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ISSUE 1 I May 2020

WEEKLY YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Five top tips for keeping the mind and body healthy in lockdown page 2 New This Mum Moves workouts launched page 6 The ultimate lockdown soundtrack is revealed page 7

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Five top tips for keeping the mind and body healthy in lockdown ... teachers. There is a wealth of research out there linking physical activity to improved IQ, grades and verbal skills.

By Dean Hodgkin

A LOT of people are feeling very anxious being stuck at home during the current pandemic. Cabin fever can quickly set in while the lack of our usual gym routine can take its toll on both our bodies and minds. Exercise has been proven to directly treat and prevent common mental disorders and recent research has shown that just a single exercise session can tackle a temporary or acute, negative mood state. Additionally, good mental health keeps you energised and motivated, so keeping the mind healthy is essential for physical fitness. Getting started, however, isn’t as easy. So, to help us all get through the current lockdown, I thought I would share my five top tips for keeping mind and body healthy. Stretch your limits Working from home can wreak havoc on our bodies if we’re not careful. Our joints become stiff, our muscles knotted, and nerves inflamed. Even just a walk around the house can help to positively affect the range of motion in your hips and lower spine, helping to reduce stiffness. Scheduling in a daily stretching routine is strongly recommended by a large number of both fitness and medical industry bodies. You could use some basic yoga poses or simple stretches to create your own routine, stretching every muscle from head to toe. To optimise the benefits of a stretch routine really try to focus on the specific muscles you’re targeting, ideally creating your own quiet space, temporarily away from other members of your household for just a few moments each day. This space will also do wonders for your mental health. Use your outside time The emotional experience associated with exercise is strongly influenced by

Dean Hodgkin where it’s done with researchers proving that outdoor runners have significantly higher levels of the feel-good endorphins after exercise than indoor runners. So, if you exercise in a pleasant environment with trees, open space and fresh air you’re going to feel even better. Fortunately, the Government recognises this and hence we’re allowed to go for a walk, near to home, once each day but if you have a garden, now is definitely the time to make the most of it. Get the whole family involved With the kids at home 24/7, it can be hard to find the time to exercise. A lack of exercise can lead to increased irritability which then makes it harder to deal with the kids. My top tip is to get the kids involved in your daily exercise routine. You may not be able to push yourself quite as hard or get the quiet time you so badly need, but it will help them form healthy habits for life and give you an opportunity to bond. It’s also important to ensure your children’s schedule incorporates structured exercise, now that so many parents have had to become substitute

Develop new ways to cope Worryingly, supermarkets have reported a significant increase in sales of alcohol since the lockdown began. A lot of people turn to alcohol in times of crisis to help cope with uncomfortable feelings of anxiety. However, alcohol can often exacerbate these feelings, leading to a downward spiral. This lockdown, however, could provide an ideal opportunity to create healthier coping mechanisms that will serve you well into the future. I won’t tell you not to drink at all, only to delay your drinking and supplement it with some exercise – you’ll be surprised the difference it will make. Exercise has been shown to reduce levels of anxiety and stress by helping to dampen the physiological responses to stressful situations. This is achieved through the release of endorphins, which are structurally similar to the drug morphine, and are the body’s natural painkillers because they activate opioid receptors in the brain that help minimise discomfort and can even lead to feelings of euphoria. Finding the balance As we get older, our muscles weaken and we risk injuring ourselves through falls. In fact, fall-related injuries affect a third of people over 65 each year, often leading to hospital admission and in many cases seriously impacting quality of life thereafter. However, old or young, we can all take preventative measures to help avoid falling injuries. A mix of exercises that focus on posture, co-ordination, reaction speed, strength and flexibility can help increase mobility in the lower back and lower limbs, enhance core strength and improve our ability to smoothly change speed and direction. The good news is, being stuck in the

home is not a problem, balance exercises can be done in very little space. n Finally, here’s my recipe to keep smiling through crisis: At times of hardship, it can be easy to spiral and for relationships to deteriorate. But we must remember to treat others as we wish to be treated. If you want others to love you, love them. If you want to be trusted, trust them. If you want enthusiasm, be enthusiastic. If things start to feel like too much, have a few minutes to yourself in a quiet place, take a few deep breaths and list five things that you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. This is a grounding exercise that can help bring you back into your body and reduce anxiety. Most of us are having to make decisions we never anticipated but remember making decisions is empowering, so think about a recent decision you made that came good, then head into your next conundrum with confidence. Laughter is the gatekeeper to happiness, so download your favourite comedy films and enjoy some sofa time in front of the TV. Take a few moments to write down three things you are grateful for at the end of each day and then read the list when you awake the next day before getting up to face the new day ahead with whatever challenges it may bring While I know the lockdown will be stressful for all of us, I encourage you to think of lockdown not as a curse but as a tool to actually help you to be happy You have time to learn, to be creative, to be close to family, to contact friends and yes, get some spring cleaning done. When you feel positive about the situation, it’s amazing how well you will perform and so the upward spiral begins. n Dean Hodgkin is head of programming at TV.fit and a National Fitness Awards judge.

