By February many of our New Year’s resolutions may have fallen by the wayside, usually because the “go hard and go fast” approach just sets us up for failure.
If you’re trying to make a big change, thinking about its large scale will only stress you out and make you freeze in fear. The key is to break it down into mini-goals or milestones, especially when it comes to committing to new fitness and wellness practices.
Thankfully, fitness trends in 2023 point towards taking a more holistic approach to training and mindful movement, looking at the bigger picture to improve your health and wellbeing overall. A balanced diet is one of many pieces that build the holistic style of training that will be more common in 2023, but it’s not just about taking an hour in the gym and watching what you eat anymore—the mind and soul will be integral, too. More than anything else, 2023 will see people making their fitness practice an integral, interconnected part of their everyday lives, not just something they do for an hour when they remember to go to the gym.
A local studio who have been taking this approach since they first opened their doors on Brown Street in Ponsonby several years ago is Sala, which has now morphed into Sala 2.0 with the integration of even more fitness modalities as well as an even greater sense of community.
UK-born Sarah Lindsay is the woman behind the boutique fitness studio, which offers everything from (what I believe to be) the city’s best barre classes to yoga, HIIT Pilates, strength training, Pilates reformer classes and more. She says that Sala’s vision has evolved over time, “and we take a curious, open-minded, and service-centric approach to the work we do. We ask questions about all of it. We believe movement is just one limb of a multi-dimensional approach to living a life well. Everyone deserves to feel good in their body and mind, and we want to help get you there.”
Sala’s multidisciplinary approach to wellness looks to bridge the mind-body connection, and their revamped and refreshed studio aims to do all that and more. A huge refurbishment took place over the holiday period, which includes a new look yoga studio called the Solar Room. Home to yoga, meditation and more restorative classes, it is inspired by “the light of illumination, which radiates within each of us”. Featuring cork flooring and an Angus Muir art installation, “the Solar Room embodies everything Sala represents as a community,” says Sarah, while the new Eclipse Room is where you’ll find the Pilates reformer classes just added to the schedule.
The room has an expansive feeling to it, with grey walls meeting the concrete floors to “give the same sense as looking out far into the horizon and feeling as though you could stretch out your arms and both touch everything and nothing at all at once”. Lastly, the Sunset Room features a large sun installation, reflecting the warmth cultivated by the barre and fitness classes that take place within it. Blackened mirrors reflect a duotone image of yourself and others, offering a calming, non-confrontational feeling to encourage far more freedom of movement.
Key to the re-envisioned Sala are community spaces, which include free Wi-Fi and an invitation to pull up a chair and crack open your laptop, as well as a koha Kōkako self-serve coffee station and beautifully curated store. “Whilst creating these spaces we questioned, how do we transform the energy of our movement practices into social action to benefit our wider communities?” elaborates Sarah. “Social action is the heart of our community spaces, and the koha from our coffee will be going towards a different charity each quarter. Our first charity is Birthright, which supports single-parent families.”
Another local business – also oddly located on Brown Street – making waves in the wellness world is BePure, who have just unveiled a protein powder range with a difference.
A product once associated solely with boring gym bros and bulky muscles, protein powder is a non-negotiable in any daily routine, and essential for healthy ageing. However as aforementioned, it’s often been associated with oversized tubs, naff branding and rippling torsos and—if you’re not a hardcore gym-goer or athlete—it’s often intimidating. This is where the two newest releases from BePure come in: two premium protein powders - BePure Good Gut Protein and BePure Perfect Protein which are here to redefine the category and more.
Recent studies (based on older adults with a sedentary lifestyle) have found the average human needs a minimum of 1.2g of protein per kg daily. For the non-sedentary human this climbs to 1.4-1.6g/kg of body weight and for athletes this can increase to 1.6-2.2g/kg/body weight. Most people don’t consume anywhere near these quantities, and a protein powder provides the extra assurance you’re getting enough into your day to look and feel your best.
And like all things supplement and supplement-adjacent, when I’m looking for a protein powder, I want a high quality one from a brand I trust, not just the cheapest, giant tub in the chemist or health store bargain bin. Lisa Walker, leading health specialist and clinic manager at BePure says: “Protein powder is great but not all are created equal. There’s so much disparity between brands, which many people aren’t aware of.”
“We searched high and low for a dairy-free protein powder that checked all the boxes a quality protein should and there were none we could find,” explains Walker, so the always-inspiring company set about making their own.
The BePure Protein Powder range is made from non-GMO golden pea protein, with added BCAAs and methionine for a complete protein profile, providing the essential amino acids that are missing from most non-whey protein powders. For those with dairy intolerances or sensitivities, whey can cause gut discomfort, skin breakouts, increased gas, and bloating. In more good news, BePure Protein Powders have all the benefits of whey but none of the unwanted effects of dairy.
BePure Protein Powders also have a minimum of 27g of protein per serve - most plant-based protein powders have under 20g – and I personally love that they come sustainably packaged in glass with refill options. BePure Good Gut Protein and Perfect Protein are available online and in store now, and come highly recommended. (Helene Ravlich)
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