nation is compromised. With that being said, it is also understandable to feel momentary that exercise and good nutrition isn’t at the forefront of your mind.

“The pandemic has created many different stresses that can easily float to the top of your priorities without even realising it. Economic and social isolation may be dominating your thoughts. It may help to remember these worries are will quickly dissipate if you develop an illness or preventable disease associated with a lack of proper nutrition and exercise.”

The Stepz Fitness statement concludes that it is aiming for its campaign “to help more Australians feel happier and healthier through the well-documented benefits of exercise … without the barrier that sometimes comes with joining a gym.”

Click here for more information.

Images: Stepz Fitness’ Spring campaign.

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19th May 2021 – Body Fit Training named Asia-Pacific Franchise of the Year at Singapore’s Fit Summit Conference

2nd May 2021 – Latest Ausplay report shows renewed participation in Olympic sport

8th April 2021 – Stepz Fitness opens new gym in Dubbo

18th March 2021 – A third of global gym members unlikely to return to clubs after COVID vaccine

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12th November 2020 – Stepz Fitness curates holistic interiors to enhance patrons’ wellbeing

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September 4, 2021

AFL’s four contenders revealed The Western Bulldogs will face the Port Adelaide Power in one preliminary final, while Geelong faces Melbourne in the other. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 6:47 pm

A thriller at the Gabba has ended one side’s season and handed the other a preliminary final date with the Port Adelaide Power.

A scrappy Laitham Vandermeer behind in the dying seconds handed the Western Bulldogs a stunning one-point victory over Brisbane in a thrilling and pulsating sudden-death semi-final at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The Lions have now gone out of the finals in straight sets for the second time in three years as tempers boiled over with police restraining one supporter who was abusing the match officials as they left the ground with the free kick count of 28-19 against Brisbane.

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While the umpires had far too much say in the contest with howlers against both teams, when the match was in the balance, a brilliant left-foot goal to Bulldogs star Bailey Smith from 40 metres out broke the deadlock with two minutes left in the match.

A running Zac Bailey goal levelled the scores with 78 seconds remaining before Vandermeer rushed a behind with a toe poke to put the visitors in front to break the hearts of Brisbane.

Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli left the field late with a knee issue and the club will sweat on his availability ahead of the preliminary final date with Port Adelaide in Adelaide.

Jack Macrae (38 disposals and a goal) and Hugh McCluggage (28 disposals) were the best for their respective sides as momentum swung wildly throughout the contest.

The Dogs came out with all guns blazing in the final term with goals to Macrae, Josh Schache and Smith handing them an eight-point lead before Lions forward Tom Fullarton bobbed up with a major.

The Lions were reduced to a three-man interchange bench when Jarrod Berry was ruled out with concussion at halftime and medical replacement Ryan Lester – who came on for Jack Payne – was one of three goalkickers in the third term when Brisbane raced to a 18-point lead thanks to a noticeable lift in their pressure.

The Bulldogs lost Cody Weightman to a head knock late in the second quarter and his medical sub – Jason Johannisen – kicked a goal late in the third term to reduce Brisbane’s advantage to 10 points at the last change.

With Macrae racking up 24 touches by the main break, the Bulldogs led by the solitary point at halftime after they kicked the first three goals of the second term through Aaron Naughton, Mitch Hannan and Weightman.

Brisbane suffered a blow when fill-in forward Payne left the field with blood gushing from his head after clashing with the knee of teammate Linc McCarthy in a marking contest.

Brisbane led by 11 points at quarter-time after a sluggish start but scorching finish to the opening term.

The Bulldogs were on top early with Tom Liberatore hitting the scoreboard twice as the visitors dominated the contest on the ground and moved the ball out of defence with ease.

But Brisbane emphatically seized the momentum with three rapid-fire goals with Cameron, Linc McCarthy and Joe Daniher all booting goals on the back of Brisbane dominating centre clearances with ruckman Oscar McInerney getting his hand to the Sherrin first.

Cameron’s third goal for the term was a gem as he collected the bouncing ball at full pace and kicked across his body from 40 metres out to send the Gabba faithful wild.

Essendon supporters were irate at a number of umpiring howlers in the sudden-death final against the Bulldogs in Launceston last week. The Gabba faithful were revolting on Saturday when the Dogs received 10 free kicks to Brisbane’s four in the second term. Some were there – despite the passionate protests of some Brisbane supporters – but a few were very soft calls against the Lions. In short, they had a shocker. None of the officials at the Gabba should figure in the preliminary finals.