Life Fitness appointed exclusive equipment supplier LIFE Fitness has been appointed as the new and exclusive primary supplier to leisure facilities operator Parkwood Leisure. The agreement, which was awarded following a competitive tender process, will see equipment from the supplier’s brand portfolio including Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and Cybex, installed across new and existing gyms. With more than 100 sites managed on behalf of local authorities across England and Wales, Parkwood Leisure operates more than 70 health and fitness facilities under its ‘Leisure Centre’ brand. The new partnership will see Life Fitness enhance Parkwood Leisure’s digital offering, including giving members access to on-demand at-home workout videos, delivered through Life

Fitness’ Digital Coach platform. Launched to encourage physical activity while exercisers are at home and/or gyms are temporarily closed,

Digital Coach hosts workouts created by trainers from the company’s global education arm, Life Fitness Academy. Users can choose from three new

‘workout of the day’ challenges every day, accessible on mobile and desktop via any web browser. Glen Hall, managing director of Parkwood Leisure, said: “We were thoroughly impressed by Life Fitness throughout the tender process; they’re a great brand fit for us, and the quality and range of equipment will ensure we can deliver high quality fitness facilities that cater for our wide-ranging member demographic. “Their technology offering will also support our focus on driving digital across the business and help to kick on the digital transformation work we’ve been doing over the past 18 months. Life Fitness will be a key partner in helping us achieve our mission of delivering facilities that support happier and healthier communities.”

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Advertiser’s announcement

Keeping your members engaged with Mywellness – insights from operators STAYING connected is more important than ever. Wellness on the Go strategy allows fitness clubs to manage their members training at home. Mywellness allows operators to stay in touch with members. Launched in 2012, the digital platform allows trainers to connect, engage and coach members. We discuss with three different clubs the launch of a new Train at Home solution and discover how they are now connecting, coaching and engaging with more members than ever before. Mywellness is a cloud-based platform that has a variety of different functions available, which can be configured to the requirements of the business. Highly personalised, quick to activate and adaptable to compliment the clubs business model. Operators can offer training and coaching programmes to their customers remotely to maintain engagement and connection outside the facility. Pivoting towards digital Mywellness can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the member experience. Freedom Leisure, new to Mywellness, saw how quickly digital can be activated as well as the positive impact and response it had from members. “We knew we had to act fast,” said Barry Thomson, regional commercial manager. “The timeline between the initial discussion to the launch of Mywellness was 48 hours, which proves what can be achieved when everyone has an aligned goal and focus.” Not previously using the platform, the uptake was immense. In one week more than 4,225 Mywellness accounts were created, demonstrating how quickly clubs can

“Utilising Mywellness we continue to provide tailored guidance for our one-to-one clients, a variety of home workout options for all our members and more importantly, the opportunity to communicate to new members. “We can offer a professional online service to cater not only for members but for the whole community. “Mywellness could not have been any easier to personalise and match to our business. Thanks to the platform we are more connected than ever to all of our customer base.”

launch new services with the support of the platform. “Mywellness is an important part of our overall retention plan and will support our members in maintaining a healthy body and mind,” Barry added. “Naturally, we will continue developing as customer feedback is received and additional services added.” Enhancing the offering Many facilities already using Mywellness saw an opportunity to launch something new to members to tailor the way it works for them. CitySpace – The University of Sunderland saw Train at Home as an opportunity for an exciting new direction to use the trainers’ knowledge to create a variety of home workouts for students and members. “Train at Home and the Mywellness software has been an excellent resource,” said facilities manager Kevin Ludlow. “It has allowed our fitness team to continue working remotely and remain in contact with our current members, while also reaching out to new ones.

“We have been able to create content with innovative home workout ideas, as well as encourage direct communication between members and fitness professionals to prescribe personalised programmes based on each member’s goals, and the fitness equipment they have available at home.” Personalising the service To maintain on track to achieving fitness goals regular member trainer contact is crucial. Using Mywellness offers the ability to communicate with the member to provide motivation and continue to tailor the training programme. For private gym PLM, connecting to members outside the facility is important, so using the Coach and Prescribe features of Mywellness, trainers provide individual training programmes and have regular contact with the member for feedback. Managing director Phil Moss said: “We saw the need and the opportunity to connect and personalise the service to members outside the club.

Building a community As well as programmes, content and coaching, clubs have also created an environment where members can compete on challenges using Mywellness, which creates a community of motivated and engaged members. Freedom Leisure sees this as an opportunity to create challenges across all 104 sites, connecting people digitally while at home. Members are kept on their toes with creative challenges such as daily 1000 MOVEs, Freedom 5000, and the highest amount of MOVEs in a week. Community is important, with keeping members engaged, maintaining activity while at home and not losing the training habit. CitySpace – The University of Sunderland saw this could be achieved using the power of social media to expand their reach in promoting challenges and home workouts. Many operators have revolutionised Mywellness as a new way of engaging, connecting and coaching members using the Train at Home solution taking the customer experience to a whole new level. For more information please visit www.technogym.com/connect

TRAIN YOUR CUSTOMERS AT HOME

Provide your customers truly personalised and connected training experiences, wherever they are, and keep on coaching them also at home with MYWELLNESS DISCOVER MORE AT: www.technogym.com/connect

WORKOUT WEEKLY

New This Mum Moves workouts launched

SPORT England and ukactive have launched a series of This Mum Moves workouts to support pregnant women and new mums to be physically active at home, after 53 per cent reported they have been less active since the coronavirus lockdown. As part of a collaboration between ukactive’s This Mum Moves programme and Sport England’s Join the Movement campaign, ukactive has developed a new website showcasing online workouts, reviewed by a panel of experts, for antenatal and postnatal women. This Mum Moves, funded by Sport England and the National Lottery, aims to support pregnant women and new mums to stay active, by providing healthcare professionals with tools and training to deliver clear, consistent, and confident messages regarding physical activity. Rachel Lawson, project manager at ukactive, said: “Working with our partners at Sport England, ukactive is proud to support pregnant women and new mums to stay active at this challenging time by introducing new workouts specifically for them. “We hope that this bespoke resource will help more pregnant women and new mums to feel comfortable and confident about trying these activities at home. “Not only will these workouts help women to have fun being active while keeping both mother and baby physically healthy, they have the potential to improve mood and wellbeing, which we want to celebrate as part of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.” Initial findings from a survey by

the Active Pregnancy Foundation, in association with ukactive, show the impact lockdown is having on pregnant and postnatal women’s experiences. It found that 35.57 per cent of respondents believe they are ‘a lot less’ active each week than before the lockdown restrictions began, and 17.39 per cent believe they are ‘a bit less’ active (meaning a total of 53 per cent believe they are less active). While 56.92 per cent of respondents said they were active for between 30 and 149 minutes per week before lockdown, that has dropped to 52.17 per cent since restrictions came into place on March 23. Only 24.11 per cent have managed

to achieve 150 minutes or more during lockdown. With pregnant women identified by the Government as a vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic, the This Mum Moves workouts aim to help them, and new mums, continue to benefit from being physically active while at home – using engaging, free or low-cost content. The content and providers have been reviewed by a group of experts collaborating for This Mum Moves – including representatives from the Institute of Health Visiting, the Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapists network, fitness and exercise professionals, and academics

from Canterbury Christ Church University and Aston University with expertise in pregnancy, postpartum period and physical activity. The panel of experts will review content periodically so that the highquality content can grow over time, with users encouraged to comment to help shape the site. The new workouts form part of the wider Join the Movement #StayInWorkOut campaign, which Sport England launched to inspire the nation to get, or keep, active during the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign website stayinworkout. org hosts home workouts for a variety of audiences including parents and children, older adults and more – including This Mum Moves. Kate Dale, campaign lead on Join The Movement for Sport England, said: “We’re delighted to launch the new resources as part of This Mum Moves with ukactive, which will help direct women to safe at-home workouts and activities for their pregnancy and beyond. “Our Join The Movement campaign is designed to inspire everyone to keep and stay active during the pandemic, and on the website we are curating content that’s specific to certain audiences. “Often, women can feel unsure about which activities and moves are safe to do and the guidance from This Mum Moves is a way to address these concerns and encourage women to get active in a way that works for them.” Women are encouraged to share how they are keeping active using the hashtags #ThisMumMoves and #StayInWorkOut

