£25

We’ve long been fans of Thoosa’s range of women’s-specific running gear, ever since the brand first appeared in 2007. In fact, we’re surprised that the brand has remained something of a niche player. This new range of tees – alongside the summer running collection – could change that. Thoosa has launched its range of running inspired slogan tees to kick-off the marathon season. What better way to tell the world that you are in training for the big 26.2; you’re not afraid of that hill; and you’ll be out there doing it all again tomorrow? Currently available in three designs (with new slogans in the pipeline), each slogan is available in three colours: college grey, vintage blue and raspberry. The tees are available in sizes small, medium and large.

www.thoosa.com

£39.99

Have you ever tried running on a treadmill with headphones on? It’s not easy; you can catch the cable, drop your device or simply become unplugged. The same goes for stretching and weight training. That’s when something like the HMDX Jam Wireless Portable Speaker can come in handy. This super small wireless speaker is the perfect device for athletes who take their music seriously! Available in five different colours (red, blue, grey, green and purple), the sound quality is good for such a small compact speaker. The speaker can connect wirelessly, up to 30 feet away from your Bluetooth® friendly device. So you can pair a speaker with a smart phone or tablet without the hassle. The speaker has a built-in rechargeable battery, which provides over four hours of continuous use. That should be long enough for any treadmill session.

www.amazon.co.uk

It's long been thought that a soothing massage is the best way to ease those post-workout aches and pains.

But new research suggests that doing more exercise can be just as effective.

“It's a common belief that massage is better, but it isn't,” said Lars Andersen, the lead author of the new study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

“In fact, massage and exercise have the same benefits.”

Earlier research has shown that massage can offer some relief from workout soreness.

To understand how well light exercise compares, Professor Andersen, from the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, asked 20 women to do a shoulder exercise while hooked up to a resistance machine.

Summer hopefully means long sunny days, clear blue skies and the sound of birds singing and children playing, but for some it means the start of allergy season, runny noses, sneezing and itchy eyes!

For those that fall into the latter category there is some good news in the form of new research that shows adding an unusual food supplement to your diet could dramatically help reduce allergy symptom.

The recently published research looked at the fresh water algae chlorella and its potential to affect how thebody can react to allergens.

The researchers found that when an extract of chlorella was given the release of histamine by the body’s cells was reduced. Histamine is one of the main chemicals released by the body in allergic reactions to pollen, and other hay fever stimulants, and is why most common medications for hay fever are called ‘anti-histamines’.

The researchers of the study therefore concluded that chlorella – which can be bought in a powdered supplement from www.naturya.com - acted as ‘an anti-allergic dietary agent by suppressing histamine release’. This means that potentially hay fever suffers could reduce their reliance on anti-histamine drugs by simply adding a chlorella supplement to their diets.