Fitness… how many times have I mentioned this word in my posts in the last 10 months or so? Enough to justify a post on a fitness event, methinks. Healthy eating is now a major party of my lifestyle and goes hand in hand with my fitness regime, as well as cooking with different ingredients and experimenting new recipes. When my fellow blogger and friend Sonia (nel Paese delle Stoviglie) invited me to join her at Be:Fit London I immediately accepted, as I had already planned to check it out: a central London event dedicated to fitness, healthy living and eating designed specifically for women. For me it was as good as a dive show, and time just flew by.

Sponsored by Reebok, there was a programme of classes visitors could join. We attended a really good ‘yoga for runners and cyclists’ with Lexie Williamson and then a Sleek class with Flik and Victoria, which I found a little odd and confusing: was it cardio, was it stretching, or ballet? Doesn’t matter, it was still fun, and I had never been in such a huge space, with around 200 people doing the same class! We then visited the #breakyourselfie photo booth for some selfies photos, and I did not realise that you could get a free tee shirt if you performed some burpees. Oh the challenge!

In the main hall there were plenty of exhibitors, and loads of brands I regularly buy and love, from my favourite healthy snack bars Nak’d (I bought 18!) to Dorset made delicious yogurt by The Collective. Amongst the stands we stopped by was Pulsin which is the brand I use for my whey protein (93% variety); at the show they were launching their snack bars beond, of which I tried the blueberry and the acai berry types.

Another brand I really like is Biona Organic: I use their coconut palm sugar regularly on its own or in baking and I love its nutty, slightly caramel aroma, just a shame it’s not so easy to find it in retailers. I made sure I signed up their newsletter and for this, I was rewarded with a box of apple waffles. Win!

Sonia and I also discovered a few new, interesting healthy products. We stopped by the Aduna stand, and heard about Moringa and Baobad powders, both ‘super foods’. I love the baobab tree but I had no idea its fruit, dried and harvested is:

It is a rich source of vitamin C,
calcium, potassium and thiamin. It is also almost
50% fibre and has one of the highest antioxidant
capacities of any fruit in the world.

Another really good talk was with the guys at the Sibberi booth, where we tried ‘birch water’. I had absolutely no idea this existed, and was fascinating to hear how this ‘water’ (which is tree sap) is collected.

Nordic folk have been drinking birch water, looking for a post-winter boost, a deep cleanse or a quick rejuvenation.

The fact that is so pure, and only produced in specific periods of the year (eg spring) justifies its price tag (£2.60 at the show for a small bottle) so it’s a luxury in truth, although I’d love the idea of drinking it post work out!

Sonia and I then attended a cooking demo by chef Sophie Michell at the Fage Total Kitchen. I am a massive fan of Fage Greek yogurt and work my way through about a kilo of the 0% a week. Sophie was really funny and engaging and was interesting to see how the yogurt is used in a variety of recipes (including gnudi, where I’d never have thought of using yogurt).

There were also a lot of exhibitors with slightly different products: black water, drinkable collagen, on demand yoga workouts. Lots of giveaways, a packed full goodie bag for all attendees, an ‘expert theatre’ which we did not even have a chance to attend, health assessments and massages, Be:Fit London was a great day. It’s really worth visiting for anyone who has an interest in health food, healthy living and of course fitness and for £18 I personally think it represents a great value. I am definitely going back next year!

On this occasion I was a guest of Be:Fit London. Opinions are my own.