Concussion concerns

It was carnage at halftime with both sides losing players to head knocks. The Bulldogs were forced to activate medical sub Jason Johannisen after Cody Weightman suffered a head knock when he ran into the substantial figure of Marcus Adams in the second term. Brisbane had to play the second half with one man short on the interchange bench after Jarrod Berry was ruled out of the match with concussion after hitting his head on the ground making a tackle.

Forward line nightmare

Lions senior coach Chris Fagan is always happy to talk about Dan McStay’s vital role in Brisbane’s forward structure. With McStay in the grandstands after getting knocked senseless last week, his influence was missed. After losing Eric Hipwood earlier in the season, the absence of McStay was critical as the Lions struggled for a period to capitalise on their inside 50 entry superiority. Losing McStay’s replacement, Jack Payne, in the second quarter saw defender Ryan Lester thrust into a forward role.

Week three fixture confirmed

The Bulldogs’ win confirmed the fixture for the third week of this year’s finals series. Melbourne is set to face the Cats at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Friday, September 10. The Bulldogs will meet Port Adelaide the following evening at Adelaide Oval. The winner of each clash advances to the grand final on September 25 which, for the first time in AFL/VFL history, will be hosted in Perth.

Caleb kicks off

There is a good reason why there is a Twitter account devoted to the “elite” kicking skills of diminutive Bulldogs defender Caleb Daniel. Time and again, Daniel was able to clear congestion with raking pinpoint kicks to teammates coming out of defence to thrust the Bulldogs into counter-attack. Brisbane allowed Daniel to sprint 15 to 20 metres out of the goalsquare before he pumped the Sherrin to the centre of the field.

Score:

LIONS: 5.3/6.5/9.9/11.12 (78)

BULLDOGS: 3.4/6.6/7.11/11.13 (79)

Goals:

LIONS: Cameron 3, Bailey 2, McCarthy, Daniher, Robinson, McCluggage, Lester, Fullarton

BULLDOGS: Smith 3, Liberatore 2, Naughton, Hannan, Weightman, Johannisen, Macrae, Schache,

Greg Davis’ best:

LIONS: McCluggage, Zorko, Robinson, Cameron, Lyons, Coleman, McInerney

BULLDOGS: Macrae, Daniel, Bontempelli, B.Smith, Dale, Hunter, Dunkley

Injuries:

LIONS: Jack Payne (head cut), Jarrod Berry (concussion)

BULLDOGS: Cody Weightman (head knock), Bontempelli (knee)

Crowd:

36,470

Read related topics:AdelaideBrisbane

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September 3, 2021

The Easiest Way to Boost Good Gut Bacteria? Get a Load of Greens

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 7:37 pm

If you’re wavering among carrots, tomatoes, or spinach to accompany your next meal, go for the greens. Researchers at the University of Vienna in Austria have discovered that when green vegetables break down, they release something call sulfoquinovose (SQ), a plant-derived sugar, which in turn provides essential food for good gut bacteria to feast on.

“Our research has found that SQ promotes gut microorganisms known to be associated with healthy individuals,” says lead study author Buck Hanson, Ph.D. Specifically, SQ is broken down into acetate and hydrogen sulfide, metabolites that support the body in functions ranging from brain signaling to appetite regulation to cardiovascular health, says Hanson. (To figure all this out, the scientists studied the fecal samples from a group of vegetarians—hello, plant poopers—and worked their way backwards to figure out the influence of SQ on gut microbes.)

The tricky part: Researchers are still determining exactly how much of the green stuff you need to eat for maximum results that enhance good gut bacteria.

“It is too early for us to put a number on what is a healthy level of SQ consumption,” says Hanson, who confirms spinach has the highest amount of SQ of all the leafy green options.

Nevertheless, along with health-enhancing microbes, “there are other clear benefits to eating green vegetables, including their vitamin and mineral content, antioxidant properties, and dietary fiber.”

To get your SQ-loaded greens, try a Swiss chard and Swiss cheese omelet for breakfast, add kale to your lunch salad or sandwich, and steam yourself a side of spinach to go with your dinner.

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Classy moment after Geelong defeat GWS in AFL semi-final Joel Selwood was chaired off the field by Corey Enright after breaking his Geelong record games played.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 6:34 pm

After Geelong booked its place in a preliminary final, there was a touching moment when a legend of the game honoured his successor.

