As the summer draws to a close and the post-holiday blues set in, here at Hip and Healthy we feel that the best solution to regaining that feel-good factor is by setting yourself some positive health and fitness goals to re-balance your mind, body and soul. But where to begin? To kick-start your road to summer-blues recovery, we have our very own health and fitness roundup, to ensure you get back to the best version of you in no time!

One-Shot Coconut Wonder Drinks  – Love coconuts but overindulged on the pina colada’s this summer? Never fear, for a brand new range of One-shot Coconut Wonder Drinks promise to restore your inner rhythm! 100% raw, natural and nutritious, combining a magical mix of kefir cultures, coconut goodness and tropical fruit flavours, these rhythm drinks are the first bacteria drink with no added sugar to provide a huge, three times as many types of bacteria than yogurt.

These little shots of pure goodness ensure ease of digestion and rehydration with the electrolyte salts that occur naturally in the coconut water. What’s more, their tropical flavours are sure to tantalize those tastebuds, as your choice of Coconut, Mango & Passionfruit, Coconut & Golden Lime and Pure Coconut make these shots taste more like a luxurious treat rather than a health-conscious choice. All this, yet still dairy-free, cholesterol-free, soya-free, gluten-free and low in fat, these little 126g coconut creations are just what the doctor ordered.

Rhythm Drinks are now in Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Holland & Barrett and other independent health food stores nationwide.

Mi Adidas Customised Trainers – Do you lead a sport-inspired lifestyle, but have difficulty finding a trainer that ticks both the performance and style box? Then mi adidas customised trainers are a staple requirement in that shoe cupboard!

Available on a range of adidas footwear, including the revolutionary running shoe Energy Boost, 21, 10 Originals silhouettes and other Sport performance favourites, the customisation options allow the base, outsole, laces and inner lining design to become truly personal. Not only can you select your desired colours, but you can even add your own name, country’s flag or logo, without compromising on the sport shoe technology that continues to make adidas the go-to trainer for athletes. Waterproof yet lightweight, with the ability to mould to any shape foot, optimise your fitness performance whilst sporting your own unique style with personally crafted trainer-creations. What are you waiting for? Step on it!

Virgin Active’s “ZUU” Class! – Are you bored and uninspired by your gym workouts? Do you feel that training with weights and machines is too repetitive and uninspiring? Do you yearn for a full body workout that disciplines multiple muscle groups to achieve more effective results? Then it’s time to go ape, quite literally.

Virgin Active’s new, revolutionary ‘ZUU’ workout, designed by fitness guru Nathan Helberg, promises to develop mobility, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance whilst strengthening muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and fascia. The science? Expect to return to those inherent animal instincts and unleash your inner ‘Gorilla’, ‘Bear’, ‘Iguana’, and ‘Frog’ to name but a few of the 100 unique ‘primal’ movements explored in each workout.

So is their method behind the madness? Yes! Helberg’s ZUU workout interweaves the seven primal and most natural of human movements – push, pull, bend, twist, squat, lunge and locomotion throughout a sequence of intermittent, high-intensity interval training to force the body into aerobic and anaerobic extremes. The result? A thrilling, animating and breathtaking full body workout that can burn up to 600 calories in 30 minutes.

ZUU is available exclusively at selected Virgin Active Health Clubs from early April. ZUU will be available at Virgin Active nationwide from the summer.

Tefal Infiny – There is no better way to get your five a day without a fruit blender or juicer. Yet, with many standard appliances, the waste and noise produced as a result renders your health efforts to a less than appealing endeavour. The solution? The Tefal Infiny Press Revolution of course!

The Tefal Infiny Press dries out and ejects any waste, therefore no waste chamber in the machine needs to be cleaned out during juicing. What’s more, all the removable parts are dishwasher-safe for ease of cleanliness and maintenance, with a compact size and shape to be easily stored in the kitchen. The Infiny Press has also been designed to be quiet ensuring that your early-morning orange juice does not only avoid disturbing the rest of the household, but can be enjoyed with peace of mind, as every morning should be experienced before the day ahead.

