A&O’s bar, Italian café, restaurants, drinks receptions (canapés included) and endless free food during training sessions might conspire to defeat even the most rigorous diet or wellbeing routine. And that’s not to mention the job sitting in front of a computer screen.
However, A&O have quite helpfully installed a gym in the basement of their new Spittalfields offices, complete with TV screens and “vibro-gym”. An array of classes, including Yoga, Pilates and “Boxercise”, run throughout the day to pander to your fitness needs. Or, if team sports are more your style, the sports hall is host to table tennis tournaments, 4-a-side football training and volleyball matches, to name but a few.
Those at the Bank Street (Canary Wharf) office are offered subsidised membership to the Reebok Sports Club, hailed as one of the best gyms in Europe. It boasts over 150 group exercise classes per week from “Ballet Fit” to “Fight Klub”, the largest spin studio in the UK, a purpose-built Pilates Studio, multi-sports hall, 13-metre climbing wall, swimming pool, indoor golf, a Power Plate Studio, a beauty salon, steam rooms and sauna. If that isn’t enough, girls, they provide free hair straighteners.
A&O also offers dental plans at reasonable rates and free private medical insurance. You can avail yourself of a free eye test every two years, or more frequently if required. Should you need them, appointments with doctors, dentists, physiotherapists and beauticians are also available at the office.
Walking or cycling to work is an easy way to squeeze exercise into a hectic diary. To calculate how long it will take you to walk to work, chart your route and even your calorie burn, visit walkit.com or look at cycle routes on Journey Planner.
Cycling along the Thames to Canary Wharf is ideal for those who prefer to combine exercise with aesthetics. So too is choosing a home near any of London’s spectacular parks. Victoria Park is the closest such park to the Spittalfields office.
Indulgence and post-work relaxation are on hand after a busy week: London is host to an abundance of spas. In Canary Wharf, you might try the Four Seasons Spa. For beauty on a budget, try the Spa London, the UK’s first public sector day spa, conveniently located a tube stop away from the Spitalfields office.
Canapés and computers aside, long hours at Allen & Overy need not be at the expense of your health and wellbeing.