It’s 6:30am on a Monday morning and there’s a big white tent on one side of Piccadilly Gardens. And it’s bouncing.
Music blares from within, lights flash and as I head inside and away from my fitness session, I’m greeted by a familiar face, a familiar dance style and a not so familiar caffeine hit.
This early morning rave up, was courtesy of Reon – a form of caffeine hit that requires no coffee, no tea and no water. With the most well known instructor for Clubbercise, the gorgeous Sonique, to get us bouncing, a corner of the tent devoted to yoga and breakfast nibbles and smoothies to get your metabolism going, this was the perfect way to kill the late January Monday morning blues.
Reon is rather interesting. There’s been plenty of research to suggest that caffeine before a workout can help boost your performance and afterwards can aid recovery – I’ve written about it before.
But, let’s be honest, not everyone is a coffee addict like me, and we’re not all up early enough for a brew before the gym. This is where Reon comes in. These bitter sweet little strips give you a boost of caffeine without you having to boil a kettle. Just pop one on your tongue let it melt (or if you’re impatient like me, chew it) and you’re good to go.
There are three flavours to choose from, and I’ve tried both the Grapefruit Zing (reminiscent of the real thing, with that tight bitter finish) and the Lemon Hot (something a little softer and citrussy).
Did I get my caffeine hit? Oh yes – nothing too powerful, but plenty to give your fitness session a boost, or easy yourself through that work meeting you can’t escape. My only comment would be that some people aren’t going to like the bitter aftertaste, particularly apparent on the grapefruit, but it doesn’t last long, and certainly isn’t as much hard work as a shot of espresso.
Caffeine fuelled, I grabbed my glowsticks and bounced around with Sonique in the half darkness, acting my usually uncoordinated self, until the inevitability of my heading into work reared it’s ugly head.
So. When can we do this again?