Guinea pig: Naomi Greenaway, deputy editor, The Telegraph Magazine
‘Getting the benefits of hours of working out in just 20 minutes sounds seriously appealing – even though it involves being (mildly) electrocuted. Anything to save time. Over the last few years, I’ve switched my cardio workouts for strength training, so I’m keen to see if it’s really possible to get my muscles working in such short sessions.
I rock up at EMS personal training studio E-Pulsive, on Kensington High Street, in my Lululemon best, but co-founder and head trainer Mario suggests I change into their super-lightweight kit. “It allows the electricity to conduct better,” he says gently. Reassuring. On top goes a sleeveless bodysuit and straps clipped around my bum, thighs and upper arms, all embedded with electrodes and sprayed with water to help with conduction. Feeling like a soggy scuba diver, I’m ready (if not raring) to go. Mario turns on the sparks via his iPad and – ooh-la-la – the workout begins. There’s a tingle but also a deeper stimulation in my abs, glutes, hamstrings and triceps, which comes in waves with four-second rests between pulses.
Once I’m accustomed to being Tasered, Mario gets me working. Even one squat takes serious effort – the muscle is already so stimulated my body feels like it’s turned to lead. A few more exercises – including lunges, ab bikes and the plank – give me the equivalent of a CrossFit workout in no time, without the psychological effort. The decision to work my muscles harder bypasses my own brain and relies on Mario turning up the heat on his device. The best part? I’ve not even had to break a sweat’
From £20 for a trial session; e-pulsive.co.uk
Youthful hair for ever
LED masks have taken the world by storm this year – searches for ‘LED mask’ on Google have increased by 43 per cent year-on-year. These Hannibal Lecter-style masks are studded with LED lights that, at specific wavelengths and colours, can have an impact on the skin. (Red light is used for calming inflammation and encouraging the body to make more of the protein collagen, which helps skin look younger, while antibacterial blue light can help treat spots.) But expect to see this trend literally turning on its head, with LED helmets.
Hair stylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith already uses LED helmets on his clients to soothe scalps after colour treatment. Traditionally marketed to combat hair loss, Smith envisages a step-change in how we use these technologies every day.
He points out that we brush our teeth twice daily because we know it’s important for their long-term wellbeing, an approach he believes we’ll soon see translated to haircare.
“Perhaps because, historically, there haven’t been meaningful solutions for preserving hair quality, strength and density as we age, we’ve just accepted the degradation of hair quality, and the gradual loss of pigment,” he says.
Now, however, LED helmets – which reduce inflammation and deliver energy to the scalp to stimulate growth – can be used as part of our daily haircare regime.
Dr Anastasia Therianou, a consultant dermatologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, says: “The theory is that the light energy is transformed into heat energy, increasing the blood flow to the cells that are responsible for hair growth. Results can be seen in as little as five months, and there’s also some evidence that it can be effective for patients suffering with dandruff and itchy scalps.”
LED can also be combined with other treatments, which send youth-mimicking messages to hair follicles, encouraging regrowth and maintaining density. “One method uses the patient’s own blood cells to stimulate hair growth,” explains Dr Therianou. “Blood cells have various growth factors and proteins that accelerate healing. When injected into the skin, they have the potential to stimulate tissue regeneration and hair growth.” Treatments such as the Calecim Professional system, which uses stem cells from the umbilical cords of red deer, work in a similar way.
Excitingly, there’s also some evidence that we’re getting closer to reversing, or at least slowing, the greying process. Some small-scale trials seemed to show that patients using such treatments found grey hairs had regained their original colour.
”If the follicle cells are receiving messages to operate like younger, healthier cells, it makes sense that the pigment-producing part of the cell may also be energised to continue working for longer too,” says Smith.
