NRTHRN STRONG WITH NICOLINE ROTH

Last Summer, we first learned about NRTHRN Strong a cross-country skiing inspired method when they were doing a pop-up throughout the Summer in the Hamptons. We also learned that they were having a permanent studio in Flatiron and attended their preview last Fall to check out the studio. We went back a few weeks later during the Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival, and we took an early morning class and it was great to see how this low impact workout is a total body workout!

Flash forward to this month when we held our Athleisure Mag Summit® Series event on Apr 6th where we had readers and members of our community, to try out a class! We took some time to chat with Founder, Nicoline Roth to hear about the method, why she created it, and her studios here in NY and in Copenhagen!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us your background and how you came to the fitness industry?

NICOLINE ROTH: So my background is originally not within the fitness industry. My background is in business, but I grew up as an athlete. I played golf at a relatively high level and I played handball as well on a high level. So I’ve always been into sports. I’ve always been into doing things outdoors. I’ve just in general always been very active. My whole family has always been very active. All of our vacations, we’ve never done like a sunbathing vacation. It’s always been like hiking or biking or skiing.

So I just always loved movement. So, being active and also just you know always being interested in various concepts. When I came to New York 10 years ago to go to Columbia University, that was my first introduction to boutique fitness and I was so mesmerized especially by SoulCycle. It was about the design, the lights, the instructors, and the sound. I like when you walk into a space, just like a restaurant, and you feel that there’s a purpose to everything in the space. And they’ve been very intentional about that design.

So that’s kind of like the way I’ve gotten into fitness. During COVID, I was living in Copenhagen. My brother had this machine that was developed for cross-country skiers that we today know as the Northern Trainer. He was training on it at home for a 90 kilometer cross-country ski race called Vassaloppet in Sweden. I started training on it myself and I just instantly felt that it was the best training I’d done for my life. I’d never try to work out where I simultaneously uses, so many muscles. I never tried an endurance training that really pushed me without making me feel like crap!

You could do it, but you didn’t feel like it was like running you know a marathon. You could do it and you got a really good endurance, but it didn’t kill you. You could work on your balance. I loved all these slow movements I started doing that was giving me the sculpting effects of it. It was just so fun. So I got in touch with a Pilates instructor and we started trying to do some programming around the machine. The machine had existed for 15 years before we took it over and then kind of like an idea started to grow in me. What if I owned this machine and I changed the design of it and then I created a workout around the machine that went beyond just like a workout for triathletes or cross-country skiers and that was the start of it. So it’s kind of like my background in business, seeing what was happening in the U.S. taken together with what I already knew of fitness that led me to NRTHRN Strong.

AM: We thought you were a track girlie. But hearing your story, we see that too!

NR: Yeah, no, I was a handball girl.

AM: Wow.

NR: Which is not a big sport here, but it’s a huge sport in Europe. I actually miss playing.

AM: What led to the creation of NRTHRN Strong?

NR: Well that was my former experience and then finding the machine. Then during COVID, I started thinking about what if we created a concept that would be rooted in Nordic values. It should be rooted in my relationship with nature. Of course, it should be centered around this incredible machine.

So my family and I, we acquired the global patent for the machine and we bought the company that manufactures it. And then I spent a year learning manufacturing, redesigning the machine, creating the interactive tablet that there is on the machine. And then we knew the goal with the concept was to take it to the US. But since I had no experience of running a studio, we wanted to do a proof of concept in Copenhagen first, which we opened in 2022. And then shortly thereafter, we started looking for a location here in New York City. It was really about bringing kind of the Nordic feel to the US, but of course still... do it in a way that speaks to the American people. So our Copenhagen studio is very international the way that the instructors teach is also in a very American way. So we try to do that first there and people love it!

AM: It’s great hearing how all of this came together.

How do the Nordic principles of balance, connection, and resilience come together in NRTHRN Strong?

NR: I think in the Nordics, people have a very deep relationship to being in nature and being active in nature. It’s just a part of like how we grew up. You meet together with people and you create communities not to train your bodies, but to be outside and all the joys that come with that. I think we try to kind of bring that into the studio. Resilience shows itself through the machine and the training. As you know, it’s developed for cross-country skiers which is one of the most complete and hard workouts that you can do. It trains the full body, but besides cross-country skiing it’s transferable to so many other sports. You have strength aspects, you have coordination, and you have endurance. You can transfer that to biking, to swimming, to running. In that way, we kind of bring the resilience together. Balance is also at the core of Nordic culture. We bring that through in our workouts by saying you don’t have to go all out every single day. That’s also why we have different formats. So you have the Sculpt format that’s more like resetting, slow, working on mobility, working on your balance, working on your course ability, but it’s not like you walk out of the class and you’re dead! You feel really good after that class.

