Melissa Power

‘I want to look like him/her' That person is currently on their ninth ultra-marathon, used to be a Russian trapeze artist and their bed is under the chest press. Don’t try to look like someone else.   ‘I trained for three hours on Sunday and only ate broccoli all weekend, are you proud of me?’ No. We are not proud of you. After an hour of training you won’t be able to lift as heavy or run as fast unless you eat properly so chill out and munch on a sweet potato or else come Thursday evening you’ll be sitting on the kitchen floor eating cereal out the packet with your hands. ‘I’ve brought my boyfriend/mum/child to watch is that okay?’ Folks, leave the fam at home. They’ll either distract you, embarrass you or nearly kill themselves trying to do tricep dips on a cross trainer.  ‘Can I have your number?’ No. Don’t proposition your trainer - even if you think they are admiring your Lycra-clad glutes, they’re probably just checking your squat technique.  ‘I want a six-pack in three weeks before I go on my holidays.’ If I could make that happen I would be riding around in a unicorn driven chariot chucking money onto the streets on my way to my jewel-encrusted jet to fly to my private island. ‘I don’t want to sweat today; I’m going for drinks after this.’ No words.

Back in the ’90s, there was no social media, Encarta was the go-to for all your questions and you could happily play Snake on a 3210 all the livelong day. What made growing up in the ’90s even better was living in north London. Here are some things you’ll know if you were a ’90s teen on the north London scene. 1. You met your mates outside Camden tube station at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon (there were no mobiles so you had to be there on time). You then bought a Nirvana T-shirt, a studded dog collar, had something pierced and dared your mate to buy ten Marlboro menthols.   A post shared by Nocturnalstore secondstuff (@nocturnal.store) on Jan 31, 2017 at 11:22am PST   2. You wore Criminal Damage trousers (with no less than 12 pockets) to walk across Hampstead Heath. Then your mum made you take them off on the doorstep because they’d picked up fag butts and someone’s leftover dinner in their cavernous lining. 3. There were no tube barriers at Finsbury Park or Camden Town. 4. You could tell someone how to get anywhere on a bus in the quickest time possible, because the only buses they really needed were the 253, the 29, the 132, the 91 and the W7.   A post shared by Thatlittlevintagelife (@thatlittlevintagelife) on Dec 18, 2016 at 5:52am PST 5. At one point you left your homemade pizza, flute or school hamster on the lovely warm back seat of the 29. 6. You hung out in Cantelowes Park for hours watching the appallingly bad skater boys, writing meaningful lyrics on yo

With winter just around the corner, blogger and personal trainer Melissa Power explains why she's not a fan. I love London. I really do. I was born and bred here and it’s my favourite city in the world. I love cycling around it, I love getting on the tube (even when I have to change at Bank), I love its people, its secrets, and once in a while I even try to love south London. However, I hate it when winter comes to London. Here’s why. Ice skating As soon as November arrives, we all have to pretend that we love ice skating so much. If we really loved ice skating we would go all year round at normal ice-skating rink, at a reasonable price. In winter, ice skating costs around a million pounds a ticket. And we can’t actually ice skate because it’s full of too many other people who have also recently taken out a loan to buy their ticket. We’re not even allowed a warming whisky on the rink.     A photo posted by Woof & Co. (@woof_co) on Nov 15, 2016 at 6:05am PST   Secret dog poo All those pictures on Instagram of fallen leaves on Hampstead Heath may look pretty (well not after you’ve seen 1,500 of them, all with the same filter), but they're hiding mountains of dog poo. At least in summer you can see the dog poo. Admittedly you can smell it too, but you can’t argue with fair warning. In winter, we may think we're taking a romantic walk in our lovely new winter knits but actually we're stomping through many different kinds of shit. Dreamy.   A photo posted by Andrew Jamie

Cast your mind back to being a teenager. When you’ve finished reminiscing about drinking Blue WKD outside Tufnell Park station while wearing a studded dog collar, remember what type of exercise you did during those formative years.  There’s a good chance that netball, cross country, swimming and gymnastics feature pretty highly on that list. That’s because in the olden days there wasn’t a lot out there specifically aimed at teens. These days, it’s a different story. In this shiny new age where young people don’t have to spend five minutes listening to an AOL dial-up tone, here are four incredible exercise classes all over London competing for teen attendance.  Recreational Boxing at Islington Boxing Club Some of my happiest (and hurt-iest) times as a teen were spent at Islington Boxing Club. An inclusive and welcoming atmosphere, fantastic coaches and even a boxing cat make this club an amazing place to train. They offer recreational boxing classes for under-17s for £5 a session, which include bag work, skipping, pads, technique and circuits. Supervised sparring is also on offer but not compulsory in any way. All you need are some hand wraps and you’re good to go!    A photo posted by Centric:3Tribes (@centric3tribes) on Sep 28, 2016 at 12:31pm PDT   Teen Ride at Centric 3 Tribes, Crouch End Centric 3 Tribes opened in north London in July and has gone from strength to strength with its Warrior, Rider and Zen split classes. Fans and members include many of the 'Game of

The summer is over and north Londoners have returned from their farmhouses in the South of France, west Londoners have sailed back from their Greek islands, south Londoners have fallen off the plane from Ibiza and east Londoners have finally left Victoria Park. Now routine has returned, everyone is looking for ways to shift that holiday weight.  Fitness-wise, September is basically January's little brother. It's got good intentions, but not quite as serious and with more of an inclination to turn to drink. Whereas in the New Year Londoners just head for the local gym, something about September imbues people with a sense of adventure, so here are some of the new exercisers you might see over the next few months.    A photo posted by Bai Guerrero (@imarabanana) on Mar 28, 2015 at 9:03pm PDT   The one who joins a hybrid class Someone at work has told this Londoner about an amazing place in Greenwich which combines trampolining with bungee jumping. Despite living in Muswell Hill they reckon this exercise will change their life and make them look like Beyoncé. In reality, they spend two and a half hours every Thursday getting to a sports hall in Blackheath where they bounce around for 20 minutes, feel immediately sad they haven't lost a stone and buy a Yorkie for the schlep back home. The new outdoor runner 'Yes! I shall join a running club', thinks this fitness newbie. 'It will be so cool and friendly and I'll make a new BFF and probably meet my superfit future partner the

