Vitality Show 2008

Thursday March 27th 2008

Vitality Show, Olympia, London

Emma is currently back with us from University for her Easter break and stumbled across a Vitality Show flier in one of the back issues of the many fitness magazines that she has been ploughing through since she got back. A quick look on the internet threw out a whole series of classes and talks that she was interested in attending, so I travelled up to London with her for the day, while Linda would be going with her tomorrow.

The venue is the same as for the "One Life" show that we went to a few weeks back - the Grand Hall at Olympia, one of my favourite buildings. Today's times are a late opening but a later finish than most shows, so we arrived at lunchtime and have time for one of Pizza Express's yummy thin crust pizzas before we go in.

It is Emma's first time at such a show and she is actually really excited by going round all the exhibitors. We are soon firmly settled in the food section trying out lots of fruit juice and little samples of various fitness foods. For the next couple of hours we looked round the stands in some detail before Emma decided she'd like to try a hypnosis session to help relaxation. While she did that I watched the Dru yoga demo.

Soon after, there is a demo of belly dancing on the "Zest stage" and Emma rather surprises me by decided she is going to do this class. The teacher (Mia Serra) is really good and she soon has a pretty good crowd doing the class with her. Afterwards Emma is really pleased with this and buys her belly dancing dvd.

We next attend a lecture by Matt Roberts on fallacies related to getting fit. He doesn't pull any punches and tells everyone that it is a hard task to get really fit. Apparently at least twice a week we should be reduced to total breathlessness by our exercise. But his comments on the longer-term metabolic effects of hard interval training are really interesting. I, for one, have been doing too much yoga and not enough intense cardio.

Emma then has another class she wants to do and I go for a wander round on my own, pausing for a 15 minute Shiatsu neck and shoulder massage which is really good. Emma's last class finishes around 8:30 by which time I am slumped on a bean bag reading a fishing magazine.

But a good day out and Emma seemed to really enjoy herself.

And on Friday it was more of the same. Linda and Emma both did the belly dancing sessions and Emma did a further couple of classes. I, meanwhile, visited LSE, where I am hoping to do a further degree starting this October, if they'll have me