AM: High endorphins when we left!

NR: Exactly! In terms of connection, we’ve tried to be very intentional through our studio, how we build our community, and how we speak to our members. I personally try to be very present in the studio here and to get to know people, like truly who they are, get to know their names, where they come from.

And then it’s obviously also through a lot of the design choices that we’ve done. I find the Northern Lights to be one of the most beautiful natural phenomenon that you can find. We’ve tried to capture that in the studio room where the lights are changing in the purple, the blues, the greens kind of hues that come from the Northern Lights. And the rest of the space we’ve tried to make it very, very simple, minimalistic - yet warm. So it doesn’t have a lot of things in there you know you come in, you’ve got exactly what you need, but the coloring and the materials is done with that Scandanavian minimalism in mind, but it doesn’t seem cold.

AM: Exactly.

NR: It’s a warm gray, but it’s also like a mountain color. So again, we’re thinking about how it is in nature and bringing that into the studio.

AM: Well, you’ve talked about the machine. It feels like the first time that we were on the machine, we used it in a number of different ways because we were even standing behind it and doing the pulls from there, and then this time we’re doing a lot of cross.

Can you tell us more about the machine and the poles? It’s interesting because it seems to be 3-4 different poles that can be used.

NR: Yeah, so the machine has more than 15 different exercises. The foundational move on the machine is called Double Pulling. That’s a classic cross-country skiing technique. And the machine mimics this with a near perfect correlation. So that would be, like, you on the slopes. Same goes for Diagonal Pulling. It’s also very similar to Diagonal Pulling on the slope. The rest – when we’re working, we push with the poles, we pull with the poles, we do sides with the lateral and we do rotational moves. So the machine kind of works in the way that you would move your body on a normal basis.

So it’s in a multi-planar motion. So it’s a full range of motion around. All of the exercises that you do at the front of the machine, you can do it at the back of the machine in the opposite direction. If you’re working your triceps at the front, you turn around, you’ll be working your biceps.

Same goes with your Double Pulling. So you’re using your core. If you do that at the back, you’ll be working your entire back. If you did a workout where you did 10 tricep extensions at the front, followed by bicep curls, right? You’ll have a very balanced workout. So that way it’s super good for your body.

AM: For those who’ve yet to try it, what are the class offerings that you have?

NR: We have three.

We have Strong, which is our signature format. That’s strength infused with cardio. You’re 60% on the machine, 40% floor. So you alternate. It is heavy on resistance. There are small cardio intervals throughout the workout and on the floor, you do use heavy dumbbells so this is a high intensity vibe. It’s still low impact.

Then we have our Sculpt format, which is Pilates inspired, but it integrates a lot of mobility work and balance work as well. You do a lot of exercises standing on one foot so you’re working all the smaller muscles on our knee for example. This is all about mind to body connection. You always start the workout with a small breathing exercise. And then you end the workout with a small breathing exercise. So it’s kind of like a full circle moment where you’re really trying to center yourself.

Then we have our Cardio format, which is endurance training. So this is 70% on the machine. A lot of interval training, a lot of Double Pulling. This is all focused about training your VO2 Max. Your VO2 Max is how well your body uses oxygen during exercise. It’s one of the most important longevity markers for your body. There’s so much focus on strength training but that must not be overlooked. It’s so important to train your VO2 Max and that’s what we do in the cardio format.

So they’re very different the three formats. What’s similar in them is that it’s all low impact. There are no high impact moves in our workouts at all.

AM: It’s great that there aren’t large jumping movements.

NR: No, exactly.

AM: A number of our readers are athletes, semi pro’s etc. and they have acquired injuries in their knees, lower back, and wrists. And the fact that you can do the workout and when you leave, you may have I have certain parts of your body that you know definitely got a workout, but it doesn’t feel crazy. Because there’s certain workouts where you leave and you know you will have to strategize how to lift a glass of wine and to get your legs up on your couch!

