Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands newsletter: Sunday 28th August 2022

Sunday 28th August 2022

Hi,

Make sure you're ready

Long-term weight loss takes time and effort — and a long-term commitment.

While you don't want to put off weight loss indefinitely, you should make sure you're ready to make permanent changes to eating and activity habits.

Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine your readiness:

Am I motivated to lose weight?

Am I too distracted by other pressures?

Do I use food as a means to cope with stress?

Am I ready to learn or use other strategies to cope with stress?

Do I need other support — either from friends or professionals — to manage stress?

Am I willing to change eating habits?

Am I willing to change activity habits?

Do I have the time to spend on making these changes?

Talk to your doctor if you need help addressing stressors or emotions that seem like obstacles to your readiness.

When you're ready, you'll find it easier to set goals, stay committed and change habits.

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: £27

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.


Small Group Personal Training:

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

Well now you can!

Our Small Group 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 6-8 people:

There are 36 group training sessions per week, including:

Condition
Total
Upper
Lower
Core
Circuit
HIIT
Kettlebells

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!

These shared personal training sessions are strictly limited to 6 (sometimes 8) 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


Small Group PT membership prices:

Joint/Student:

12 months: £32pm
3 months: £34pm
1 month: £37pm

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)
✔Small Group PT membership
✔Gym membership
✔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:

Small 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


What should you know about BMI?

BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is used to estimate a healthy body weight only based on your height and weight.

The calculation is: Body Mass Index = Weight (kg) / Height2(m). However, this measurement does NOT actually estimate % body fat. The ranges that you typically read about are:

18.5-24 is considered to be a healthy range

25-29 is overweight

30+ is considered obese

BMI is not a very accurate way to diagnose individuals' health but rather it was designed to compare and classify populations of people.

The BMI calculated for tall, slender people usually indicates they have more body fat than they actually do (just because of the way BMI is calculated).

BMI also doesn't take into consideration the difference in weight of muscle and fat. Therefore someone who is very muscular could end up having a very high BMI (indicating they are overweight) when really the extra weight is due to muscle mass, not fat. And the muscle mass is a positive thing.

BMI doesn't account for differences in frame size, fat proportion, bone densities and age - all factors that can affect an individual's body weight.

For example, I have a BMI of around 26 and yet I'm 202 Ibs of solid muscle.

It's important to monitor your health and the changes in your BMI are more important that the actual number.

It is just a number that should be monitored as you age, your metabolism changes, your activity levels change and in conjunction with various other health factors that are important as an overall indicator of your wellbeing.

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


HIIT: is the fitness scene's biggest fad doing more harm than good? (Part 2)

HIIT's rise in popularity is symptomatic of what is wrong with the fitness industry as a whole: a brazen disregard of the fundamentals, and a detrimental "one size fits all" mentality.

The biggest issues most people have are a lack of flexibility, mobility and core strength, on top of muscle activation issues.

All of the above can lead to chronic injuries and are further exacerbated by HIIT.

Office workers are particularly at risk here. Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day can cause all sorts of joint and muscle issues.

To then go and put so much strain on your muscles and joints is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, 40 minutes of intense activity does not cancel out 8-10 hours of sitting down on a daily basis.

What will make a difference to your fitness is incorporating movement throughout the day. It's not difficult: set an hourly reminder to get up from your desk and walk around the office for five minutes; choose (or maybe accept!) to stand on your commute; take the stairs and avoid the lift or escalator.

Try taking your trainers to work and get off 1 or 2 stops early on your way back, to walk or run the rest of the way home.

My belief is that everyone should try to train like athletes do. I don't mean the same training frequency and intensity as athletes, I mean the mentality and the approach.

Take every aspect of your life into account: sleep, rest days, nutrition and weaknesses. I learnt to listen to my body. Some days I would wake up feeling tired and fatigued, so on those days I wouldn't train hard. I would do something less intense and focus on recovery.

Remember: burning calories isn't the be all and end all of fitness and good health. Yes, HIIT may burn more calories than any other form of exercise, but it's no use if it leads to injury or illness.

Overtraining is a real danger: it can ruin your immune system, cause insomnia, affect your appetite and release cortisol, which in turn can make you more likely to put on fat.

I'm not saying that HIIT isn't an effective form of exercise, because it really is. BUT it's important to understand who should/shouldn't be doing it and note that everyone is different. What benefits one person doesn't necessarily benefit the next.

If you are looking to get back into exercise for the first time in a while, it would be a lot more beneficial to start with some low impact cardiovascular exercises like walking, cycling or rowing, while adding flexibility and mobility practices to your daily routine. Do this for a couple of months to condition your body, and then start with the HIIT, once or twice a week.

