About Time You Met: Frame GymBy Alicia Grimshaw

As part of POD Health Week, we’re going behind-the-scenes with the movers and shakers in London’s healthy food scene. Every day this week, we’ll be meeting some of the faces of the capital’s wellness movement – today we meet two ladies who set up Frame, a gym that is anything but average:

What made you set up and start Frame? 

Basically Joan and I hated the gym, but loved being active and thought there must be a better way of doing it. We did a lot of research trying out what was already out there, but nothing had the energy we were looking for, so we basically thought ‘bugger this’ and decided to set up ourselves!

For anyone who has never heard of Frame, can tell us a little bit about the gym and its philosophy? 

Frame was founded on the belief that ‘getting fit shouldn’t be a chore.’ We believe that keeping moving makes you not only look great, but more importantly FEEL great too. We only offer classes so you’ll always have the energy of others to keep you motivated, and we work on a pay as you go basis with all types of classes under one roof. Nowhere else in London (or the world for that matter) can you find over 400 amazing weekly classes – spanning fitness, dance, yoga, Pilates and ‘fusion’ classes, in one place with one payment method (our Frame Card works like an Oyster card – you get discounts for topping up and redeeming classes rather than paying for one-offs).

I think what makes Frame different is that Joan and I both passionately believe in what we do and that we’re not extreme. We’re just normal, regular humans like our customers, who enjoy the odd glass of wine and cheese toastie just as much as our green smoothies! We are still very much at the heart of Frame and hopefully it’s obvious that we’re not a big corporate machine.

What is your advice to people who are looking to explore new ways to get fit? 

Choose something you enjoy. If you have fun doing it then you’re more likely to continue. Don’t set unrealistic targets – there’s no point thinking you’re going to look like Giselle in a months time if you workout 5 times a week… But you’re going to feel a hell of a lot better if you’ve made it to 3 classes a week for most weeks in the year!

Find a workout buddy and encourage each other to do something when perhaps you’re feeling a little bit meh. Try to mix it up between cardio and conditioning. Your body needs both and you can match to your mood – so if you don’t have heaps of energy on one day, then choose a conditioning class over a long run.

You’re opening a new Frame in King’s Cross, what made you choose that location and what can people expect from the new opening? 

Frame Kings X is Frame on a whole new level. Firstly it’s in a new build so it’s going to be much slicker than our current sites (but we are definitely going to be adding our own little ‘framey touches’ to make it feel welcoming). Secondly, Kings X will include a retail concept store and a stand alone café serving a delicious range of juices, shakes, snacks and meals for before and after your workout, or just because they taste so delicious and you’re a little bit peckish.

There are going to be 3 studios to start with – a high intensity fitness studio / a yoga plus barre studio and a Reformer Pilates studio. A fourth will appear at some point early next year.

The timetable will include all your favourite classes and teachers from our current two sites – with 3 new classes: Bell and Box; TOTAL BODY and Dance Cardio. So something to suit everyone.

We’re also going to have a lot more ‘sports-specific’ reformer classes on the timetable for those cyclists, football players and other athletes that need a little more specific workout.

Name three simple exercises people can do at home to burn fat: 

Burpees – a whole body exercise. Generally hated but bear with them and you’ll really see the benefits. Start with 10 and add another each time you do it. Also, invest in a kettlebell. You don’t need any space and you can do so many different exercises – which will give you a cardio, strength and power workout at the same time.

Do you think we need to drop the whole ‘eat clean’ label that people have now attached to certain foods?

Yes. I think it’s important to make sure your meals are nutrient heavy and differ day to day. Gluten-free and dairy-free are fine if you have allergies but most of our ancestors pretty much lived on milk and bread and they didn’t have half the health problems that we seem to have now.

Perhaps the emphasis of ‘eating clean’ needs to shift to not putting in the crap, rather than only specifically eating avocado!

What’s your go-to breakfast dish if you’re at home? 

A big smoothie packed with whatever is in the fridge; generally spinach, kale, cucumber, avocado or banana, blueberries, a good quality protein powder and unsweetened almond milk. Otherwise if I have a bit more time on my hands, there are these awesome protein pancakes made with eggs, cottage cheese and oatbran. Sounds gross but actually really delicious and keep you going all morning!

London’s best breakfast can be found at: 

Albion, Boundary St in Shoreditch. But then I’m probably biased because it’s my boyfriend’s place – but they have the best baked goods in London!

London’s best smoothie can be found at:

Frame, obviously. Try the Macattack – it’s full to the brim of good stuff.

London’s best coffee can be found at: 

Caravan – handy it’s right next to Frame Kings X. In fact we love it so much that we’re going to be serving Caravan coffee from our café. Try yours with coconut oil to give your day a proper kick start.