For three days, the Business Design Centre in Angel was taken over by a huge range of fitness and healthy-living brands, vying for the attention of hundreds of women who came from all over the country to gain the tools to become fitter, healthier and happier.
This was the weekend of the Be: Fit Festival. A festival for women, by women (the Be: Fit ladies from The Telegraph). Denise Lewis, Madeleine Shaw, Becky Adlington, Calgary Avansino and Farrah Storr were among the famous headliners giving talks throughout the three day festival.
I was keen to visit as many stands as possible throughout Sunday, and having been to the London Coffee Festival the day before, I was aware that spending a whole afternoon may not be enough time. So off I went, waking up early and getting there for the opening at 10. I’m really glad I got there early because there really was a huge number of stands present, and in the end I stayed there until 4 or 5!
As it was a health and fitness festival, lycra was my choice of outfit of the day. I am so in love with SDNY (available at JDSports) at the moment. I love flowers, and a lot of their collection incorporates floral patterns. These leggings are so pretty; black with the floral pattern around the ankles.
As there were so many brands, here’s my highlights and the fitness fashion trends:
African Prints:
Lornah was by far my favourite brand. It is African influenced and that really came across in the prints, and in the end I bought this shirt.
All Things Bright and Beautiful:
There were lots of brands selling bright, bold and colourful leggings. After buying my bright yellow Kill Bill-inspired leggings from Mirelle a few months ago, I have really grown to love leggings that are bright and beautiful.
I love these flamingo leggings from Byron & Bronte. The leggings range was incredible and the prints were really different. I ended up buying a pair, which I’ll post on instagram (I’m starting to post #ootd gymwear posts).
Statements:
My fitness wardrobe is so varied. On the one hand, I can be about all-black, the next minute I’m full of colour and the next I’m about statements. Man Up comes into play here. They sell activewear with motivational slogans. You have to love some of these tops.
Mesh:
I love mesh in my activewear. Not only does it look so good, but it adds breathability.
Bella Kinesis had a sports bra with mesh at the back, and water-inspired blue prints on the front. They are super pretty and comfy, you could even wear it as both a bra and crop top. If you’ve got a bigger bust, my advice is to ‘double-it’- wear your normal sports bra under this if wearing as a crop top. Bella Kinesis is unique in that they also are about empowering women; part of their money goes to empowering women in India.
Protein Shakers:
You all know I love protein shaker bottles that stand out, and ShakeSphere is a new one to watch out for. For those looking for a budget-buy, the Shakesphere offers a lot for under £10. It can store your tablets, has a section for protein powder storage at the bottom, a curved bottom so no protein powder stays clumped at the bottom…..and *breathe in*… it can purée a banana. Amazing!
Food:
Working out is only a part of healthy living, and it was great to discover lots of food brands, new or already established. I met the Feeling Upbeat team, which was great, after reviewing them last year! (They have a new chocolate orange flavour by the way, which is deeeeee-licious).
Of course, just because it was a health and fitness festival, doesn’t mean there weren’t sweets….
I loved Nakd’s stand, and they had a really good mix-and-match deal on their Nakd bars, so maybe I bought a few bars….
Quest was also at Be: Fit. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know how much I love Quest bars. If you’ve never heard of Quest, then I recommend you try them out. They are such a versatile bar; long gone are the days when you ate a bar by just munching on it. Quest bars can be heated up, put in baking recipes, or my favourite, using as a topping for overnight oats for breakfast.
Everyone loves a smoothie, and my favourite smoothie-brand I discovered on the day was Pack’d. They sell bags packed with fruit for specific smoothies, making it so much easier for you when whipping up a smoothie. With their name, I think it would be a crime not to branch into packed lunches!
These were just some that really stood out for me. If you didn’t go this year, I’d recommend going to it next year and spending the whole day, or at least half the day, there. You won’t find yourself standing idle at any time. There were plenty of talks throughout the three days as well as sessions in the Reebok Studio for specific classes (ranging from Barry’s Bootcamp to Barre work).
A massive thanks to The Telegraph team for organising this festival. It really was great to find such a huge variety of brands covering all aspects of a healthier and fitter lifestyle, as well as discovering new brands.
If you went to Be:Fit, who were your favourites?
Mara xxx