Geelong has stayed in the hunt for the AFL premiership with a dominant 35-point win over GWS in their sudden death semi-final on Friday night.

The Cats were scrappy early but pulled away in the second half to claim a 15.13 (103) to 10.8 (68) victory at Optus Stadium in Perth.

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After a very poor showing against Port Adelaide last week, Geelong bounced back and rediscovered some good form against the Giants.

It was a low-scoring start to the game, with the Cats kicking only two goals in the first quarter while GWS didn’t record a goal in their worst start to a game all season.

Geelong had a 15-point lead at quarter time and were never headed, despite GWS mounting mini-comebacks in the second and fourth quarters.

Gun key forward Tom Hawkins kicked five goals for the Cats, including three in the final term as his side ran away with the game.

The only sour note for Geelong came when midfielder Brandan Parfitt was substituted out of the match with a hamstring injury.

The result was a fitting way to celebrate captain Joel Selwood becoming Geelong’s all-time games record-holder with 333 games.

There was a touching moment after the game when he was chaired off the field by Hawkins and the man whose record he broke — former teammate and current Geelong assistant coach Corey Enright.

Selwood also notched up his 35th appearance in finals matches, drawing level with Port Adelaide and Hawthorn great Shaun Burgoyne at second on the all-time list.

Only seven-time premiership Hawk Michael Tuck has played more finals games in VFL/AFL history.

Geelong’s form in finals was questioned during the week, but Chris Scott’s men proved the doubters wrong to book their place in an incredible fifth preliminary final in six years.

They will face premiership favourites Melbourne next week for a place in the grand final.

However, the clash with the Giants failed to live up to the intensity expected of finals football and AFL pundits believe the Cats will struggle to challenge the Demons.

“I don’t think Melbourne are quaking in their boots right now based on what they’ve seen,” St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt told Fox Footy.

“I know it can change from week to week but nothing there would be scaring them.”

Earlier in the game, fans were convinced the Cats were getting the rub of the green from the umpires in the first half.

They were up in arms when Tom Hawkins kicked a goal after it appeared he pushed Giants defender Sam Taylor in the back before taking the mark.

“This is one of the blights on the game at the moment,” former Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said on AFL Nation, referring to free kicks not being paid for a push in the back.

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Home Fitness: Use Of The Peloton App Dropped 42% In 4 Months – Forbes

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 6:11 pm

Use of the Peloton app has declined in each of the seven months, and rapidly in the last four months, according to data from app intelligence service Apptopia. That’s a much bigger and faster decline than competitors like iFit.

2021, apparently, is annus horribilus for Peloton.

The iconic fitness and wellness company is struggling with slower sales due to the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic, an investigation by the U.S. government into problems with Peleton’s Tread+ treadmill, which the company recalled after being implicated in multiple injuries and at least one death of children, and a massive drop in stock price.

Now it’s clear that even existing owners are not using their Pelotons as much.

Perhaps they’re returning to the gym post vaccination. Or perhaps they were using products that were recalled.

In any case, the total decline since April is 41.7%. Just as shocking is that the drop is mostly steady from month to month. One ray of hope for Peloton: August saw a smaller dip than the previous months.

The fitness market overall is changing, of course, as the number of vaccinated people increases and states and countries continue to reopen. But smaller competitor iFit only dropped 16.5% over the same time period, and basically reached a steady state in June rather than August.

MORE FOR YOU

The big picture, of course, is that Peloton, like other home fitness companies, exploded with growth during in the heart of the pandemic in 2020. Its stock grew 644% from September 2019 to December 2020 as fitness addicts needed to replace a gym or spinning experience in their homes.

So a bit of a pullback is only to be expected.

Unfortunately, this looks like more than a pullback. This looks like a major hurdle that will take time and dedication to reverse.

Home fitness is not going away. And its baseline is likely higher today and for the foreseeable future than what it was pre-pandemic. But Peloton has a lot of work to do to reassure customers that its products are safe, to settle existing lawsuits, and to rebuild its product portfolio in safe and attractive way.

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How to Use Pressure Training to Get a Competitive Edge

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:02 pm

Forget about psyching out your competition. If you’re looking to get an edge on your rivals in your next race or game, consider psyching yourself up first. Pressure training, a mental technique that simulates the stress of high-stakes competition during practice, is the newest tool coaches are using to prepare athletes for battle. And for good reason: Research in the journal Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology found that when nearly 300 athletes underwent some form of pressure training before a competition, “they consistently outperformed peers who did not train under pressure,” says study co-author Billy Low.