NR: Oh yeah!

We actually get a lot of people that have running injuries and then they thought they could never really push themselves endurance-wise again. And then they realize you can here without feeling that impact.

AM: We were speaking earlier about lighting and even the music. Can you talk about, what your focus was in that area?

NR: When I work out, I want to be in a zone. I want to get outside noise and everything from your daily life, I want it out of my head and I want to be there in that moment.

AM: Right.

NR: When you’re in a dark room that’s immersive, it has this effect on you where you just get into your zone.

AM: Absolutely!

NR: I find that if I am in a very light room training, it takes nothing for me to get distracted. You’re looking around and so on. When you’re in that dark, immersive room, you really get into your zone. The movement on the machine is so fluid. You have that flow when you’re going.

So it’s so easy to get into your zone, especially when you have the lights around. I am personally very inspired by the Northern Lights and so that’s why we chose those lights. The lights are a little different from every class. So when I chose the colors from the Northern Lights, I tried to match them up with where you are heart rate-wise. So you have a higher heart rate in our stronger cardio classes. So if you look at the heart rate zone colors, they’ll start in the green and the blue, and then they go up, and you have the orange, your pink-orange, and then you go up to the red, right?

AM: Wow.

NR: So we kind of match the lights in every class with the heart rate zone. In our Copenhagen studio, we actually have a full-on red for our cardio class. We don’t do it this year because the red is not in the Northern Lights and it needs to match. But we have one that’s very close to it here. We still have the interactive tablet so you can follow your stats, but I don’t want it to become a driving force for the entire room. You would need to be able to choose to look at it, but you can also just like be in your zone, right?

AM: So you have themed classes. What are the theme classes that are coming up for the Spring and Summer? You’re currently in a challenges going on right now for April.

NR: So right now we have a two minute Double Pulling challenger in every Strong class. We are planning a very fun event coming up. It’s going to be a marathon challenge. So it’s going to be outdoors in New York City and it’s going to be like a 4 hour event. You do 42 kilometers Double Pulling on the machine. We’ve done it 4 times in Copenhagen and it is the most fun workout. So we gather around 20 machines. You sign up with the crew as a team of 1 up to 5. So, most people can’t do a full marathon on the machine. I would go in a team, right? And I do the workout for us in the office. So you can sign up in a team and do it. But it’s such a fun event. So that’s a big thing that we’re planning. We will have challenges coming next month as well in every class.

And then we sprinkle in fun. In March, we had a lot of themes in terms of music in the classes, we’ll bring that back again that was very popular. The Taylor Swift were obviously sold out. So maybe we bring Taylor Swift back again.

AM: Last Summer, you launched in the US with your Hamptons pop-ups. Are you going back to the Hamptons this Summer?

NR: We will go back to the Hamptons, but not in the same way. We’ll focus on unique events throughout the Summer. So we have some fun partnerships coming up. We’re not ready to announce it just yet, but we’ll be at various beach clubs, hotels, outdoor events close by water.

AM: Our readers and community travel. For those who are going to Copenhagen, can you tell us more about the Copenhagen studio?

NR: So we have people, when they start here and go there, they’re like, why don’t we live there? So the Copenhagen location is quite big. It’s on the water so we have a sauna club. We do guided sauna sessions as well. It’s on the canal so you cold plunge and then you go back to the sauna. So you go back and forth, but it’s compared to going to a sauna here in New York, you can’t even compare the experience because you’re jumping in with a morning view or an evening sunset. It’s a totally different thing so we have that. Then we have this concept here - the Strong concept, we have a recovery room, we have an open gym space as well, we have a café, and then we have a studio that we call Revival that’s more focused on breath work, meditation, and mat work. So it’s quite a big place. But it’s incredible. On a Saturday or a Sunday there, you’ll see people that are there for, I’m not even lying, like 3 hours.

AM: We can imagine that.

NR: They go from concept to concept, and then they hang out in sauna. They buy coffee in the café and they hang out with friends. It’s like a wellness oasis.

AM: Are you thinking about additional locations for NRTHRN Strong?

NR: We are looking around the city. We haven’t found a location yet, but it is something that we’re considering.

AM: When you’re not in the studio, how do you take time for yourself?

