Vivid: Vitality

Health and fitness is an integral part of everyday life. We know the rules now of what it means to be healthy. Rather than looking at fitness as a separate issue, we all know about the idea of wellness but whats becoming more interesting is now seeing where fitness comes together with all other aspects of culture such as fashion, literature and architecture. Wellness has been the buzzword for many years but we are talking far more than exercise, food and stress-less life. In fact below are examples of when fitness meets culture:-

Fitness meets fashion …Gibson Girl activewear

The Gibson Girl is actually a reference to an ideal representation of women that appeared between late 19^th century to early 20^th century due to the illustrations by Charles Dana Gibson. The Gibson Girl became an ideal for a new sort of woman, representing independence and femininity. One of the main aspects of the Gibson Girl was her active role, often partaking in physical activity such as golfing and cycling. Images of her were seen in the most fashionable magazines of the day.  The ideal of the Gibson Girl contrasts with highly feminised silhouette emphasised by a corset, which was considered the norm of the day.

This same idea of balancing fashion and fitness is central to the activewear brand, Gibson Girl London. Inspired by the confident and carefree spirit of the original Gibson Girls, the brand focuses on sportswear for the ‘independent, confident and cool women’. The brand features a capsule collection of highly engineered sports tops, jackets and tights in sweat-wicking, lightweight material and technical fabrics which have been designed and tested to be both suited to performance and flattering to whoever wears them.

With the sleek and streamlined designs that are both fashionable and comfortable, Gibson Girl London shows that fitness does not have to be compromised for fashion. The brand rejects the idea that women should have to choose between wellness and fashion, again blurring the lines that exist between fashion and fitness. We have seen fashion embrace the sports luxe trend, it is now time to take it back to the source of inspiration.

The collection is the brain child of Sam Gibson, ex-designer at cult brand Red or Dead, who with her eye and knowledge of fashion has bought a new element to the world of fitness.  A true Gibson girl herself!

The collection is available here.

Fitness meets non-fiction…A personal fitness journey

Run, Ride, Sink or Swim: A Rookie’s Year in Women’s Triathlon by Lucy Fry – Fry dedicates this book to ‘all those women who want to ‘tri’ but think they can’t’ as a reminder that they can. Aside from the pun, the book takes on an honest and encouraging approaching to “the fit life”. In this book, Lucy Fry details her own journey from non-athlete to training and completing five triathlons in a year. Even though she writes about her own experiences, the message behind it is clear; fitness is for everyone. A great and personal insight into one woman’s personal struggle that is a journey all can relate to and also be inspired by.

Fitness meets architecture….Technogym

Technogym is a world leader in fitness, in fact they supply equipment for many gyms all over the world, they work with MSC Cruises and even supply gyms for the olympics.  Thats quite a CV! (see our article on the cruises here)

Known as ‘The Wellness Company’, the brand focuses on improving the physical wellbeing and performance of the user amongst other aspects. The brand also merges fitness and technology, creating a system which allows user to access programmes and information anywhere. This is all part of the idea that fitness is constantly evolving and changing, yet is still personal to each and every person.

They have  collaborated with the Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio and his Design Studio, (who built their amazing head office in Italy) focusing on stunningly designed machines that increase personal performance as well as being one of the most stream-lined and modern fitness machines in the market. The award-winning range, aptly named Personal, features the Power Personal, Run Personal, Recline Personal, Cross Personal and the Kinesis Personal Vision. The range transforms the idea of gym equipment, with Citterio’s sleek and minimalist style being a prominent feature on all of the products. As with all Technogym products, the collection features a multimedia function on almost all products which allows the user to store and track their progress. Like Gibson Girl activewear, this collection balances both style and ergonomic quality.

If however that’s all too much exercise for you, and your idea of exercise is sitting down and moving your toes, then TechnoGym have even got the answer to that; the Wellness Ball™.  

If you really feel you need to make a change to your lifestyle but the idea of a gym is too much, why not start at either home or office with a seat. Yes, the Wellness Ball™ is both a chair and a way to strengthen muscles, improve balance, flexibility and posture.  In fact, the Technogym offices in Italy have no chairs whatsoever and all the staff sit on the Wellness Balls™.  Of course this can also be used as a traditional exercise tool, but is a great starting point for those new to wellness as whilst sitting  users can work their back and core muscles, or just sit comfortably.

The range is available here.