Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands newsletter: Monday 28th March 2022

Monday 28th March 2022

Hi,

Why are we always looking for the quick fix?

What is making people choose the next big thing over learning how to eat?

While obesity and unhealthy weight is a concern, the desire for us to lose weight quickly at any cost has caused us to equally engage in unhealthy eating habits and behaviours.

We spend so much time looking for which diet to follow and getting advice from other people that we have completely forgotten how to tap into and connect with our own body.

Why do you think we try so many different diets/ways to lose weight fast?

The media - particularly social media - plays a big part in it. It has skewed our views of what we should look like. It creates an expectation that we need to look a certain way within a certain time period.

For more guidance, tips and information, please read the rest of our newsletter.

But first, here are our opening times, links to our website, some prices and more...


Gym Only memberships:

Joint/Student (per month):

12 months: £22
3 months: £24
1 month: £26

Single (per month):

For single prices, please check our special offers:
www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/special-offers

Student prices are only for students in full time education.


Unlimited Personal Training:

How would you like to have personal training every single time you attend Woodlands?

Well now you can!

Our Unlimited PT membership offers an appointment controlled personal training system where a personal trainer will train up to 6 members at any one time.

We offer a variety of group exercise sessions throughout the day to help you achieve you build fitness, strength, co-ordination and flexibility whilst burning fat.

Group sessions are strictly limited to 6 people:

* There are 36 group training sessions per week, including: Condition, Total, Upper, Lower, Core, Circuit and HIIT.

* We also offer '30m' groups: these 30 minute Classes Group training sessions are condensed versions of our normal 45 minute 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 have a 5.15pm Group on Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

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

These shared personal training sessions are strictly limited to 6 people! This is to ensure you get a higher quality of coaching and support.

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.

Here is a list of our group training sessions:
www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/group-exercise


Unlimited PT membership prices:

Joint/Student:

12 months: £32pm
3 months: £34pm
1 month: £36pm

Single:

For single prices, please check our special offers:
www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk/special-offers


2 x 45membership:

This membership includes:

✔2 x 45 minute PT sessions per month (worth £23 each)
✔Unlimited SHARED PT sessions
✔Unlimited gym use
✔Calorie target setting advice
✔Nutritional support
✔Discounted additional personal training sessions

12 month: £43pm
3 month: £46
1 month: £49

The benefits of personal training outweigh your fears by a long shot and we can really help you achieve your goals. At Woodlands, we want to maximise your fitness experience.


Personal Training Packages:

The benefits of personal training outweigh your fears by a long shot and we can really help you achieve your goals. At Woodlands, we want to maximise your fitness experience.

30 mins:

3 weeks x 2 per week
6 x 30 mins: £72 (£89)

5 weeks x 2 per week
10 x 30 mins: £116 (£144)

45 mins:

3 weeks x 2 per week
6 x 45 mins: £95 (£120)

4 weeks x 2 per week
8 x 45 mins: £125 (£160)

60 mins:

4 weeks x 2 per week
8 x 60 mins: £156 (£178)

The price in brackets is for non-members.

All of our PT packages include:

Group PT membership.
Gym membership.
Calorie target setting advice.
Nutritional support.

All PT sessions must be used within time periods listed above.

We use time limits with our personal training packages to encourage frequent and consistent training. Packages can be designed to your individual needs.

At least 24 hours notice of cancellation is required for all appointments - just so we have sufficient time to rebook the slot. Notice of less than 24 hours will incur a full payment of the session fee. These are standard terms for all good PT's.

We can adjust the time limits in advance to take into account holidays, business trips, etc.

All of our PT packages include full gym, group personal training & classes membership.

Opening Hours:

Monday: 7.30am - 8.45pm
Tuesday: 8.30am - 8.45pm
Wednesday: 7.30am - 8.45pm
Thursday: 8.30am - 8.45pm
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




How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle (part 1)

If you've been working hard to get in shape yet still want to lose fat, you may have concerns that you'll lose muscle as well. To prevent this, you can follow a few eating and fitness guidelines that will help you achieve the results you want.

You must go about losing weight safely and effectively to optimise fat loss and muscle maintenance. This is especially important if you want to maintain your fitness level, physical activity, and overall function.

With the right approach, it's possible to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. This article outlines how you can use an exercise and eating plan to effectively shed fat without losing muscle.

What it takes to lose fat:

To lose fat, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn each day and exercise regularly. Frequent physical activity helps get rid of fat. If you lose weight without exercise, you're more likely to lose both muscle and fat.

While it's not possible to lose fat on particular areas of your body, you can work on lowering your overall body fat percentage.

Go slowly.

Losing weight quickly may contribute to muscle loss. It's best to lose a small amount of weight each week over a longer period.

How to maintain muscle:

To keep the muscle you have while losing fat, you'll need to strike a balance between limiting yourself and pushing yourself as much as you can.

Each person will have different results. Listen to your body, and adjust your workout and eating plan accordingly.

Schedule recovery time:

Give yourself enough time to recover between workouts. This is especially important if you're eating fewer calories and doing intense workouts. Get plenty of sleep, which helps restore your energy levels.

Don't restrict:

Avoid any type of eating plan that's too drastic or restrictive. It will be harder to keep up with long term.

Avoid overtraining, and stay away from any workout plan that has the potential to drain you or cause injury. Pushing yourself too hard or fast may result in missing workouts due to fatigue or injury. Remember, rest days are important.

Exercise:

Exercise is another important aspect of maintaining muscle mass. Research from 2018 examined the effect of calorie restriction combined with resistance, endurance, or both types of training in older adults with obesity.

The researchers found that when individuals followed an eating plan and did some type of exercise, they were able to prevent muscle loss due to calorie restriction.

Most of the eating plans consisted of 55 percent carbohydrates, 15 percent protein, and 30 percent fat.

More research is needed to determine which type of exercise is most effective in preventing muscle loss.

Eat healthy:

Change up your eating plan to include healthy proteins and fewer unhealthy fat sources.

In a 2016 review of 20 studies, researchers found older adults retained more lean mass and lost more fat when consuming higher protein diets.

Try a supplement:

Consider taking a supplement, such as chromium picolinate, which is said to have a positive effect on weight loss, hunger, and blood sugar levels.

Research from 2018 points to the importance of reducing body weight without losing lean body mass.

Along with taking chromium picolinate, you can do this by:
• eating the right amounts of macronutrients, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates
• managing calorie intake
• doing resistance exercise

Before taking any supplement, it's a good idea to check in with your doctor. Some supplements may negatively interact with certain medications or conditions.

Exercise plans:

Follow a few of these tips to help you exercise smarter to hit your goals.

Do some cardio:

To lose fat and gain or maintain muscle mass, do moderate- to high-intensity cardio for at least 150 minutes per week. 2-3 x 20 minute HIIT sessions and 10,000 steps a day should do it.

This article continues next week...

I hope all of the above makes sense but if you have any questions please come and ask me.


Shorten Your Rest Periods

If you have always taken anywhere from 60 to 120 seconds rest between sets of an exercise, this one's for you! Those of you who have ever used Hany Rambod's FST-7 "Sevens" technique can attest to the challenging aspect of brief rests.

In Sevens, you take a weight and perform seven sets with only 30 seconds between. Let's use the curl again as an example, and for the sake of argument say you normally work up to using 100 pounds for 10 reps. Warm up your biceps and take just 60 pounds instead. For your first couple of sets, the weight will feel fairly easy, and you will regret not using at least 70 pounds.

Because your biceps have less time to recover than they are accustomed to, there will be a cumulative effect of pump and lactic acid buildup that becomes more pronounced with each successive set you do.

By the time you get to sets four and five, you will be fine with that 60 pounds and will now realise how foolish it would have been to go any heavier.

Getting those full 10 reps on set six will be a real struggle, and you will probably have to cheat a bit to get even eight reps on the seventh and final set.

Meanwhile, you may have just created the best pump in your biceps you ever experienced. Seven is by no means a magic number. You can do your standard three to four sets of any exercise and achieve a similar effect by using short rest periods between sets.


Recipe of the week: Vegan Lentil Loaf with Balsamic Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

For the lentil loaf:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium carrot grated
400 g tin of cooked kidney beans, rinsed
400 g tin of cooked puy lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp gluten-free tamari soy sauce, or coconut aminos for a soy-free version
2 tbsp mixed dried herbs
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
Black pepper, to taste
135 g rolled oats, (gluten-free, if needed)

For the balsamic onion gravy:

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar*
1 tbsp arrowroot powder or corn starch
200 ml red wine
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari sauce for gluten-free)*

Instructions:

To make the lentil loaf:

Preheat oven to 180c / 350f and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the mushroom and carrot and cook for another 5 minutes until softened.

Add the rest of the ingredients and use a masher to combine. Don't over-mash, just enough so that the mixture comes together. Add a drop of water if the mixture is too dry, if it's too wet, add more oats.

Transfer the mixture into the loaf tin and cook for 40-45 minutes until the outside develops a crust and the inside is firm..

To make the gravy:

Prepare half a litre of vegetable stock with the stock cube and set aside.

Add the oil to a frying pan and sauté the onion with the coconut sugar for 10 minutes.

Once it's caramelised, add the arrowroot powder to the pan and stir for a few minutes to combine.

Pour in the wine, balsamic vinegar and tamari sauce and simmer until the stock is reduced by half.

Add the vegetable stock and simmer again for 10 minutes until you are left with a thick, dark gravy.

Optional: for a smooth gravy, blend for a few minutes until no lumps remain. Serve with the lentil loaf and roast vegetables.

Notes:

Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar with a great caramel flavour. You can also use any kind of brown sugar. You can also use coconut aminos for a soy-free alternative.


Exercise of the week: Dumbbell Front Squat

Front squats are one of the best ways to work your legs, core and postural muscles.

As you squat, the weight will want to pull you forward. This is what makes front squats so challenging. To offset this, remember to keep tension in your back and core, which will help stabilise you.

Standing tall with feet shoulder-width apart, lift the dumbbells to your shoulders (the head of each dumbbell can rest on your shoulders).

Bracing your core and keeping a neutral spine, slowly lower your hips down for a count of 3.

Hold for 1 count at the bottom of the squat before quickly driving up through your heels to return to standing.

Pause briefly and reset your position before beginning the next repetition.

Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

Do 3-4 sets of 5-10 repetitions on each side.


Things to consider

Don't overwork the front delts:

The front delts are aggressively hammered when using pressing motions for chest and shoulders. These pressing movements should be the core of your front delt work. While it is a good idea to add in an additional isolation exercise (such as front raises) for your front delts, you do not need an abundance of front delt exercises to have great looking front delts.

Are you overdoing the healthy fats?

"Even the 'good-for-you' fats have calories. The more you eat, the more the extra calories will add up. Knowing portion sizes can help.

For example, a serving size of peanut butter is two tablespoons, a third of a medium avocado is one serving, and one tablespoon of oil is a serving.

Are you looking at the big picture?

Frustrated because you've been on your diet for three months and you've only lost, like, eight pounds? Before you freak out and try some new fad diet, think about whether your goal is just to lose as much weight as possible right this second, or to slim down healthily over time, so you can keep the weight off permanently.

We tend to look at weight loss in the short term, when it's actually a long-term problem. There will be individual ups and downs every day, just like there are in the stock market. Instead of taking a short-term POV on weight loss, consider looking at how your weight has changed over the past several years and how you would like to feel several years from now too.

Listen to music that motivates you:

Music can help take your workout up a notch if it's music that appeals to you. One of the best tips is to have a go-to playlist that instantly gets you in the zone to work out. It's like having a trainer right in your ears.

Develop a positive attitude:

Your thoughts determine how you feel and often determine what you can accomplish.

As Napoleon Hill once said, "What your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve."

How much exercise should you do:

The current national guidelines for physical activity recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) at least twice a week. 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of 1-2 exercises per body part are effective.

When you progress, 2-3 sets may be better. Your muscles need at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions.







Useless Facts

Jefferson invented the dumbwaiter, the monetary system, and the folding attic ladder.

The S in Harry S. Truman did not stand for anything.

Human females have two X chromosomes. Male humans have an X and a Y Chromosome. Theo Theodoulou has three Ys and a T. He's more man than you'll ever be.

In Miconesia, coins are 12 feet across.

Tim Marsden beat a wall at tennis.

A horse can look forward with one eye and back with the other.







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