5 Fitness essentials for achieving your 2025 goals
My top 5 picks as an athlete and coach for helping you to get the most out of your fitness journey
Also, guys…🍿
Happy New Year! I hope your 2025 is off to a good start and you’re looking forward to working towards whatever goals you’re planning to achieve. As an athlete and coach, I’ve been busy setting lots of training and competing goals to chase for the upcoming year.
Perhaps you’ve set yourself some fitness goals too - in which case, I’ve got you covered. Whether you’re starting CrossFit, participating in some form of functional fitness, or just introducing weightlifting into your New Year’s gym routine, here are 5 recommendations (all tried, tested and loved by yours truly) to ensure you have the best training experience possible.
1. TYR: Choosing correct training shoes
TYR trainers are my favourite shoes to wear for my sport (CrossFit) but they’re also a good option for anyone keen on lifting due to their flat, stable base. I am all for a wide toe box and this is a key selling point for TYR, who are proud advocates for toe freedom.
As a coach, I see a lot of people lifting in running shoes, which are designed for a very different purpose and tend to send your bodyweight towards your toes. Flat shoes are much better for sitting back onto your heels when lifting a bar from the floor, allowing you to stay balanced and use the muscles that make up your posterior chain - which in turn helps you to generate more power for a successful lift.
These trainers come in a wide range of colours and are versatile enough so that they can be worn for functional fitness sessions, as they are also suitable for skipping and jumping exercises.
Shop the TYR CXT-2 trainers here.
2. 2Pood weightlifting belt: bracing technique
Lifting belts, when used properly, can be a very useful tool for training. Belts can be used as a cue for correct bracing but should not be used as a replacement for proper technique. If you’re wearing a belt to ‘manage back pain’ or for your warm-up sets, you are using it incorrectly.
The belt is there to remind you to brace, not to do the work for you. It should be reserved for the heavy lifts (as a rough guide I would say 80% of 1 rep-max lifts and above) but it’s crucial that you learn to brace before investing in a belt.
When you brace; rather than taking a short, sharp breath into your chest, instead you want to think about breathing into your diaphragm and extending your ribcage sideways. Your belly should expand when you brace, as opposed to being sucked in.
A belt can be helpful by acting as a physical cue for you to push out against. So if you have your brace technique down to a tee, then using a belt when it comes to those maximal lifts could help you hit those PBs.
2Pood are my favourite belt brand - they’re high-quality, durable and (most importantly) are available in numerous designs ranging from fun prints to sparkling sequins.
Shop 2Pood here.
3. Garmin Forerunner 245: Triathletes assemble
Everyone seems to be triathlon-ing or, at the very least, running these days. If you’re amongst this crowd, a Garmin watch is the perfect piece of kit to accompany you on your adventures.
But it’s not just for those who’ve promised exclusivity to triathlon; it’s also perfect for the promiscuous athlete dabbling in running, swimming or cycling like I do. The Forerunner 245 is a great help when it comes to pacing and recording split times for all 3 disciplines.
I invested in the Forerunner 245 Music model a few months ago and it’s been incredibly useful in terms of the data it provides. Whilst it isn’t always 100% accurate with some metrics - I suspect sleep data and heart rate data aren’t always fully correct - I still think it does a pretty good job.
I solve the problem of heart rate zone inaccuracies by connecting it to my heart rate monitor which I wear simultaneously around my chest, as this is more accurate simply due to its proximity to the heart. As for sleep data inaccuracies; these don’t matter much to me because, let’s be honest - I can usually tell if I’ve slept well or not.
This model is also one of the cheaper watches available from Garmin which makes it a good option for the recreational runner or triathlete. I certainly don’t make the most of what it has to offer as I don’t need to so much for my sport, but it’s been a great help with monitoring paces and cadence for runs.
I got the Forerunner 245 Music model which allows you to download music from a streaming site such as Spotify directly onto the watch so that you can leave your phone at home if you don’t fancy running with it.
In summary: a great gadget to keep track of paces, PBs and any other metrics you might be interested in when working towards some targets.
Shop Garmin Forerunner 245 Music here.
4. ESN Electrolytes: Avoid the cramp
The good news is that nowadays more people are aware that just drinking water during or after exercise is not enough to stay hydrated. We need electrolytes! When we sweat, we don’t just lose water - we also lose electrolytes that are essential for muscle and nerve function.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the race-ending cramp that ruins an individual’s performance - the chances of this happening can be mitigated by ensuring that you consume plenty of fluids and electrolytes during exercise.
If you’re training for over 90 minutes, you may also want to consume some carbohydrates, in easily digestible liquid form, to help your body to minimise fatigue and keep performing.
One of my favourite intra-workout products is ESN’s Electrolyte-carbohydrate mix. I apologise if this begins to sound like an advert (as I am sponsored by ESN) but I assure you this is a product I use daily and I’d never agree to promote anything I don’t like or use regularly.
These handy little sachets contain 17g of carbohydrate along with electrolytes to make hydration easy. My favourite flavours are Green Apple, Natural Lemon and Cherry Lollipop, and code LAURENH will save you some money (whilst also supporting me, so thank you if you do use my code!)
Shop ESN Electrolyte powder here.
5. W.O.D Welder hand care kit: stave off rips and shreds
This product is like gold dust for calloused hands. If you’re spending a lot of time hanging on to a pull-up bar or gripping onto a barbell, your hands will likely start to become quite sore and develop callouses.
To some extent, these callouses will protect your hands, but if they’re allowed to build up too much over time, they can tear and rip open, which is never fun - especially on Hair Wash Day.
This hand care kit not only smells amazing (like a steam room), but aids the healing process. The pumice stone included in the kit helps to file down hard skin - I keep mine by the sink so that I remember to do this when washing my hands. The waxy salve helps hands to stay soothed and moisturised, whilst the cream ensures the skin stays hydrated without sacrificing the helpful callouses.
It works wonders when used regularly to keep your hands healthy and prevent you from having to take time off from the gym due to shredded hands.
Shop W.O.D Welder here.
I hope some of these products make your fitness journey even more enjoyable and help you with achieving your goals in 2025!
Loz x