Using fitness and exercise as a way to let out stress and tension from a big week is a pretty common practice, so we decided to try something different. Teaming up with Next Gen, we spent half a day relaxing and rejuvenating at their central War Memorial Drive location.
Next Gen is so much more than your typical gym as it promotes living a healthy lifestyle, rather than just losing weight or toning your butt. With so many facilities on offer, like guided classes, tennis tournaments, indoor and outdoor pools, spas and saunas and a café, it really focuses on building that sense of community and encourages people to actually look forward to going to the gym.
With the opening weekend of Adelaide Fringe Festival under our belts, we were in serious need of some R&R. We started the day with a yoga class, held by Maura. She opened the class with a meditative Buddhist prayer, and then we got straight into the slow, lengthening and stretching movements matched with breathing counts. Maura guided us helpfully throughout every move, giving us areas to focus on and options for those who were more advanced. At the end of the class we finished with shavasana, a quiet, meditative pose to reflect on the class and then a final chant.
The relaxing spa room at Next Gen Memorial Drive.
After stretching out those tired muscles, we were keen to hit the spa room where we could really start to relax and catch up on some goss. Though there are spa and sauna facilities included with the Fitness and Ace membership packages, Next Gen were kind enough to give us Gold Memberships, allowing us access to the private (and very lush) spa area. We lounged around in the spa for about half an hour, before heading to the sauna and steam rooms. The difference between the two rooms is the sauna is just a super hot, wooden room you can sit in and sweat, whereas the steam room is a tiled room filled with loads of steam. To finish up we took a quick dip in the icy plunge pool, and then headed to the private change rooms to shower.
Grabbing a table at the Next Gen café, we were ready for a solid brunch sesh. The café has a really convenient option where you can design your own healthy meal for those counting calories, looking to build muscle or with dietary requirements. Divided into three sections, protein, carbohydrates and vegetables, each item is broken down into the energy, fat, carb and protein contents to help members easily stick to diet plans. Mel created her own meal, choosing 100g of grilled garlic and herb Atlantic salmon with a basil pesto salad, while Kristen chose off the regular menu and ordered a sweet potato and quinoa burger.
Lunch at Next Gen’s café.
To finish off the day we sat in the café for a while using the free wifi and drinking coffee, ready to face the week ahead. Keep an eye on our Instagram story for more updates on our progress at Next Gen.
Note: Next Gen are holding a special promotional offer for those who are looking for a low commitment membership at no extra cost if you join by this coming Tuesday the 28th of February! Click here to find out more information.
