BOUTIQUE STUDIOS

It’s mid-February, the weather is terrible and all we want to do is curl up on the couch with some comfort food. If you need some inspiration and motivation to get you back on track, Thrive Festival has a fitness option to suit you. Whether you prefer gentle, yoga-inspired movement or high-impact classes, there’s something for everything. Here’s a taster of what to expect:

Mid-February is the time when most people’s gym memberships start lapsing. For some it’s the boredom of the packed gym, for others they just lose focus.

One of the biggest trends heading our way is boutique fitness studios. Smaller, more focused studios are already a mainstay in the homes of fitness, LA and Sydney. London is also seeing a massive swing to these studios and Ireland is beginning to lean towards the trend too.

There’ll be three such studios at Thrive: KOBOX, UN1T and Boom Cycle. KOBOX – owned by Dubliner Shane Collins – was one of the most popular draws at the festival last year, and with the classes endorsed by Vogue Williams and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, it’s sure to be booked to capacity again this year.

Another Dubliner, Rob Smyth, will bring UN1T classes, in which participants encourage, motivate and push their fellow members to get out of their comfort zone and complete their workout as one. Thirdly, Boom Cycle is known as a ‘party on a bike’ and classes at Thrive will be music-themed with titles such as ‘Rihanna vs Beyonce’ or ‘Break-up anthems’.

Classes in hip-hop have been taking off and maestro Donking Rongavilla is one of Ireland’s leading teachers. His mission is to get everyone of every age, gender and size to enjoy movement in Dance Fitness.

Strut Freak Out

6 Worldwide (6)

8 Inferiorly, tattily (8)

10 Admission, access (8)

11 The removal and examination of fluids or tissue from a patient in order to discover why they are ill (6)

12 Jewish religious leaders (6)

13 A group of witches (5)

15 Snub a British batsman? (7)

17 An extremely tall tree that grows in California (7)

19 Capital of Jordan (5)

20 Equality (6)

22 Caribbean island which is twinned with Trinidad for administrative purposes (6)

23 Weightiest, heftiest (8)

24 Location of Scottish monster? (4,4)

25 Inuit (6)

DOWN

1 The capital and largest city of Mongolia

(as formerly anglicised) (4,5)

2 Vehicles with wings (6)

3 Fundamental nature (7)

4 American singer who had a hit with one of 7 down’s songs (5,3)

5 (and 21 down)

7 down song which was the breakthrough hit for the Carpenters (5,2,3)

7 American composer who wrote songs with Hal David (4,9)

9 American singer who had hits with 7 down’s