Weekly Workout - October 9 2020

ISSUE 1 May

WEEKLY

Issue 21

09 October 2020

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

CEO steps down after 14 years at the helm page 2 How the fitness industry can help tackle the UK’s obesity epidemic page 4 Operator hosts programme of events for National Fitness Day page 5

Connexus - quarter pg - WOM - PR.pdf

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WORKOUT WEEKLY

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CEO steps down after 14 years at the helm

Wasps Rugby renew Matrix partnership for four more years WASPS Rugby and Matrix Fitness UK have renewed their partnership, which was first signed in 2016 announcing Matrix as the official gym equipment supplier, for a further four years.

Through the partnership, Matrix have supplied an extensive range of fitness equipment to the clubs’ state of the art, elite gym facility.

Chris Bell, head of partnerships at Wasps Rugby Club, said: “Matrix have provided equipment that allows our players to develop and prepare for the demands of professional Rugby.

“Importantly, the versatility of the Matrix equipment allows our rehabbing players to strengthen affected areas alongside our fit players.”

Current equipment installed includes the Matrix Magnum plate loaded racks, 7xi treadmills and the Climbmill cardio equipment, the Matrix S-Drive and S-Force as well as the new Matrix CXP Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia. co.uk

Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia. co.uk Sales manager: Louise BristoweHarrison Tel: 01226 734699 workout3@ scriptmedia.co.uk

Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@scriptmedia. co.uk

www.workout-uk.co.uk

Target training cycles.

Chris added: “Matrix equipment is used as a key component of the strength and conditioning programme to aid the athletic development of our players.

“The versatility of the equipment allows our rehabbing players to strengthen affected areas alongside our fit players.”

Dan Baugh, head of strength and conditioning at Wasps, added: “Matrix are leaders in their field and continually look to innovate and improve their equipment to support athletic development. Importantly, the versatility of the Matrix equipment allows our rehabbing players to strengthen affected areas alongside our fit players.

“We pride ourselves on partnering with organisations that are best-in-class, innovative and offer unique concepts for our club. Matrix is a welcome addition to this family.” www.matrixfitness.com/en

MALCOLM McPhail, group CEO of Life Leisure has stepped down from the role after 14 years.

Malcolm leaves following a string of successes at the social enterprise, which runs leisure services across Stockport and Barrow on behalf of the local councils.

As well as winning numerous national and regional accolades, Malcolm was responsible for spearheading the acquisition of Stockport Sports Village and the group’s expansion into Barrow, Cumbria.

Malcolm, who has more than 35 years’ experience in the leisure industry, said: “After 14 successful years, I have taken the decision to leave Life Leisure to pursue new opportunities.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions in my professional career I’ve had to make, but feel now is the right time for me to take on new ventures and for Life Leisure to flourish with a new leadership team in place.

“I would like to thank all the colleagues I have worked with over the years.

“I would also like to thank Stockport Council and Barrow Council for our constructive working relationship and their continued support of Life Leisure.

“The last few months have been challenging, but I know that with Life Leisure’s great people and positive attitude, the organisation will continue to thrive and deliver a great result for the communities we serve. I wish Life Leisure all success going forward.”

Malcolm will be succeeded by current operations director Michaela Pennington, who has worked at Life Leisure for 13 years.

She said: “I have had the privilege of working with Malcolm for the past 20 years and I am grateful for his knowledge, experience and generous support over this long period.

“With this new change, I am extremely proud and excited to take the baton from him.”

Life Leisure, which was forced to close its doors for five months as result of the pandemic, has now begun phased reopenings of its centres with new safety measures.

Michaela, who has worked in the leisure industry for 22 years, added:

Malcolm McPhail

Michaela Pennington “This is the start of our new journey. A journey that begins in the middle of a global pandemic, which has posed significant challenges to the leisure sector and society as a whole, but one we’ll overcome with our usual grit, determination and innovation.

“I am so grateful to all of our staff for their professionalism and support during this period.

“By working together, we have successfully and safely re-opened most of our sites and our members have returned.

“I have an unquestionable belief that Life Leisure will come out of this stronger.”

She added: “We provide vital services for the health and wellbeing of the community and we continue to work closely with our customers to maintain high quality leisure services in Stockport and Barrow.”

