Let's get NAKED!

No, we don't mean ditching our clothes, but stripping down our workout sessions can help to ace our fitness goals

- LOUISE PYNE

When was the last time you ran without listening to a podcast or worked up a sweat W minus your go-to playlist - not because you accidentally forgot your noise-cancelling headphones or your iPhone battery died, but because you deliberately chose to leave them in your gym bag? Turns out, taking a back-to-basics approach to fitness, a trend that experts have dubbed as 'exercising naked', is thought to help elevate your workouts by allowing you to push your body intuitively, improving focus and performance.

'It's about stepping into the present moment, feeling the body and allowing more connection to yourself and what you're doing,' says personal trainer Tara Lee Oakley, a Pilates teacher at eastofeden.uk. 'The mind can focus successfully without distractions, meaning we're more likely to work hard, and enter into a flow state. Taking away distractions can help posture, increase exertion, improve technique and reduce chance of injury.' Here's some easy ways to strip down your workout.

DITCH YOUR FITNESS TRACKER

Fitness trackers can be a motivational tool, allowing you to gain an overall view of your activity by measuring your heart rate, tracking your pace and so on, but it's sometimes more beneficial to build awareness within to keep moving forward.