When I heard about a fun blogging event happening in West London, just off Portobello Road, I immediately thought it sounded so much fun and agreed to go along. It was Hulafit, a not so new way for keen hip-swivellers to hone abs to die for. I’d never heard of these sessions, but they’ve been going strong for over a year now, and servicing classes full of eager beavers daily. Kids can hula, how hard could it be……? I was in for a lesson in sculpt and tone from the queen of Hula. Hell, she’s even coached Demot O’Leary on his epic danceathon for Comic Relief!

What to wear? In a room speckled with bloggers, I could be sure the fashion and make up element would be well covered, with these girls experts in their field, so I settled for my comfiest and most colour coordinated gym ensemble. As expected I was the oldest ‘girl’ there, but I’m used to that! I was worried I’d fail dismally, as I’ve never been able to keep a hula hoop going for more than a couple of seconds, but boy was I surprised at myself!

Anna, the Hulafit founder, was a fab teacher, boundless in enthusiasm and I suspect a pelvic floor to die for. In her oversized pink platform trainers, she guided us to the weighted hoops, of medium size to begin and within minutes I was off! I couldn’t believe it was working for me, but she pointed out that the hoops I probably had tried before were cheap, cheerful and unweighted numbers – and of course she was correct. Under her guidance, I was swivelling my hoops (Hula humour!) and moving with the ‘motion of the ocean’ in no time and felt a huuuuge sense of achievement! I was so excited I’d be able to join in hula hooping with my boys from now on!

Almost an hour later and my initial excitement had waned slightly, simply because Anna worked our socks off with hoop based planks, burpees, squats and lots more hardcore moves! She encourages you to bring your core to the floor in a big way and takes her fitness seriously with a pinch of cheekiness, but I was battered and bruised and in desperate need of wine by the end of the one hour session! Anna makes it look so simple, but with her expert assistance I do suspect I could be thrusting like a pro in no time.

If I lived nearer to her classes, I’d sign up right away. As it is, I’m off the hook as I am more than an hour away from any sessions, but I have decided to wing my way to Argos on Tuesday to purchase my very own, first ever ‘proper’ Hula Hoop, to work off the excess of Easter eggs and I will hone my abs in the privacy of Ginger Towers!

Afterwards, it was a mad dash to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen branch in Notting Hill as we had worked up a massive appetite. As we squeezed our freshly worked-out posteriors into the miniscule gap they had reserved for us, we all exchanged info about our favourite choices on the menu.

There were some GBK virgins among our party so us old hands had to give out some pointers on the scrummiest options. I plumped for a Blazing Sombrero, but substituting the beef for some chicken, and holding the onion. The staff didn’t so much as bat an eyelid at my switch, I love that in an eatery! My choice comprised of Smoked Applewood, chorizo relish, tortilla chips (yes, on the burger!), house mayo and rocket and a dish-delish brioche bun. After ordering my food,and a glass of red to compliment my choice –  and a side order of sweet potato fries, natch – we got stuck in to a bit of blogger brainstorming.

Our food arrived thankfully swiftly and was devoured in no time, I was full for hours afterwards but in my usual style, I left just enough of a gap for a little sweet treat from the market for my journey home. I’m not usually a fan of chain restaurants but GBK, for me, ticks all my boxes.

You can find Anna at www.facebook.com/hulafituk or www.hulafit.com

Hungry for a burger fix whist out and about? Check out www.gbk.co.uk for your nearest outlet.

Have you tried Hulafit or a similar class? Let me know, I’d love to hear about it!