Tell us about your lockdown heroes IT’S BEEN a long hard year so far and many of us have faced unprecedented challenges.

But, as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going … and that has certainly been the case in the fitness industry.

Following our announcement that, unfortunately, we can’t proceed with this year’s National Fitness Awards, we decided that so many amazing things have been going on during the difficult months of lockdown and beyond, we still needed to recognise these.

For that reason we have launched the WorkOut 2020 Roll of Honour – this will appear in our January 2021 issue and will pay tribute to the lockdown heroes who have gone over and above in these most testing of times.

Do you know someone who has worked tirelessly to help those in need?

Or an individual who has used their energy and innovation to help their members stay strong and fit during the closures?

Maybe they have used the time to innovate and plan for the future so they can bounce back stronger for their members?

Whatever their contribution we want to hear about it.

Please send your nomination to events@scriptmedia.co.uk and we will be featuring some of your stories in WorkOut magazine, and our WorkOut Weekly digital newsletter.

Closing date for entries is Friday December 4.

There will be a place on our Roll of Honour for the most inspiring nominees and they will all receive a certificate to mark their achievements.

Ready, steady, get nominating …

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WORKOUT WEEKLY

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How the fitness industry can help tackle the UK’s obesity epidemic

By Darren Doak

AS BRITAIN faces an uphill battle against obesity – which has been directly linked to more severe cases of Covid-19 – fitness facilities and professionals can be part of the solution by becoming true health delivery partners within their communities.

According to the NHS, around one in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10 to 11 are obese, while 63 per cent of the population aged 18 or over are either overweight or obese.

This equates to an estimated – and rather staggering – 35 million people.

Worse still, by 2034, it’s predicted that 70 per cent of the adult population will be overweight or obese.

Although most people are aware that being obese carries the risk of developing potentially life-threatening conditions, including diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, Covid-19 has provided them with an extra incentive to do something about it.

Research by Public Health England shows that the chance of dying from coronavirus increases by 40 per cent for someone with a BMI between 30 and 35 (obese) and by 90 per cent for those with a BMI over 40 (severely obese) when compared to those with a healthy weight and BMI. The same report found that in intensive care units, 7.9 per cent of critically ill patients with Covid-19 had a BMI over 40 compared with 2.9 per cent of the general population.

Despite people’s increased focus on their health – with Sport England suggesting that almost two-thirds of

Darren Doak adults consider exercise to be “more important than ever during the current coronavirus crisis” – 29 per cent of the population has gained weight during the pandemic; something widely dubbed as the “Quarantine Fifteen.”

Another study suggests that roughly 22 per cent of adults alone have gained weight as a result of the stay-at-home measures.

Reasons for putting on the “Corona bulge” include inadequate sleep, extra snacking, lack of dietary restraint, eating in response to stress, reduced physical activity, and increased alcohol consumption.

This shows that as well as being a lifetime risk, obesity has numerous physical and psychological triggers.

So, if fitness facilities and personal trainers (PTs) can take a more holistic approach and diversify their offerings to include services such as nutrition plans

and wellbeing coaching, then they can more widely support the healthcare system, truly affect people’s lives for the better, and make a positive impact within our wider society.

Long before the pandemic, the NHS recognised the important role PTs – not to mention nutritionists, wellbeing coaches, and mental health practitioners – could play in helping people to tackle obesity and, more importantly, prevent it.

In 2016, the NHS launched the Diabetes Prevention Programme, drafting in PTs to help lower people’s risk of Type 2 diabetes through tailored support, which includes education on healthy eating and lifestyle, and physical exercise programmes to help them lose weight.

Although the exact causes of diabetes are still not fully understood, a study found that obesity accounts for between 80 and 85 per cent of the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

For the average person, striking the right balance between a healthy body and a healthy mind to reduce body fat and the associated risks can be difficult to achieve, especially given these testing times we’re living through.

Again, this demonstrates the true value – and need – for all of us working in the fitness sector.

Thankfully, tracking body fat and the associated health risks in response to programmes and interventions has never been easier, more precise, or more consistent thanks to advancements in body composition technology, such as the Styku 3D body scanner.

