Feel like you’re in an exercise rut and need something new to kick-start your fitness regime? Looking for a wonder supplement that will inject some much-needed pep back into your step? Or simply want to find a new way to relax, unwind and let it all go? As always, our West Coast counterparts have the answers, coming up with ever more wacky and wonderful ways for us to look and feel our very best. Here are the latest health and fitness crazes coming out of La La Land that you need to know about.
The Exercise Classes
LEKFIT
This cult body-sculpting dance class started in celeb trainer Lauren Klaban’s garage and has since morphed into one of the hottest workouts in Hollywood. Beloved by A-listers like Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips, who are regulars at the perennially-packed West Hollywood studio, these low impact, high intensity classes are split into three types: Boost, their signature cardio class where exercises take place on a mini rebounder (think a small trampoline); Hype, a mix of dance-inspired cardio and full-body muscle sculpting; and Define, a mat class where slow and controlled movements tone every part of your body. Whichever class you go for, expect serious amounts of sweat.
LIT Method Walking into this popular West Hollywood studio (the only one of its kind currently) feels like stepping into a cool nightclub, with ridiculously attractive instructors and pitch-black workout studios. The class itself takes place on a water rower, where you’ll row in sprints as fast as you can in time to the music, the room lit only by the bright red lights in the spinning water. The interval-style class alternates between the rower and floor-based workouts, where a special resistance band system is used to tone your body without harming your joints (the name LIT stands for Low Impact Training). You’ll leave feeling energised and like you’ve had the best night out in ages – with absolutely no hangover.
Lagree Fitness Studio
The intense 25-minute Pilates/sculpting classes responsible for the super-toned bodies of Jennifer Aniston, Sophia Vergara and Rihanna has just gotten even more high-tech. The newest version of its patented resistance-based Supra platform is the toughest yet; the first and only machine in the world to both incline and tilt during a workout, giving that signature Lagree shake. Now the machine’s inventor, Sebastien Lagree, has plans to make an even more souped-up version with the upcoming launch of the Supra 2.0, which will feature timed runway lights to stay on tempo, remote controlled tension for zero transition time and integrated screens that adjust to the user. Just when you thought those classes couldn’t get any tougher…
The Supplement
Nue Co. Nootro Focus supplements At cult beauty boutique Violet Grey on swanky Melrose Place, where celeb regulars include Kim Kardashian West, Eva Mendes and January Jones, there’s one product that’s been flying off the shelves lately: the Nue Co.’s Nootro Focus supplements. These potent pills (which go for $85 a bottle) are made with all natural ingredients, including Lion’s mane mushroom and Ginkgo bilobaleaf extract, and promise to give you all the effects of a shot of coffee without actually ingesting any caffeine. Using natural nootropics and pyschostimulants, the special-formula helps give you a stronger sense of focus and calm, meaning you can concentrate on tasks for longer periods at a time.
The Treatment
Vie HealingYou might not have heard of them just yet, but ear seeds are having a moment in LA right now. So what exactly are they? These tiny seeds come from the vaccaria plant and are big in traditional Chinese medicine, where they’ve been using them for centuries. Placed on key pressure points around the ear, the seeds are used to help relax the nervous system, improve circulation, prevent cravings and relieve pain. The smartest and chicest of the lot come from the Vie Healing wellness brand in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, whose 24k gold versions were handed out to all attendees at LA’s latest Goop summit.
The Relaxation
Somadome Meditation Pods
Situated in the heart of Hollywood, the Wanderlust yoga studio is about as LA as it gets. Alongside its Full Moon sound baths and tantric immersion workshops it’s also home to a Somadome meditation pod, a whizzy high-tech machine designed to help those who find it difficult to switch off and zone out during meditation. Lying back in the pod, you’re enveloped in a cocoon of coloured lights designed to help regulate the nervous system and the production of melatonin and cortisol. The guided session is then paired with a special soundtrack of binaural beats in varying frequencies, which help guide your mind into brain states achieved during meditation. Twenty minutes later you’ll emerge feeling like a meditation pro.