NR: I like to go golfing on weekends. I go to Chelsea Piers, they have a driving range there. I like to spend time with my friends here in the city. I like to be outdoors. You know, it’s New York, I walk everywhere. In Copenhagen, I drive everywhere. Here, I walk everywhere. I never get uninspired by walking around the city. I think that’s what I do more, mainly. And then on some weekends, if I can, I love going out to the Hamptons and just relax. If I go there, I make sure to do a lot of ocean swimming. It’s what I miss the most about Copenhagen. So I do that when I’m in the Hamptons.

IG @nrthrnstrong

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | NRTHRN Strong

Read the APR ISSUE #124 of Athleisure Mag and see NRTHRN STRONG with Nicoline Roth in mag.

HANGING WITH SOLEIMA

We kicked off the month by heading uptown to a listening party for electropop Big Beat Records' artist, Soleima whose music is the perfect way to get you ready for Spring with a hip-hop and world infusion. This Danish artist chatted with us prior to her party to talk about her entry into music, her love of the collaborative scene and Copenhagen and the Scandanavian festivals that she'll be at this year!

ATHLEISURE MAG: How long have you been in music?

SOLEIMA: I kind of just grew up with music. I had been doing it forever. We had a piano and I grew up doing it with my mom as a child, since she played as well. I also played – she always took me to these music clubs where I was taught music and I grew up in an East African music environment.

AM: We’ve been listening to your music and including it in our workouts. It has this mix of hip-hop and that tribal feel to it – we are definitely fans.

S: Yes! That’s what I was introduced to and I never learned the theory behind music. It was an acoustic way of learning music and for me it was the best way to learn it. So somehow, it’s always been in my life – some sort of music.

AM: When did you realize that this was something that you wanted to do?

S: Actually, I have been doing it as a  hobby for most of my life! But then last year, I got signed and I started working on this EP with friends and we thought about putting it on SoundCloud and then we thought, let’s try to get it released. We sent it to some Danish labels and one of them wanted to release it and this was nice, but I never thought of it as a direct career opportunity. But then everything went pretty fast! I guess when an opportunity like that shows itself, you just jump on it. So I feel like it was meant to be somehow?

AM: What inspires you when you’re performing, making your videos and writing your music?

S: I guess I’m very inspired by many different things. I get super inspired by other musicians. I think there are so many great ones out there right now. People doing amazing stuff. Right now in Copenhagen – where I’m from in Denmark, the music scene is very interesting. We are a very small industry and somehow we are all friends and know each other! We work together. People have a lot of stuff going on that is really interesting. Right now, we’re inspiring and motivating each other. When someone does an amazing song or has a great project going on, we’re like – “Oh that’s so good – that’s amazing. Let’s do something together!” We just make each other better in a positive way.

I’ve always heard people talk about how in this industry when someone has something good going on that there is a feeling that there isn’t room for someone else. I’ve just never realized that in our environment in Denmark, which I think is a very healthy thing.

AM: So are you currently working on other music as well?

S: I’m working on an EP as well right now. It’s going to come out shortly.

AM: Are you doing any touring or any festival dates?

S: Yes. I am writing a lot. I was in LA for a month writing recently and I do it all the time. I have quite a few festivals. I am playing in Scandanavia, in the UK. In the UK, there will be a few shows in the Spring – a number of clubs and then over the summer, a very booked festival tour. In the fall, I am doing my own shows which is really exciting.

AM: Exciting! What’s that like concepting your own shows?

S: Actually, I will have my first 2 headlining shows in Dec. I never tried to play my own shows before. We have played quite a lot together but it’s been showcases out and about. So now, that’s such an overwhelming feeling. Because now, people are there and they bought a ticket with real fucking money and like they know the songs!

AM: So how do you keep your balance and check in with yourself through all of this?

S: That’s such a good question! How do I stay sane? Can you teach me please?

I think definitely because this is all so new, I am still in the process of learning that. With being in music, there aren’t too many in-between feelings. There are extreme highs and there are a lot of extreme lows. So one day you’re like, “wow this happened and I like it – you’re so high and then literally the day after you get some kind of boring mail and you’re like, “no – that didn’t happen anyway” and now I have to go back to life.

You know what I mean? So, it’s like a good and a bad thing – it’s very addictive and you become addicted to going into these highs and lows. It can be a bad thing because you kind of need a balance where you’re neither super excited or super depressed. So I am still learning that, but I can say that I am addicted to it already. I think it would be difficult to not be that way as well. Regarding the zen, I think I should start meditating – can you teach me!

