Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands November 2013 Newsletter

Friday 1st November 2013

What's New?

Right then fitness friends, its November. This time last year I was trying to encourage you to check carefully for hedgehogs and other small animals before lighting your bonfires. I assume you were all equally vigilant for our woodland friends this year?

Also, in last November's newsletter I made a sneaky dig at Emily Allanson's fondness for steady state cardio (in case you've missed my repeated articles about steady state cardio, it's a terrible way to burn fat!). I had no idea Emily would go from being a personal training client to being a friend to being my girlfriend to being the soon to be mother of my son to now being my fiancée.

Every month I write a "What's New" section for the newsletter and every month I sit in my sticky little man cave/office, scratching my big bald head and thinking of something to write about. Well this month I have lots of things to write about.

Classes are now my priority for the club. Let's be honest - the current timetable is drab. So we're shaking things up. As of Wednesday 4th December, we're now changing the way we do things. This means a much broader array of classes. The Monday night Zumba class, which was once our busiest class, has dwindled down over the last few weeks to the extent that it no longer goes ahead. We've now got another Zumba instructor who can breathe some much needed life into the Monday evening class line-up.

As many of you will now know, our very own Kerrie "How dooooo" West will be leaving us on the 3rd December. I appreciate some of the members who do Kerrie's classes will be disappointed by this. Before some of you start getting panicky / spreading rumours / bursting into flames, let me reiterate that we've already covered Kerrie's classes. Not only that, I've also radically rethought my entire outlook on the classes. The studio cycling class is staying. All 14 bikes will be up and running.

Over the 5 years I've owned the Woodlands Fitness Centre there has been a reasonable amount of staff turnover. When I bought the business, Claire Sanderson, the former owner's wife, moved on. When Sarah Hurley left some of the members kicked off and one member in particular decided to spread a rumour that I'd fired Sarah with a view to discontinuing all of the classes. That was 4 years ago and yet we run the same number of classes each week.

This business is not - and never has been - about one member of staff; it's about a combination of factors. Each of these factors is totally replaceable. Within 12 hours of Kerrie handing in her notice, I was able to arrange cover for her Friday and Saturday morning classes and I've since arranged cover for her other classes. Ideally I would have liked more time to finalise everything before members found out Kerrie was moving on. Nonetheless, I've been able to put together a superior class timetable with a greater variety of classes and instructors.

Kerrie wants to concentrate on her own classes and personal training as well as doing a couple of shifts at a gym much nearer to where she lives. Kerrie is keen to continue seeing her PT clients at Woodlands and she's looking into whether she can continue to teach 1 or 2 classes at Woodlands.

Anyway, a new class timetable will be available before the end of November. Until then, the specifics will be a closely guarded secret until then. Mwahahahahahaha.

I always want to know what you think of the Woodlands Fitness Centre - the gym, classes, prices, personal training, and anything else. Please email all of your feedback and suggestions to the email address at the end of this newsletter.

Many thanks,
Giles


What leads to pain in any of my joints?

Posture has a major influence on Pain. Pain can alter muscle function, creating reflex inhibition and changing our movement patterns. Pain and reflex inhibition change the sensory input to the muscles when there is damage to ligaments and capsules; it can also influence the ability of muscles to support the joint.

Poor posture can be the source of great pain, as postural issues increase strain on supporting structure. Muscle imbalance and faulty joint alignment are common sources of pain. Pain is the ultimate motivator - the body will always move away from pain - and by moving away from pain, you'll continue faulty movement within the nervous system.

When optimum muscle balance and joint alignment exists, the force required will be considerably less than in the presence of poor posture. It can be concluded that less energy will be required for movement with good posture when compared to that of poor posture, increasing energy efficiency and performance.

Muscle balance and joint alignment changes can cause considerable wear and tear on joints and supporting structures. Many muscular-skeletal disorders - often seen "just old age" - stem from postural degeneration. Many older people would greatly benefit from posture corrections.

Our body adapts to poor posture creating a negative effect in the entire kinetic chain, from the work place (i.e., taxi drivers, office operators, etc). If muscle ends are separated beyond normal, the muscle becomes lengthened and weak. When muscles become lengthened and weak, several syndromes can develop:

1). Head and shoulder girdle progresses forward.
2). Compression weakness: of these muscles can causes progression of forward head posture.
3). Piriformis syndrome: nerve irritation associated with tightness, and referred pain across or down the back of the leg.
4). Joint instability: If an insecure area is under constant strain, in an effort to improve stability of the body, a build up of flesh tries to enwrap or splint it.

Posture has a large influence on aesthetics. As the fitness industry is still largely "aesthetically driven," it is important for us at Results Plus not to overlook the role posture plays in body appearance. Clinical research that demonstrates poor posture changes alignment in the pelvis (in particular increases in anterior tilt), this affects the position of the abdominal viscera which, instead of sitting in the pelvic basin, (which we should) we apply pressure to the abdominal wall.

As the abdominal wall stretches, the viscera (internal girdle) protrude outward, creating the "pot stomach" look that many women and men have. You see pouches, and potbellies are not only from lack of activity, they stem from poor posture!

There are other personal trainers who design programs to improve appearance without addressing postural changes. These programs will deliver limited aesthetic benefits. This is why we should perform corrective functional movements. Poor posture muscles must work more to counteract gravity's pull, expediting fatigue. Poor posture puts more strain on ligaments and abnormal strain on bones and may eventually lead to deformities. It interferes with functions such as respiration, heart action and digestion.

Not being kinesthetically aware of your every day seated / standing posture creates Imbalances. These imbalances also may result from occupational or recreational activities where there is persistent use of certain muscles without adequate exercise of opposing muscles. Imbalances affecting body alignment are important factors in many painful postural conditions. In conditions of poor posture, there is less efficient balance of the body over its base of support. This, in turn, affects not only static but also dynamic stability. Each issue has its own implications for pain, dysfunction and increased risk of injury.

Please speak to Lee Tann about the most optimal position to stand and sit. Today most people sit in their efficient position; this is a position where the body adapts to its forced alignment. However...the efficient position is not the corrective optimal position, we should all be striving for. Be pain free with perfect posture.

Very Punny

Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of Coke? He was lucky it was a soft drink!

Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.

I was driving this morning when I saw an RAC van parked up. The driver was sobbing uncontrollably and looked very miserable. I thought to myself that guy's heading for a breakdown.

The wife has been missing a week now. Police said to prepare for the worst. So I've been to the charity shop to get all her clothes back.

The Woodlands Fitness Centre Ltd
A: Unit 29, Peak Village Estate, Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Derbyshire, DE4 2JE
T: (01629) 733 123
E: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk
W: www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk