| The Mayor's Fit Club | |||
| The Mayor’s Fit Club has been created thanks to an idea by Chris Lynn, The Mayor of Test Valley and developed by Rob Chappell, Fitness Manager at The Rapids. It’s an eight week course intended to arm the participants with a basic foundation of fitness knowledge and to enable them to leave the course with a ‘tool bag’ of exercises. The first course has been attended by Joan Haines, Alan and Anne Whiteside, Kathryn Masterman, Donna Tyrer, Pauline Mines, Jo Hatley and Caroline Nokes. Their reasons for starting have ranged from weight loss, more motivation, increased physical activity and gaining confidence. So far the group have lost a combined total of 23lbs with Caroline Nokes being the biggest loser with 9lbs to date. With only two sessions left and 14 days worth of exercise, the pressure is on to start burning those calories. 17th January 2011 First Session The first night of the Mayor’s Fitclub was a very encouraging evening. As expected there was apprehension in the faces of the group, but there was also determination and commitment. Everybody had their own reasons for joining the course, some were the same and some were individual, but all of them achievable with support and direction from the group and the staff. For some people the trip to The Rapids fitness suite was their first time, and in some cases it was their first time into a gym! Monday nights are always busy, but everyone seemed to relax quickly and start to enjoy the induction delivered by Rob Chappell, Fitness Manager and Gerry Francis, one of The Rapids Fitness Instructors. Now the initial weigh in has happened the group can concentrate on what they are here for…to get fit and healthy. Everyone has been tasked with attending or participating in two more sessions of exercise before the next session, which is when the first practical group session is planned to take place. 24th January 2011 Second session last night was the first night of practical sessions for The Mayors Fitclub, with the introduction of a fitball class. The majority of the course had never used the inflatable balls as a tool for exercise, and impressively, no-one fell off! We did about an hour of both mat based and ball exercises, which everybody felt by the end (apart from Joan, who was hardcore!). This was followed by a 30 minute theory session which concentrated on the Guidelines for Healthy Adults and a quick discussion on how to meet the recommendations. 31st January 2011 The Mayor’s Fit Club participated in an ‘Exercise Anywhere’ class. Some simple exercises were demonstrated, practiced and then put into a workout which lasted about 20 minutes in total. The first set only just started hitting the mark, but by the end of the second, there were some red faces and sweat covered brows. Doing some simple body weight exercises which required little or no equipment is brilliant, especially if you don’t have time to make the gym, or if you’re away on business but don’t want to miss out on some physical activity. We did 12 reps of each exercise and moved directly from one to the other and repeated twice. Jogging on the spot is done for a period of 30 seconds. Well done to everyone so far for your hard work. 7th February 2011 Fourth Session We’re now half way through the course and I hope everyone is starting to see the benefits of joining The Mayor’s Fit Club. Don’t worry if you are expecting to see massive weight loss each week and it isn’t happening. Good things will come to those who wait, and there are some brilliant changes happening with fitness levels and abilities. Monday nights’ session was all about different intensities of workouts using our Cardio Vascular systems, and I think everyone enjoyed the boxing session at the end (I also think they would agree it’s definitely high intensity!) 14th February 2011 Fifth Session This week our practical session was an introduction to resistance training using some barbells and some manageable weights. We went through some basic exercises which targeted an all over body work out, combining both compound and isolation* exercises. 21st February 2011 This week the practical session was led by Katie Hewson, one of the group fitness instructors for The Rapids. The group participated in a 50 minute Pilates lesson which seeks to create a strong core through controlled breathing and movements. At one point we were asked to adopt a position that called upon concentration and balance, and it was good to see even Rob was finding it difficult to stay upright! Everybody seemed to enjoy the 10mins of the class as it was focusing on relaxation. I’m quite sure there were some people softly snoring in the low lit room…. 28th February 2011 Now we are into the seventh week of The Mayor’s Fit Club all the hard work of the group is starting to pay off and the members are starting to see the real benefits of regular physical activity. Fitness levels are on the increase and the weight is starting to fall off. In total the group has lost a combined total of 35lbs and with only one week left until the final weigh in, there is a big emphasis on attending the gym and burning those calories. Rob Chappell, Fitness Manager at The Rapids said, ‘’I am extremely proud of the group’s efforts so far. Weight loss is a great indication that their increase in physical activity is paying off, but more important to me is the improvements in fitness levels and consistency of their training’’. 7th March 2011 The final session of The Mayor’s Fit Club was attended by The Mayor and Mayoress of TVBC, Chris and Frances Lynn, and was entitled ‘The Final Push’. The evening’s main effort was to raise the heart rate and induce some sweating before the final weigh-in. After a warm up (and photos) in the gym, the group were taken to Studio 3 for an exercise session entitled ‘The Dice of Destiny’. On a board were six different exercises ensuring an all over workout designed to raise the heart rate. The group were divided into teams of two and positioned at one end of the room whilst The Mayor was stood ready to roll a big red dice. The number rolled related to the same numbered exercise on the board and as soon as it was thrown by The Mayor, team member No. 1 had to run to the other end of the hall, do ten repetitions and run back. It was then their team mates turn to do the same exercise. After a few rolls of the dice and a short break, the group were subjected to combinations of exercises. The doll was rolled two or three times and each team member had to do the relevant combination of exercises. For the last five minutes, we all donned boxing gloves and took it turns to take some frustration out on the focus pads. Boxing was enjoyed by everyone, but after the ‘Dice of Destiny’ Rob couldn’t help but think they were imagining his face on the focus pads. The Mayor’s Fit Club has been an enjoyable eight weeks of fitness advice, knowledge and exercise. Each member of the course has received the benefit of regular exercise and the behavioural change needed to make physical activity a part of their life. To date, the group has lost a total of 30lbs, but there are still some final measurements and weigh-ins to be done before the final results are announced. |
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