Leisure centre transformed into foodbank OLDHAM Community Leisure’s centres are continuing to serve the community to ensure help gets to local people who need it most. Initially when its centres closed, the Trust donated all stocks from its vending machines to the Oldham Food Bank. Since then the situation has evolved and, led by community development and partnership manager Kelly Tattersall, Oldham Leisure Centre has been turns into the Foodbank operations hub. All deliveries from external businesses come to the facility, staff and volunteers make up food parcels and distribute to local families and the team is also assisting with the logistics of collections from supermarkets. Kelly said: “In the last few weeks we haven’t been able to serve our community in the way we would usually, by helping them to stay active, so we have moved our resources to help our community where it needs us most. “My team and I have helped to pick up and deliver emergency food parcels and we recently set up Oldham Leisure Centre’s sports hall as the Oldham Foodbank hub. “Voluntary, faith, statutory and private organisations across Oldham have been working together in partnership. “This is a real Oldham approach to the Covid-19 – a true partnership to tackle local community challenges and ensure emergency essentials are delivered to people who are most in need.” Pre coronavirus, the Oldham Foodbank supplied about 100 food parcels to

families in need per week. Now it’s up to 280 a week as incomes have plummeted. Father Tom Davis founded the foodbank in 2012. He said: “Being in Oldham Leisure Centres not only allows us to make sure volunteers can socially distance but it gives us the space to pack up what are becoming very large parcels. “When you consider OCL’s staff have gone from teaching swimming or kicking footballs around with young kids to selecting and delivering food parcels; it’s such a huge team effort. “We’ve thrown a diverse mix people

together with a common goal, to ensure the most vulnerable are being cared for.” Staff are also making regular phone calls to isolated members, supplying exercise guides to keep people moving at home and just having a chat. This month they’ll release some online chairbased exercise videos older exercisers can safely follow, too. “The internet is awash with online exercise content but none of it is suitable for older or more vulnerable people,” added Kelly. Chief executive Stuart Lockwood said: “Oldham is a very proud borough with a

huge community ethos. “As an organisation, we are honoured to be a part of that. I believe we are integral to community spirit and, as such, we’re all working hard to keep our community active, healthy, connected and safe. “The world is a very different place right now and everyone is affected. Across the community, we serve a wide range of individuals and groups. “Over the next few weeks we will continue to support people in any way we can as we prepare for a return to normal life once Covid-19 passes.”

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Three-hour charity workout raises more than £1,500 BOUTIQUE fitness concept TRIB3 has continued to encourage its community ethos outside of the studio by raising more than £1,500 for Age UK following its charity workout to support those most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the theme ‘Sweat for a Cause’, fitness fans across the country gathered together for the virtual charity workout via Instagram live. The initiative, which lasted for a total of three hours, saw more than 120 people sweat it out in their homes as they followed the lead of nine members of TRIB3’s UK and Spanish coaching team. Ranging from a mobility warm-up to pulse-raising HIIT routines, special fitness challenges and even a dance workout, TRIB3’s coaches led the way through 12 rounds of exercises. Kirsty Angove, chief marketing officer at TRIB3, said: “Communities need to come together now more than ever, and it’s no different for us at TRIB3, as community remains at the heart of everything we do. “ We’re overwhelmed by the incredible turnout for the charity workout and

so proud of our coaching team and everyone who joined us for their efforts on the day. “All of us are so pleased to be able to raise funds for a charity that supports our older generation, particularly in these difficult times. We are strongest together.” The funds raised by the boutique fitness group for Age UK will enable the charity to support the elderly, who are one of the most vulnerable and isolated groups affected by COVID-19.

The ultimate lockdown soundtrack is revealed

HOME workouts are for some, their only saviour during lockdown – breaking boredom, getting the body moving and providing fantastic mental health benefits. But how has lockdown affected Brits’ attitudes to their workout playlists? Eastnine, one of the UK’s top fitness coaching apps, surveyed its members to discover the best songs to exercise to while confined. The results revealed a sense of humour towards the situation, with Brits suggesting power ballads related to survival, escapism and strength. The essential lockdown workout mix, by Eastnine: n I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. n Set You Free by N Trance. n Clampdown by The Clash. n Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. n Times Like These by Foo Fighters. n Survivor by Destiny’s Child. n Stronger by Kanye West. n Gotta get Thru this by Daniel Bedingfield. n Keep on Running by Spencer Davis Group. n The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga. Cat Forrest, co-founder of Eastnine, said: “Our members said they’ve definitely changed their workout playlists since the lockdown rules came in. “It’s fantastic that they’re approaching it with typical British humour – there’s some absolute classics that are sure to get their heart pumping and body moving.” Eastnine is packed with sessions aimed at everyone from beginners, wanting to start on the right foot, to those who regularly exercise and want to hone or mix-up their daily routines and offers a wide selection of training programmes including one-off runs, HIIT sessions,

