I've dragged myself out of bed at 5.15am every Wednesday for nearly a month now to meet 50 fellow fitness and house music lovers at The Scoop by More London to run up and down the thigh high stairs, hug complete strangers and generally elevate my PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) for the day ahead. This is Project Awesome, a completely free fun fitness enterprise set up by Danny Bent, whose experience of November Project in Boston inspired him to set up a similar movement in London. The group has grown from 5 people to 50 in a few short months via word of mouth and social media and once you've experiences the hugging, whooping house music and general good vibes of the #justturnup ethic, its easy to see why.
London has a wealth of fitness offerings; bootcamps, spin studios, yoga, dance, barrecore, as well as all the different classes from ten different gym chains, all at different price points. Some are better than others and at upwards of £15 a class, ill only be giving you my money again if Im left limping around for a few days afterward, I want a challenge and an energy that I can't create myself. Project awesome is just that, the workout is tough, the energy is high and you meet like minded people. There's no pretension. No one is motivated to come for the juice bar or the luxury products or the heated or chilled towels. We are here to run, burpee, press up, mountain climb, high hive, holla, hug it out, and carry on with our day.
Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans wrote "Somewhere a primal essence stirs deep within us; this being born not to sit at a desk or read newspapers and drink coffee.. as we run the layers of responsibility and identity we have gathered in our lives.. all fall away leaving us with the raw human being underneath."
In today's society, where the relationship between work and success is fragmented, overnight "success" and celebrity created by reality TV and social media, being fit remains an asset that cannot be faked, it must be earned.
It is this truism that has become blurred of late, because the marketeers sell you an idea of fitness. Bright speed facilitating Lycra, detoxing elixers, muscle building protein bars, good for you because its 'agave' (FULL OF SUGAR) snack bars. This is where my love of fashion and fitness, instead of merging into Stella@Adidas synergy flail about like Lindsay Lohan@Ungaro. Fashion; trend follow to your hearts content. Fitness; follow trends and you'll still be skinny/fat and unfit in six months time. That being said I'm a fool for the following;
- Nike; I love your designs, I like that you were first retailer to design womens' specific training kit that wasn't pink. I can soak you in sweat you hold up.
- Skins; you break my bank but nothing compresses and soothes post half marathon muscles like you.
- Lululemon -I love that your leggings don't flash my crack in a developing crow pose.
- Barry's Bootcamp; I love that I don't have to bring a towel to class and that your peppermint shampoo makes my scalp tingle with delight.
- Nutribullet; I love that you could blend a concrete block into silky smooth drinkableness and that you're oh so toteable.
But let me be very specific about all of you, you did not make me strong. or fast. or flexible. You cant fake fitness it you have to
Fitness is a state of mind, a never ending aspiration to improve. To be faster, stronger, leaner. Raise the bar, set a new challenge, bring a friend and sweat it forward. Spot the fit fakers a mile off- wearing Nike Roshe runs in the gym makes you look like an amateur not Arnie, plus you obviously skip leg day. Teaming your Lululemon with pristine cashmere for a saunter around Chelsea means you are sartorially lazy, not a zen master yogi. Taking your phone into a Barry's Bootcamp class to selfie makes you look about as athletic as a cast member of a Made in Chelsea fitness DVD. WHY ARE YOU HERE? Also you're taking up valuable class spaces so you can tell all your friends about the hot instructor and chocolate protein smoothie and I need to do some goddamn HIIT,
Stop instagramming and start sweating. If your trainers have never seen hill repeats, you "don't even sweat" and think a juice/tea/food fast is the answer get out of my way, im fitter than you.