As gym owners and fitness professionals committed to helping people achieve their health and fitness

goals to live happier, longer and more fulfilled lives, we can provide the expertise, guidance, accountability, and tailored programmes that allow our members/clients to overcome obesity.

In turn, this helps to prevent them from developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, certain cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders.

This also ties into the NHS’ focus on social prescribing through link workers whose role is to support GPs by connecting people with community groups and services – including the likes of fitness classes and personal training – that could help to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

For the fitness industry to become the “front line of the NHS” and contribute to this prevention strategy, we need to develop strong relationships with these link workers.

It’s hard not to feel down at times during this pandemic.

As an industry, we’ve been through a lot and there’s still a long way to go.

However, we should take comfort and confidence from knowing that we are instrumental to the health and wellbeing of our nation.

If prevention is the name of the game in helping to beat obesity so people are better defended against diseases and viruses now and in the times ahead, then we are perfectly positioned to make a difference.

This bodes well for our industry, but to guarantee a bright future, our facilities and professionals need to become more than just fitness providers – instead, true, holistic, health delivery partners. n Darren Doak is the national field manager at The Training Room.

WORKOUT WEEKLY

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Operator hosts programme of events for National Fitness Day FOUNDER énergie Fitness aimed to get 50,000 people nationwide taking part when the UK came together to mark National Fitness Day recently. énergie Fitness – who started National Fitness Day in 2011 before subsequently gifting it to ukactive in 2014 – put together a programme of free live fitness classes that members and non-members could join in online.

From a relaxing morning Pilates to a challenging lunch-time burn and a fastpaced evening HIIT class, énergie’s team of experts took the classes and expected to see thousands of people login online across the UK. “To mark the 10th anniversary of National Fitness Day we set ourselves our biggest challenge yet,” said Neil King, managing director at énergie Fitness.

“There has never been a greater time to get the nation motivated, active and feeling positive.

“As the founders of National Fitness Day, it was important for us to inspire others and make each year a shake up of fitness for people across the country, whether it’s setting a new goal or getting active for the first time.”

The fitness-focussed day was celebrated by gyms, schools, fitness studios, celebrities and individuals across

Neil King, managing director at énergie Fitness. the country and offered a chance to highlight the important role physical activity plays in daily life, and raise awareness around the importance of leading a healthier and more active lifestyle. énergie Fitness clubs across the country got involved, with some opening their doors to the public to demonstrate how fitness can be fun and people can achieve results.

Plus, many raised money for charity by putting on events such as spin-a-thons and distance challenges.

Neil added: “énergie Fitness clubs are locally owned and very community focussed.

“This was a chance for us to come together as a group and put across a very powerful message to local people.

“We hoped everyone enjoyed the days, joined us online or in one of our clubs

and has started a new fitness goal to make their life healthier and happier.” énergie Fitness clubs across the country have adopted its ‘Safe Exercise’ plans to ensure the safety of members and staff, while maximising the opportunity for its members to return.

While énergie Fitness has implemented a comprehensive plan of safety and guidelines, its management team has stressed that members must also do their part.

There are four ‘golden’ rules’ members must follow: First and most importantly is for members not to come if they feel unwell or have any of the symptoms of Covid-19, such as a fever.

Members are asked to maintain safe social distancing from others at all times, and encouraged to wash their hands regularly.

Members must clean their workout space and equipment with the sanitisation wipes after use and make it clean and safe for the next person.

Since fitness clubs have reopened, énergie Fitness has welcomed back thousands of existing and new members to its gyms and continues to see confidence in returning members week on week.

Roll of

HONOUR 2020 WO R KO U T M AG A Z I N E

Have you nominated your lockdown hero?

Nominate your lockdown hero who has gone over and above in these most testing of times in the WorkOut Magazine 2020 Roll of Honour.

We want to hear from you, if you know someone who has gone above and beyond in 2020, to make a difference and help their members and colleagues get through these harrowing times.

The WorkOut Magazine 2020 Roll of Honour will appear in our January 2021 issue Send your nomination to events@scriptmedia.co.uk and we will be featuring some of your stories in WorkOut Magazine and our weekly WorkOut digital newsletter.

Closing date for entries is Friday December 4.

We can’t wait to read your stories ‌ Sponsorship opportunities are also available by calling 01226 734 605