AM: It’s a work in progress for sure. The best ones for us are meditations that are led by someone and we can sit down and start going through the process. But sometimes when we quiet our mind, those things that were really sticking out there wanting to be thought about pop in and it can be tough to push them to the side!

S: Exactly! It’s like when you go to sleep and then those thoughts pop in and it’s like – argh!

AM: We’re working on meditation, but in terms of fitness or activities in general – what do you do?

S: I’m a runner. I run a lot and I am really addicted to it – I love to do it! I listen to audiobooks and listening to them makes me so excited that I’m like, “I have to run more”.

AM: We have to try that as we’re obsessed with podcasts and that could give us the kick that we need to run.

S: Oooo I love This American Life, it’s my favorite!

AM: Yes and then Serial – love!

S: Ohhh but then S-Town that was AMAZING!

AM: Yes, so obsessed with that!

S: I was in London away from home and I was so emotional and the story was so insane. I was like how can this be real? I would run and listen to these shows and it just makes me run. If I didn’t have them, I would be bored. It’s the perfect way and it’s like free time where I can listen and do this. I’m not working out and it becomes a treat. It’s a really good trick.

AM: Absolutely. So, tonight, you have a listening party – are you excited?

S: I’m so excited and a little nervous maybe. Because I feel very honored and humble about people coming here. It's my first time doing it and I have never seen it done in Scandanavia, but I think that it is a really really good way to present an artist.

AM: So what else – what are you up to this summer even outside of music?

S: Yeah. I’m going to play a lot, which means I am going to be in Scandanavia because of the festivals. You may play Thurs and Sun then you have a few days off and then you have Fri and Sat and then 3 days off. So it’s not like you have to work everyday, but you have a couple of months where you have to stay in the same area. That’s actually nice because I have been away from Denmark a lot this year.

AM: What do you like to do in Denmark?

S: Mainly I write. That’s also where my friends are and I really really like to hang out with the when I am home. We do lots of good stuff. I deeply recommend Copenhagen as it’s a fun town.

AM: We may do a shoot there!

S: You should come during the summer as it has really good festivals. We have this festival called Rosklide. It’s like the second biggest in Europe and it’s amazing. Come for that and then stay and have a small week in Copenhagen to see stuff. Hit me up and I will give you tips!

AM: Do you prescribe to hygge?

S: I don’t know what that it is – tell me.

AM: Last year, we interviewed Meik Wiking who wrote a book about being and living a hyggelig lifestyle. Essentially, the concept is that you create an atmosphere and experience which creates a sense of comfort, well-being and togetherness. He outlines ways that one can bring it into their homes, work environment and to share with friends in order to create an optimized lifestyle. It’s about being cozy, spending time with close friends and family and
checking in with yourself.

S: I had not heard of that, but that seems like something that I would love! Send me info on this as I’d love to check it out!

Check out Soleima's latest music video "Low Life" and keep an eye out for her mini album, "Bulldog" which arrives April 6th at Big Beat Records.

PHOTO CREDITS | Dennis Morton/Big Beat Records |

Read more from the March Issue and see Hanging with Soleima in mag.

LIFE POWERED BY HYGGE

As connected as we can be, it's refreshing to know that there are still things that can be embraced even if it has a strong heritage and culture that we have yet to adopt (or maybe have unbeknownst to be engaging in it without being aware). As the Co-Founder/Style Director, part of the rewarding experience is to find how I have been aligned to a number of concepts within Athleisure that I have done for years (as well as learning about things that I was previously unaware). 

I say this as anyone who knows me knows that I am all about comfort (while looking chic), being cozy and being able to take moments for myself as well as intimate gatherings with others. I feel that in the midst of a fast paced lifestyle, these moments are essential to our wellness survival and it keeps my batteries charged when I work at dizzying speeds!

So when I started hearing about hygge, I became curious as I wanted to know more about this integrated way of being that has its roots in Danish culture and is making waves across the globe. There was no better person to talk about the intersectionality of hygge happiness,  socializing and more, than Meik Wiking who has literally written the book about the practice for those of us who are not familiar! Clearly, he is well versed on the subject as he is from Denmark and is the CEO of Copenhagen's Happiness Research Institute. 