How pressure training works varies by situation—one coach might put up a leaderboard in the locker room, where everyone’s practice times are ranked for others to see. Another athlete might post daily weightlifting goals on his Instagram account, then force himself to report the results that evening. The aim: Get used to training in an environment that mimics the pressure of competition over and over until you become immune to game-day anxiety.

“In my opinion, coaches should introduce pressure training months, rather than days, before a race,” says Low. “Athletes need time to learn skills to cope with pressure—then practice them.”

To really maximize results, he says, try applying performance-enhancing tools like visualization and positive self-talk while also undergoing pressure training. “If athletes always train in easy conditions, they won’t have to use those techniques to get through training,” says Low. “Then once they face pressure in competition, they struggle to refocus or stay positive because they haven’t made those techniques a habit.” So, go ahead: Drop and give us 40. Yes, we’re watching.

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Low-Volume HIIT Is the Best Way to Torch Fat in a Time Crunch

Love boot-camp classes but in a time crunch? Good news: low-volume HIIT is just as effective. Less than 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can reap just as many benefits as the traditional 30 minutes a day recommended by the surgeon general, according to new research published in the Journal of Physiology. “In many cases, the low-volume variations of HIIT provide comparable and, at times, superior improvements for a variety of health outcomes when compared to longer but lower-intensity aerobic training interventions,” says study author Angelo Sabag, Ph.D., of Western Sydney University in Australia.

Along with strong quads and a six-pack, perks of low-volume HIIT include a decrease in blood sugar levels and a stronger heart. “It improves the responsiveness of our muscles to insulin and allows us to better use blood glucose and fatty acids,” says Sabag. “HIIT also improves the heart’s ability to pump blood more effectively and circulate oxygen and nutrients to organs and muscles.”

Looking to give low-volume HIIT a try? Sabag suggests this favorite routine: 10 x 60 seconds running or cycling at 80-90 percent of max effort, with 60 seconds of active recovery (i.e. walking) at 30 to 50 percent effort between intervals. “If you are relatively untrained, start with five intervals and progressively increase the number until you can achieve 10 per session,” Sabag.

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These Design Hotels Are Architectural Marvels

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — admin @ 1:05 pm

When booking a hotel, most people don’t consider the framework of the building itself. Many choose hotels based on convenience or cost. Centrally located? Wonderful. Cheaper than an Airbnb? Splendid. For some, minimalism is fine—the hotel is secondary to the trip. But other travelers want more from their hotel—to surround themselves in total luxury in a space unlike any other. Sound like you? If you have a penchant for unique architecture, design hotels are destinations unto themselves.

Most hotels spring up in whatever real estate is available. A select number of properties, however, play off their surroundings. What makes these design hotels architectural marvels differ from one to the next. It could be significant because of the architect who designed it, historical distinction, or even because the building itself is unique (if it’s a building at all).

Below are eight design hotels worth the trip.

Spectacular Design Hotels That Are Architectural Marvels

An exterior view of the Hotel Marqués de Riscal in La Rioja, Spain
Courtesy Image

1. Hotel Marqués de Riscal

La Rioja, Spain

At the center of the Rioja Alavesa wine region in Álava, Spain, is this avant-garde masterpiece by Frank O. Gehry—one of the few modern architects the average person knows by name. Hotel Marqués de Riscal is just 15 years old, contrasted against surrounding structures 10 times its age (and that’s nothing compared to the 1,200-year-old La Rioja wine industry). Gehry calls the hotel “a marvelous creature, with its hair flying in all directions, launching itself over the vineyards.” He also designed the interiors of all 43 rooms and suites, made even more luxurious by the onsite Vinotherapie Caudalie spa, and a Michelin-starred fine dining. (May we suggest the Rioja?)

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Museum Hotel, Cappadocia, Turkey
Courtesy Image

2. Museum Hotel

Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is famous for its Bronze Age-era cave hotels, carved into the rocks among the horizon’s stalagmite-like “fairy chimneys.” Your stay in any hotel is second to the sunrise hot air balloon adventure that most visitors seek out—though a luxury cave hotel with views of the horizon (and all those air balloons) might just rival it. Museum Hotel is a modernized cave dwelling boasting antiques from the Ottoman, Seljuk, Roman, and Hittite periods, giving it a “living museum” concept. And of course, no two of its 30 rooms and suites are alike, since uniformity was not something the original architects prioritized when chipping away at stone. Design hotels aren’t always about the manmade, after all.