weekly training plans, warm up exercises and strength training drills – the list is endless and there’s something to choose for everyone. To support Brits during Covid-19 the app has been made free for all, after the founders saw the need for a service that could provide for those who were lacking the usual support from their friends, gym or running groups. Eastnine coaches include former military trainer Vince Ciolino, Tokyo Olympic hopefuls JJ Jegede and Lewis Richardson and running experts Tashi Skervin-Clarke and Ania Gabb. Example sessions on Eastnine include: n Build it up: Short enough to fit in everyday, effective enough to feel the results fast. GB long jumper JJ Jegede is on hand to talk you through. n Full Body Fitness: The perfect home circuit session from PT and nutritionist Sarah. Five moves that work every muscle group and leave you feeling great. n Full Body Blast: GB long jumper JJ Jegede is back to take you through this HIIT session that gets your heart pumping and your whole body moving. n 360 Core Essentials: Get your core as strong as a boxer’s with this short and sweet core session with GB boxer Lewis Richardson. n Daily Leg Stretch: Let lockdown be the perfect time to build good habits by incorporating this stretch session into your daily routine.

Exercise marathon to raise vital funds for Women’s Aid CLASSFINDER will be running a 12-hour exercise marathon to raise vital funds for Women’s Aid on Sunday, May 10. Domestic abuse deaths are three times higher during the period since lockdown when compared to the same time last year. During the first two weeks of lockdown, Women’s Aid reported an increase of 41 per cent in users visiting their Live Chat site. To support women and children that are enduring lockdown in abusive homes, Women’s Aid has extended its opening hours and online services during the current crisis. They continue to raise funds with their #SupportSurvivors appeal, which the marathon will be supporting through participation in our event. EMD UK’s head of sales and marketing Brett Pearson said: “We want to make a difference to those that are suffering domestic abuse during this time. “We will raise vital funds for the charity

with our virtual marathon as well as highlighting that not everyone is safer at home during this time.” Taking place between 8am and 8pm there will be 24 qualified group fitness professionals leading 30-minute fitness classes. viBeatz Kidz & Teenz, Baby Beats and Darcey Bussell’s DDMIX sessions will be aimed at children and parents alike. The event will also have half-hour slots with popular classes such as Zumba,Boxercise, Clubbercise, Broga and RockBox, to name but a few. There will also be accessible classes, with an inclusive session from Sam James of Inclusfit and low-impact classes from Move it or Lose it, Medau and KFA. These will provide gentle exercises for beginners and those with less mobility. Donations can be made to the JustGiving page where you will find full details of the class timetable: https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ classfinderuk

At home workouts launched SPORTS and active holiday resort Club La Santa, Lanzarote has launched Club La Santa at home – a daily programme of virtual classes from its team of experienced coaches. The classes, ranging from 20 to 45 minutes, will be streamed on Facebook Live. The timetable is constantly being added to, and is available to view on the Club La Santa UK Facebook page. It will include a range of Club La Santa’s most popular classes – HIIT, Indoor Spin, Stretch & Relax, Yoga, Pilates and meditation. There will also be some live Q&A

sessions with the swimming, running and triathlon coaches. Club La Santa UK and Ireland’s Claire Dyson said: “At this time of year we usually have hundreds of UK guests heading out to Club La Santa to train and relax. “We know that many of them are missing the classes so we have created this timetable to bring a little of Club La Santa experience to your home during lockdown.” A Club La Santa chef will also be making his variations of some of the resort’s classic dishes on Facebook that people can make at home.

15-16 SEPTEMBER

2020

THE FITNESS EVENT OF THE YEAR Visit Tomorrow’s Workout 2020 at Bolton’s Macron Stadium and you could find all that you need in one place - in one day • Over 50 key exhibitors with the latest equipment and services • 8 great seminars packed with ideas for your business • New products to improve your spend per member

www.tomorrowsworkout.co.uk Brought to you by

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