Following this interview, I have curated items that you should have on hand in order to embrace hygge especially with the winter season when we could use a little extra comfort and centering!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your background and how you came to creating a career that focuses on the study of happiness and the creation of The Happiness Research Institute?

MEIK WIKING: As CEO of Copenhagen's Happiness Research Institute, I study what makes people happy across the world. In 2011, the UN published a resolution which stated that “the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal” and in 2012 it released its first World Happiness Report. Denmark regularly topped the list, and occurred to me that somebody should be trying to gather some intelligence about why we were doing so well in the happiness rankings, and then I thought “maybe I should do that.” In a matter of two months, I had quit my job and started paying even more attention to the global interest in what makes us happy.

AM: How did your work in the research of happiness bring you to creating The Little Book of Hygge?

MW: On a weekly basis, I am asked questions like “Why are the Danes so happy?” and “What can we learn from the Danes when it comes to happiness?” from journalists, researchers, nalists, researchers, and policy makers around the world. Denmark does have a strong social safety net, but so do other Scandinavian countries and Denmark still ranks highest on happiness surveys.  I came to realize that there might be an overlooked ingredient in the Danish recipe for happiness, and that is hygge.

AM: Throughout the book, you share the feelings and sentiments that create hygge and how it can be experienced alone, as well as in a collective, what are your favorite moments of hygge?

MW: Hygge is something I practice every day. I try to build a little pleasure and gratitude into my daily routine.

AM: In your opinion, is hygge a component of mindfulness?

MW: Not to us Danes. We have been talking about hygge for the past two centuries, whereas mindfulness is a recent trend. Also, we don´t see hygge as a trend, but more a part of our culture and national DNA. But I understand why this question is being asked, because both mindfulness and hygge share a focus on being present. 
 
AM: With an increase in meditation studios, candlelight yoga sessions, spaces where silence is encouraged to reconnect and retreats what elements of hygge can be included in these activities?

MW: Hygge mainly has to do with the absence of sounds, which enables you to hear even very quiet noises such as raindrops on the roof, wind blowing outside the window, the sound of trees waving in the wind, or the creaks of wooden planks that yield when you walk on them. Also, the sounds of a person drawing, cooking, or knitting could be hyggelig.

AM: For those who travel extensively, how can they make their hotel rooms or create a traveling hygge kit in order to feel that sense of comfort, when they're away from home?

MW: In THE LITTLE BOOK OF HYGGE, I talk about hygge emergency kits which can include candles (good quality), chocolate, tea, a blanket and, naturally, a scarf. In Denmark, we suffer from scarf withdrawal syndrome, so it’s important to have one on you at all times. If you pack this up and take it with you, this can easily be your hygge travel kit.
 
AM: Although you grew up in the world of hygge, why do you think that other countries have begun to adopt it?

MW: There is so much interest in Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia because these countries often rank highly in the happiness lists. Also, I believe more and more people are recognizing that our societies have become richer, but we as people have not become happier—and that we in a lot of countries are failing at converting wealth to well-being—and therefore people are looking for new sources of inspiration to improve quality of life—and looking towards Scandinavia in general and Denmark in particular

AM: The book shares a number of stats that reflect the happiest countries, is there data that reflects the happiest US city or state or one that reflects a region that is the most hygge like?

MW: In the US, you have, for instance, the General Social Survey, which would tell you the level of happiness around the country—however, I think we have yet to see a hyggeindex—even in Denmark.  
 
AM: We enjoyed hearing about how extroverts and introverts can experience the benefits of hygge, can you share with our audience how it can assist both groups?

MW: Introverts derive their energy from within, while extroverts derive theirs from external stimulation. Hygge can be labelled as socializing for introverts, because it is about being with others without it being draining. And extroverts can light some candles, put on some soothing music, and embrace their inner introverts on occasion.

AM: After reading this book, there are many notions of hygge that I have done for years without knowing the culture behind it and as the Co-Founder/Style Director of Athleisure, in addition to showcasing an active lifestyle, we are a major proponent of wearing garments that are comfortable and work with your lifestyle, taking moments to connect with friends in a myriad of ways and more. How can those within the athleisure culture mindset adopt hygge?

MW: It sounds like many of your readers are already maximizing hygge. I would suggest just talking about it more because our language shapes our behaviour and our behaviour shapes our happiness.  

More from the Jan Issue