Despite popular belief, London gets hot. And if there was a time of year to sit in a beer garden with a pint of gin then the last few weeks was it. But there are some people who are still convinced that it’s not too late for their summer body. Therefore the exercise squad are out in force, sprinting on the streets, doing press-ups in the parks and staring at the squat racks in last ditch desperate attempt to excavate their abs. And boy, are they sweating. These are the five types of sweaters you might encounter.   A photo posted by KSfitNOquit (@ksfitnoquit) on Jul 27, 2016 at 8:40pm PDT   The dripper As soon as this person starts to exercise it's as if an internal tap has been turned on that furiously and determinedly drips out of every pore. This person will not usually smell but will look as if they have stepped out a shower within five minutes of their session. They will be conscious of their watering-can sweat pores and can normally be seen holding at least three towels and an office watercooler bottle and apologising to everyone within a mile radius.  The stinker The most evil of all the sweaty brethren, this person will emit a pong of sour BO, mixed with onions, something incredibly sweet (but in a bad way) and a boy’s secondary school abandoned PE kit basket. Unfortunately they are immune to their own scent and also seem to be allergic to deodorant. Avoid at all costs.     A photo posted by Melissa Power (@m.powered) on Jul 4, 2016 at 12:19am PDT   The s

As personal trainers, we are very good at counting to ten (and back down to one again) and not going to the loo for a really long time. We love answering all manner of questions and hearing about your job and your dog. However, there are some things you should never say to us.  ‘I want to look like him/her' That person is currently on their ninth ultra-marathon, used to be a Russian trapeze artist and their bed is under the chest press. Don’t try to look like someone else.   ‘I trained for three hours on Sunday and only ate broccoli all weekend, are you proud of me?’ No. We are not proud of you. After an hour of training you won’t be able to lift as heavy or run as fast unless you eat properly so chill out and munch on a sweet potato or else come Thursday evening you’ll be sitting on the kitchen floor eating cereal out the packet with your hands. ‘I’ve brought my boyfriend/mum/child to watch is that okay?’ Folks, leave the fam at home. They’ll either distract you, embarrass you or nearly kill themselves trying to do tricep dips on a cross trainer.  ‘Can I have your number?’ No. Don’t proposition your trainer - even if you think they are admiring your Lycra-clad glutes, they’re probably just checking your squat technique.  ‘I want a six-pack in three weeks before I go on my holidays.’ If I could make that happen I would be riding around in a unicorn driven chariot chucking money onto the streets on my way to my jewel-encrusted jet to fly to my private island. ‘I don’t want to

There are a few things that really stand out about north London. It has really good beer gardens – The Flask, the Edinboro Castle and The Faltering Fullback among them. And north London has hills. Many steep hills. Here are three ways to exercise for free in a short space of time, so you can get back to the beer garden.     Hill sprints  I asked my north London Facebook fam what they thought was the absolute worst hill to run up. It’s been over a week now and the debate is still raging strong, but the results are in: Highgate West Hill won. This monster is approximately two miles long and will make you feel angry, elated, depressed, euphoric and very nauseous. Running up it is so tough it will make even your fingernails and eyelashes hurt. It is that amazing. Get from the bottom to the top in whatever way you can – jog, sprint, walk quickly, crawl if need be and earn yourself a gin and slim at The Flask, which is usefully positioned at the HWH summit.     Step jumping at Alexandra Palace The last time you jumped up and down for a considerable amount of time was either a) as a toddler or b) at the Dome in Tufnell Park in the late '90s when Weezer came on. Well, my friend, it’s time to put on some House of Pain and... well, you know the rest. Jumping pretty much burns more calories than all other aerobic activity so head to Alexandra Palace where there are various sets of 26 steps. Get from the bottom to the top by hopping, sprinting or jumping. As long as you are airborne yo

London is fashionable. That’s a fact. Except in the gym. As an exercise instructor, I get to see it all: the woman in crushed velvet flares and a suit jacket on a treadmill; the three guys having an actual picnic by the squat rack; the short-shorts (which sometimes, are a little too short). So here are five more leisure looks you might spot the next time you hit the gym.      A photo posted by Timothy (@bqtim) on Dec 20, 2015 at 2:02am PST The Pyjama This outfit is more Sunday on the sofa than Sweaty Betty summer season. This person simply does not care. They'll wear a striped two-piece or a baggy t-shirt emblazoned with 'I survived Team Building 2006 Morgan Stanley’, teamed with a shapeless short or pyjama trouser. As for footwear? They're rocking the reliable and battered old Converse. Yikes.  The Ultimate Cyclist He will have the tightest cycling shorts in all of the land and a cycling jersey, embroidered with the name of an obscure Italian. A cycling cap will adorn his head and he will make a big deal of changing out of his normal trainers into cleated shoes before hopping on the most central bike in the spinning class 'frow' carrying a water funnel backpack.    A photo posted by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Jan 13, 2015 at 3:01pm PST The Underwear Wearing your underwear to the gym is not necessary (unless you're Lady Gaga). This person will be wearing a ‘crop top’ (‘bra’) and workout shorts (‘knickers’). They may look fantastic – which annoys everyone else – or they