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Felsenhotel La Claustra, Airolo, Switzerland
Felsenhotel La Claustra, Airolo, Switzerland Courtesy Image

3. Felsenhotel La Claustra

Airolo, Switzerland

La Claustra is not for the claustrophobic—nor anyone who values a cell phone signal. It is, in fact, a “bunker hotel,” fashioned from an artillery bunker that’s built into the rocks 1.25 miles high into the Swiss Alps. And although it’s not most people’s idea of luxury, the location and silence are a welcome respite. If you’re worried about the other most important amenity (since connection with the outside world is off the table), rest assured you’ll have hot and cold spring water from five different Alps springs. The strange underground ambience makes for a head-clearing escape for many conferences, retreats, and creative escapes. There are 17 bedrooms across 54,000 sq. feet, which can accommodate up to 60 guests for private events.

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InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, Songjiang, Shanghai, China
InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, Songjiang, Shanghai, China Courtesy Image

4. InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, Songjiang

Shanghai, China

Thirty miles outside of Shanghai city center is Wonderland, opened in 2018 into a rock quarry. What’s notable about this InterContinental resort hotel is its two underwater suites, which swap out the stunning quarry views and submerge visitors inside a lively aquarium. The onsite eatery Mr. Fisher pulls the same stunt, surrounding guests with schools of fishes.

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A view of the pool area, ocean, and the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
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5. Fontainebleau Hotel

Miami Beach, Florida

Oftentimes, hotels are iconic for the era they represent. This is the case for oceanfront Fontainebleau in Miami (22 acres of oceanfront, to be exact). Its prominence on the coast is at Copacabana levels, thanks to architect Morris Lapidus’s towering curvature design. The 565-room luxury resort has been a nightlife staple since its opening in the 1950s, and has even been seen in a number of TV shows and films, most notably the James Bond film, Goldfinger. A 2008 renovation cost upwards of $1 billion, the same year the building was put on the National Register of Historic Places. To many, it’s the most important architectural structure in Florida, and cracked the top 100 on the 2007 American Institute of Architecture’s list “America’s Favorite Architecture” at No.93.

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An exterior image of the Petroff Palace in Moscow, Russia
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6. Petroff Palace

Moscow, Russia

From the curtains to the wall sconces, every detail at the Romantic Neogothic Petroff Palace is stately—as it should be, since the facility was erected at the order of Catherine the Great to celebrate victory over the Ottoman Empire in the 18th-century Russian-Turkish war. She wanted its 16-meter dome to resemble that of Istanbul’s (then Constantinople’s) Hagia Sofia. Don’t miss seeing it, in the hotel’s Round Hall. Napoleon once occupied the palace while surrounding Moscow burned, and Petroff also played host to Alexander II immediately before his crowning. Now, it’s a stunning boutique hotel with 43 keys, and one of the world’s most storied properties.

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A view of the Nhow Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
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7. Nhow Rotterdam

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Rotterdam is one of the world’s architecture capitals, and the quirkiest one at that. (It’s a short train ride from Amsterdam, equidistant to the Schiphol Airport.) A stroll through the city center is a feast for the eyes, thanks to its appreciation for cheekiness. One of Rotterdam’s most iconic structures is the riverfront De Rotterdam, with its off-center trio of towers designed by Rem Koolhaas. The architect did all of the interior detailing at Nhow Rotterdam hotel, too, which takes up 23 stories in the easternmost tower. This hotel is a bucket list treat for the architecture junkies above all else, but it’s an easy, accessible 4-star pick for any visitors.

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The Hotel Le Corbusier in Marseille, France.
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8. Hotel Le Corbusier

Marseille, France

Speaking of architectural bucket lists: This 3-star hotel is found inside the otherwise residential “radiant city” (‘Cité Radieuse’) in Marseille. Hotel Le Corbusier combines colorful elements characteristic of Le Corbusier, the famed architect and urban planner whose various Unité d’habitation projects aimed to solve urban crowding with high-rise, community-based structural design. You can experience what life is like for the many residents who still occupy the space, with its pop-color balconies overlooking the sea to one side, and green foliage to the other.

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