But the ‘revolution’ in juice preparation doesn’t end there. With two unique filters, the desired taste and texture of your smoothie can be controlled at your very fingertips. The orange filter enables any fruit or vegetable to be transformed into the smoothest of juices, whereas the pink filter enables a thicker coulis texture by filtering more pulp. Perfect if you wish to create a complimentary sauce for any dish, or evening desert!

So, if your summer fruit cocktail needs to be swapped for a detoxifying juice, smoothie or coulis, here at hip and healthy we give the Tefal Infiny Press Revolution a big 100% natural, 100% practical thumbs up!

Purple Balance Natural Food Company – An exciting discovery amongst the Hip & Healthy team is Purple Balance! Specializing in 100% natural, plant-based, gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugar free protein powders and raw snack bars, this company’s mission is to offer only the best, most natural products to inspire people to have a positive, healthy approach to their eating habits.

Founded by Spanish entrepreneur, Frank Arrigazzi and his wife Christina, they decided to expand their nutritional backgrounds and create a fuss free, delicious brand that everybody could enjoy without having to worry about what was written on the back of the label.

Choose from their Raw Natural Chocolate Protein (designed for you chocoholics out there!), Raw Green Protein and Raw Omega Protein all of which offer a delicious blend of only the most natural and unbelievably wholesome ingredients.

More of an on-the-go gal? Opt for their seriously tasty raw snack bars that have the most delicious sounding names – Wild Pecan Choco Cake, Lemon Pie, Raspberry Cake and Goji Vanilla Cookie! Which ever one you choose, we can say with extreme confidence that one you go Purple Balance, there’s no turning back!

For more info and prices click here!

Hopps And Woolf “Mylk” Maker – Do you love milk but dislike dairy? Afraid of the quality of your dairy alternative? Then make your own nut or soya milk! This is precisely the ethos of Alex Hopps and Tom Woolf, who believe that the best, most nutritious milks are homemade. Their answer? The Hopps and Woolf milk maker, which ensures fresher, cheaper milk free from additives and preservatives giving you complete control over what you put into your body. If that’s not enough, you can even have your soya beans, almonds and hazelnuts delivered to your door, sourced from only the most ethical of farmers. But is making your own milk really necessary?

Yes, and with good reason. Cartons of almond milk can contain thickeners, preservatives and sweeteners. Some even contain as little as 2% almonds. With the milk maker, you can trust that your own heated, blended and pasteurized milk provides maximum goodness and optimum health benefits – because you control what constitutes your milk! Why not add other ingredients to suit your tastebuds – adding cacao powder to make your very own chocolate milk alternative is a real favourite here and Hip and Healthy HQ. Created in 20 minutes at the press of a button and guaranteed to stay fresh for five days, the possibilities are endless. Get milking!

Misfit Shine – Have you ever wondered if you’re moving enough? Have you made fitness goals but have no idea whether those goals are reached? With the new Misfit Shine, you can now keep track of your activity levels throughout the day, and even track your sleeping patterns to ensure you achieve optimum rest, relaxation, health and recuperation.

The sensor itself is made of anodized aircraft-grade aluminum and can be worn on your wrist or as a clip-on tracker using the included rubber wristband mount and magnetic clip. Versatile and built like a solid metal penny, it’s subtle and attractive enough to be worn on your collar, around your neck, or around your wrist. And you can take the Shine anywhere, even to the swimming pool, as it is waterproof up to 50 meters. With a six month battery life guarantee, this groovy gadget is built to last, yet looks super-smart, super-elegant as well as being super-strong.

Light, waterproof, practical and sexy, simply sync with the Misfit Shine app on your phone without any wires required. With a simple double-tap of the device, get ready to not only track your activity expenditure, but your sense of inner wellbeing as gratification levels sky rocket at your exercising successes!

words by Olivia Murphy