Witness the (Free) Fitness

For all those workout-shy Londoners who’ve managed to avoid the annual expensive gym sign-up debacle (well done you), there is another way…

 Working out is hard to do. Especially when it’s snowing and the bus has broken down on the way to the hand-over-fist gym you meekly signed up to in January.

Whether you forked out or not for the swanky gym or personal trainer, chances are you’ve probably let yourself down by this point. Let’s face it, it’s not much fun to lay off the beers forever and even the eye-watering membership prices these fit folks charge aren’t enough to keep you coming back for more.

Chances are you’ve even got used to the ‘party handles’ you acquired in December. They make you more cuddly, right? Well, guess what? The super sweet people at Sweaty Betty have eradicated the excuse you were going to start using in the third month of the fitness programme you hurled yourself into. They’re doing fitness and wellbeing classes – for free. Yep, you can get trimmer and stronger for zilch, nada.

From yoga, to ballet to running there are free clubs all over the city that meet up once a week with a proper trainer or instructor and get healthy together. It’s called Get Fit 4 Free and you can sign up to any class you like each week, as long as there’s room. Each Sweaty Betty boutique hosts it’s own class.

Some use the store as a meeting place before they pound the pavements together, others actually have the class on the shop floor. This can be a little strange as you may find yourself displaying your ‘downward dog’ in the shop window, so to speak. But it’s free so who cares? We gave the shoppers in the Carnaby Street area a pretty wobbly display last week during a fantastic yoga class, which just added to the fun to be honest.

And these chicks are in for the long run – Sweaty Betty’s keeping up the classes all year! So whether you fancy coming along now and starting the climb together, or sauntering down once you’ve achieved your goal weight and need to tone up a little (ha!), they’re really welcoming and cater for all fitness levels. So, what are you waiting for? Those Carnaby Street shoppers aren’t going to scare themselves…

Sweaty Betty has clubs throughout London