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


Recipe of the week: Home-style chicken curry

Ingredients:

1 large onion
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
50g ginger, roughly chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
5cm cinnamon stick
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp caster sugar
400g can chopped tomatoes
8 chicken thighs, skinned, boneless (about 800g)
250ml hot chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Method:

Roughly chop 1 large onion, transfer to a small food processor, and add 3 tbsp of water - process to a slack paste.

You could use a stick blender for this or coarsely grate the onion into a bowl - there's no need to add any water if you are grating the onion. Tip into a small bowl and leave on one side.

Put 6 roughly chopped garlic cloves and 50g roughly chopped ginger into the same food processor and add 4 tbsp water - process until smooth and spoon into another small bowl. Alternatively, crush the garlic to a paste with a knife or garlic press and finely grate the ginger.

Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or sturdy pan set over a medium heat.

Combine 2 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp fennel seeds with a 5cm cinnamon stick and 1 tsp chilli flakes and add to the pan in one go. Swirl everything around for about 30 secs until the spices release a fragrant aroma

Add the onion paste - it will splutter in the beginning. Fry until the water evaporates and the onions turn a lovely dark golden - this should take about 7-8 mins.

Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 mins - stirring all the time.

Stir in 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, and 1 tsp caster sugar and continue cooking for 20 secs before tipping in a 400g can chopped tomatoes.

Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 10 mins without a lid until the tomatoes reduce and darken.

Cut 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs into 3cm chunks and add to the pan once the tomatoes have thickened to a paste.

Cook for 5 mins to coat the chicken in the masala and seal in the juices, and then pour over 250ml hot chicken stock.

Simmer for 8-10 mins without a lid until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened - you might need to add an extra ladleful of stock or water if the curry needs it.

Sprinkle with 2 tbsp chopped coriander and serve with Indian flatbreads or fluffy basmati rice and a pot of yogurt on the side.


Enjoy


Exercise of the week: Hammer bent-over row

This move hits the major muscles of your upper back, while your lower back gets worked to keep your torso upright.

Using a hammer grip also hits your forearms and improves grip strength.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other.

Bend forward, hingeing at the hips.

Row the weights up to your sides, leading with your elbows.
Lower the weights back to the start under control.

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

Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions for each exercise, and rest for 60-90 seconds between sets.

Tempo 2-0-1-0

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


Things to consider

Get support:

It's hard to accomplish something alone. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.

Realise that there's an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide.

But realise that while it may go away, it doesn't do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal, ask for help (see below), and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.

Carry the exercise load:

Activities that are weight bearing use more calories than those in which your weight is supported (such as swimming or cycling), simply because you have to shift your own body weight against gravity.

Choose filling foods:

Filling foods may have certain characteristics, such as being high in protein or fibre. These types of foods tend to score high on a scale called the satiety index.

Hypertrophy variables:

Hypertrophy studies comparing different training approaches don't account for variables like nutrition, recovery, lifestyle, stress, genetics, or the amount of muscle already gained by the subjects.

And as a result, you shouldn't take those studies at face value. The luck of the draw can favour the experimental group that happened to have more subjects with favourable conditions for building muscle.

Do workouts you enjoy:

Find a form (or two!) of movement you truly enjoy. It's easier to stick to things we look forward to rather than dread.

Resistance training?

Go for it.

HIIT?

Do it!

Be Proud:

Remember that the most important exercise catalyst is confidence.

Whether you're lifting 100kg or 1kg, you should be proud of yourself for showing up at the gym at all!

Don't be intimidated by others.

Don't be scared to ask for help.

Remember that everyone at the gym was once in your shoes. Those first few workouts, no matter how "easy" they are in terms of physical intensity, are often the most mentally challenging.

Be proud, remain confident and trust that your gym skills and fitness savvy will increase over time.

What to train:

When constructing a workout routine, the first thing to consider is which muscle groups should be paired together.

Here are the major muscles / muscle groups:

1). Chest (upper / push)
2). Back (upper / pull)
3). Triceps (upper / push)
4). Biceps (upper / pull)
5). Hamstrings (lower / pull)
6). Shoulders: front delts (upper / push)
7). Shoulders: middle delts (upper / push)
8). Shoulders: rear delts (upper / pull)
9). Trapezius (upper / pull)
10). Calves (lower / push)
11). Quadriceps (lower / push)
12). Forearms (upper)
13). Abs





Useless Facts

The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!

The fences at the zoo are to keep the animals safe from Sue Highley.

The average American/Canadian will eat about 11.9 pounds of cereal per year!

Over 1,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows!

When Kate Furniss turned 18, her parents moved out.

The state of Florida is bigger than England!








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