1604cover cover story

R& A B HU NGE LOU ASES C W F O SH BEST O S THE NGHAI’ SHA T AND PAS ENT! S PRE

N A

OP V RE

M I

BL E

R 2

20 0 1 1

6 5

Fighting

Fit For

Summer Getting Our GuavaPass On

5 Money Talk: There Is Never An Ideal Time To Invest 9 Beauty Talk: The Peninsula Spa Sleep Ceremony 12 Travel Talk: Eat Your Way Through KL & Keep Your Qin Up in Xi’an 17 Talk’s Top Awards 2015-2016 Supplement April16 TalkMagazine

UPFRONT

COVER STORY Prime Fitness

Fighting

Fit For

Summer Nyima Pratten

Getting Our GuavaPass On

It’s back, that feeling we get in the pit of our stomachs every year, after months of overindulging and happily gaining a little bit of insulation fat, then suddenly realising that summer is right around the corner. But this year, do not fret about how to shed those extra few pounds before being beach body ready, instead, we suggest making an investment in your health and signing up for GuavaPass.

Z&B Fitness

A

wise man once said, “Variety is the spice of life” and that certainly comes into play for us when it comes to staying motivated to keep fit. Rather than dragging yourself unwillingly to the same class every week, wouldn’t it be better to sample a wide range of classes and venues around the city? Enter GuavaPass.

The beauty of the pass is that members are not restricted to taking classes from one studio, instead they can choose from 26 (at time of writing) partner locations. For frequent travellers, there is also the added benefit of being able to use the pass at hundreds of boutique fitness studios in Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, Taipei, Jakarta and Manila. The pass is based on a rolling monthly contract, so you aren’t signed into a long term commitment (because who wants that in this city?) and allows for unlimited classes at handpicked studios, however, it is restricted to only three classes from any one centre per month.

We spent a month trying out the pass and whittled down our favourite fitness studios in Shanghai.

So whether you want to go as part of a GuavaPass membership, or for standalone classes, we suggest burning those calories at the following locations.

TalkMagazine

April16

This is a fun and energetic fitness studio, with a real sense of community amongst its members. Offering some of the best and most up-to-date classes, such as Xtend Barre and Zumba, you must make sure to book in advance for the most popular timeslots. The studios also offer prenatal and kids’ classes, so there really is something for everyone, with international, bilingual, experienced instructors.

GuavaPass classes at the studio include, TRX (an intense circuits workout), ZCycle (spinning), Piloxing, (Pilatescum-boxing), ZFly (aerial yoga), Zumba and much more.

We highly recommend Zbounce, a fun and different way to burn calories on individual workout trampolines. The only problem you will have is deciding how to use your three classes for the month.

14/F, 1219 Changle Lu, near Wulumuqi Zhong Lu. Or 10-11/F, Silver Block, 258 Tongren Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu. Tel: 157 1018 1852. Web: www.znbfitness.com

SpinBack

The Clinic

Prime Fitness

SpinBack

This is the studio you need to go to if you want to see results, fast. The mixed workout classes on offer are led by fully qualified personal trainers, who create 45-minute killer sessions. As the sessions are in groups of four or five, it is easy to stay motivated through the class, as you don’t want to let the team down. The ethos behind Prime Fitness is to use only natural movement patterns such as pushing, pulling, jumping, throwing and lifting to improve the functional fitness and physique of clients. The venues are brand spanking new, with clean and operational machinery. Just be prepared to hate your trainer as they are putting you through your paces, and love them the next day. Prime Fitness operates two personal training studios in Shanghai and one in Beijing.

We have long been championing SpinBack at Talk, ever since their old studio days back in Fahuazhen Lu. It offers a place to spin the worries of your day away to the sound of upbeat tunes and energetic instructors. The dedicated cycling studio is now located in the much more expat-friendly area, near Yongkang Lu, and is a boutique studio, where cycling and spinning fans can work on their muscles and enhance their performance. The new top of the range bikes also makes the independent studio stand out from the rest. There are a varied range of instructors who are encouraged to express their personalities in both music and cycling styles, and you will no doubt find a favourite class to suite your needs. The centre is also able to cater for the absolute beginner to serious cyclist.

Rm 102, Bldg 9, 3 Fenyang Lu, near Huaihai Lu. Tel: 5436 1587. Or 931 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Taixing Lu. Tel: 6259 9653.

Web: www.primefitness.cn

B416, 4/F, 98 Jiashan Lu, near Fuxing Zhong Lu. Tel: 158 0186 9019. Web: www.spinbackfitness.com

The Clinic

The Clinic is probably one of the most high-end centres on the GuavaPass roster, if not on the Shanghai fitness scene in general. It is primarily a boutique, international medical practise and wellness centre, offering sports medicine, physical therapy and pre/post surgical rehabilitation, yet also offers a selection of fitness classes.

The staff members and instructors all operate with the utmost professionalism, and the studios are brand new, state of the art venues, making practise all the more enjoyable. The Clinic gives GuavaPass members the option to try either Pro Series workouts, including the famous 300 Spartan HIIT class, or classes from their anatomy of arts studio, such as yoga, Pilates and Barre.

Talk Magazine x GuavaPass GuavaPass gives members access to a community of fitness studios and healthy-living experts, offering unlimited classes at premium fitness studios, exclusive events with wellness experts, community classes and a range of perks from healthy living partners in your city. All classes have been hand selected by a team of fitness enthusiasts, who live and breathe a healthy lifestyle.

Use promo code "GUAVATALK" for a discounted rate of RMB 888 per month for the first month followed by the standard rate of RMB 1,088 per month.

For additional information, visit www.guavapass.com.

Guava Pass

Suite A501, 5/F, Bldg B, 118 Jiashan Lu, near Yongkang Lu. Tel: 3368 8801. Web: www.theclinic.international

April16 TalkMagazine