Sex and The City was indeed a fabulous film. The clothes, the simply hilarious Samantha, that Charlotte moment (yes you know the one) and Sarah Jessica Parker’s super ripped bod. With abs to die for and a body toned to perfection, the actress somehow manages to pull off that ‘I work out more than an Olympic gold medalist but still pull off the pretty, feminine look’. I have to say I was very impressed….and somewhat jealous. Now, for the more normal folk out there who simply do not have the time or money to invest in looking fit and fabulous, the fitness industry is integrating methods of working out but with less time and effort.

Power Plates are taking the world by storm and are a great way of achieving a full body work out without enduring a triathlon. They work quite simply by sending intense vibrations to the muscles. You hold poses such as lunges, squats, crunches on the vibrating platform, so your body engages nearly 100% of all muscle fibres to keep you stabilised. Your muscles then contract and relax 30-50 times a second, hence the high speed training. Power Plates increase metabolism, tone the body, break down blood cells and increase blood flow. Best of all, a full body workout takes only 25 minutes and due to the low impact nature you can leave the gym looking as fresh as when you walked in. It is however recommended that the sessions are used in conjunction with a normal form of cardio as this will increase the results, although it is still apparently effective when used on its own.

Celebrities who use Power Plates include Madonna, Kylie, Charlotte Church and even Premiership Football teams, which is certainly an inspiration to give it a go! Most gyms are now integrating Power Plates into their studios and many have dedicated sessions or classes. A single session on average will cost £20/$39

If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the gym…

Image courtesy of David Lloyd Fitness