Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands newsletter: Monday 25th March 2019

Monday 25th March 2019

Hi,

In a perfect world, we would lose weight in a neat, orderly manner. We would stick to our workouts and meal plans and wake up a little lighter and leaner every day. The weeks would breeze by and before we knew it, we'd be the proud owners of a shiny new set of six-pack abs. But in the real world weight loss can be quite erratic.

You might lose a pound or two per week for several weeks and then - for no good reason - not see any change for a few weeks. Almost as if your body suddenly forgot how to burn fat. Then - for not apparent reason - you might lose four pounds overnight. So what is going on?

You can maintain a calorie deficit only to have nothing change for extended periods of time. But then, just as mysteriously, see a dramatic shift in the right direction. Why? Well, the answer is simple.

The fat you lose through proper dieting can be obscured - both on the scale and in the mirror - by additional water that your body is holding on to.

You can manage the additional water that your body is holding on to by controlling your cortisol levels, which includes getting enough sleep and drinking more water.


Do you want supervision and support during workouts?

Some people know how to exercise and they even know how to do the exercises correctly, but they like having a trainer around for support and supervision.

If you're lifting very heavy weights or need someone to help with partner-type exercises, working with a trainer might be a good choice for you. He can spot you during workouts and help you come up with a good training plan for your goals.

The Woodlands Fitness Centre offers Unlimited Personal Training:

* There will now be 43 group sessions per week, including: Condition, Total, Upper, Lower, Core, Circuit and HIIT.

* Introducing new '30m' groups: these 30 minute groups are condensed versions of our normal groups, designed to pack in high intensity exercise to push you to the next level and really make the most of your time here!

* We now have a 5pm Group on every weekday!

* The Tuesday 6.45pm Group is now Circuit.

* We have added a second Group class to Sunday morning to accommodate the increasing demand

* Groups are now strictly limited to 6 people, not 8 like before! This is to ensure you get a higher quality of coaching and support.

* All of our groups are £7 to non-members. Membership prices start at just £30 per month. No contract options available Message us for details.

* Gym Only direct debit members can upgrade in 3 month blocks for just £41 (works out at just £14 per month). Your direct debit amount will not change.

* We always prefer an informal approach - so we will be maintaining the booking forms in the gym. All bookings can be made in the gym, by phone, e-mail or via social media. How you book in isn't important; we just care that you attend regularly.



Group Training membership prices:

Joint/Student:
£30pm for 12 months, £35pm for 3 months and £40pm for 1 month.

Single:
£35pm for 12 months, £40pm for 3 months and £45pm for 1 month.

Here is a list of our group training sessions:

http://www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/group-exercise

Gym Only:

Single: £23pm for 12 months, £25pm for 3 months and £27pm for 1 month.
Joint/Student: £22pm for 12 months, £24pm for 3 months and £26pm for 1 month.

PT prices:

Here are a few examples of our most popular PT packages:

8 x 30 minute PT sessions
£112

4 x 45 minute PT sessions
£80

4 x 60 minute PT sessions
£107

All sessions must be used within 4 weeks. We use time limits with our personal training packages to encourage frequent and consistent training. Packages can be designed to your individual needs. We can adjust the time limits in advance to take into account holidays, business trips, etc.

All of our PT packages include Gym Only membership.

Opening Hours:

Monday: 7.30am - 9.00pm
Tuesday: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Wednesday: 7.30am - 9.00pm
Thursday: 9.00am - 9.00pm
Friday: 7.30am - 8.00pm
Saturday: 8.00am - 2.00pm
Sunday 8.00am - 2.00pm

We always want to know what you think of the Woodlands Fitness Centre - the gym, prices, personal training, group personal training, and anything else. Please speak to us at the gym, email any feedback and suggestions to the email address at the end of this newsletter.

Thanks,

GW


Control your cortisol

Are you able to control your cortisol? You can reduce cortisol levels by simply taking some time each day to do relaxing things like...

Listening to some good music
Drinking some tea
Taking a nap
Getting a massage
If you want some more strategies for relaxing your mind and body, check out this article.

Losing weight through calories consumed alone is not recommended as it will trigger the fight or flight mechanism within the body, encouraging a reduction in the metabolic rate as well as an increase in the Cortisol Hormone, which is the hormone responsible for fat storage.

However, the combination of a healthy diet and exercise plan will prevent a drop in the metabolic rate, which will also mean that not only weight loss is achieved at a greater rate, but also that it is easier to sustain the weight loss.

Steady state cardio elevates cortisol (a nasty stress hormone!!!) levels in your body. This you do not want. Steady state cardio is also catabolic. Being in a catabolic state is muscle wasting. Lots of steady cardio causes muscle tissue breakdown. You want your body to be in an anabolic (muscle building) state.


Get Enough Sleep

High-quality sleep is getting scarcer and scarcer these days thanks to ever-increasing obesity rates, work hours, TV watching, video game playing, and other distractions that keep us up at night.

Sleep is so vital to staying healthy. Sleep deprivation is like the trifecta for weight gain. When you're sleep deprived, your body reacts in different ways on a hormonal level, which can impede weight loss.

During times of sleep deprivation, your body is on high alert thinking that there's danger (or else you would be sleeping), so your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Second, your appetite is higher (due to elevated levels of cortisol) looking for food for more energy. Third, your food choices change. Your body tends to crave high-carb, high-fat foods because they help produce serotonin, which helps calm you down from this aroused state."

One of the many reasons to get enough sleep is inadequate rest increases cortisol levels, which, as you know, increases water retention. Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.





Drink More Water

Ideally you should drink about a gallon of water per day, and while we do get a fair amount from food, this requires drinking at least a few liters of water every day. Personally I drink about 1 to 1.5 gallons per day because I lose a fair amount of water through my daily exercise.

If you've been watching your calorie intake, following a sensible workout program, taking supplements etc and you're mysteriously not losing weight then you're probably dealing with water retention issues.

So in summary, don't try to fight fire with fire by further reducing caloric intake and increasing physical output. It's just going to make things worse.

If you need any further information or advice, please come and talk to me.


Spaghetti Bolognese recipe

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, trimmed and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
500g beef mince

For the Bolognese sauce:

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
small pack basil, leaves picked, ¾ finely chopped and the rest left whole for garnish
1 tsp dried oregano
2 fresh bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 beef stock cube
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
125ml red wine
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

To season and serve:

75g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
400g spaghetti
crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Method:

Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.

Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.

Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.

Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.

Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
When the Bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.

Drain the spaghetti and stir into the Bolognese sauce. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.

Enjoy!


Useless Facts

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

Bridges can't swim.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

Bex Webster once punched a man in the soul.

The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight in case of war or emergency, they could be used as airstrips.













The Woodlands Fitness Centre Ltd
A: Unit 27, Molyneux Business Park, Darley Dale, Derbyshire, DE4 2HJ
T: (01629) 733 123
E: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk
W: www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk