the club and spa at Cadbury - Health & Fitness

Top 5 tips when joining a gym

2010-02-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

When joining a gym in Bristol there are a few things to consider – like the distance from your house, or the range of classes on offer. You also need to remember to buy the right gear and to eat an hour in advance before a workout. With so much to deliberate, what are the top 5 things to remember when joining a gym?

1.   Proximity
There is no point in joining a gym if you cannot get to it! Always join a gym that is on your bus route or your route home from work. That way you never have an excuse not to go. If your gym is less than an hour away from your house why not try power walking or jogging to the gym in order to warm up?

2.   Price
There are lots of competitive gym memberships on the market nowadays – just make sure that you can afford the membership before you commit. Once you’ve signed up you will be expected to pay a monthly fee for at least 6 months, if not 12. Talk to a member of the memberships team to discuss payment options.

3.   Gym wear
It is imperative that you buy the right footwear for your workouts in the gym. Buying the right sports shoes can save you from injury and discomfort, so don’t scrimp when buy trainers for the gym. Footwear shops will be happy to discuss options with you and will be able to advise you on the best shoe for your foot type.

4.   Choice of classes
Choose a gym with a good mix of studio classes – not only will this vary up your exercise regime but will work different areas of your body, giving you a full workout. Most gyms run classes throughout the week including classes in the morning and after work.

5.   Enjoyment
Choose a gym that you feel happy and comfortable in. Atmospheres vary from gym to gym. For example, you may feel more at home in a ladies-only gym. Why not go for a trial at your chosen gym and familiarise yourself with the equipment. The happier you are at your chosen gym, the more likely you are to attend.

The 4-week Report

2010-02-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

Well week 4 is up and I am feeling great!!!! I altered my diet for the first 3 weeks without any training and then over the past week have begun to train along with healthy eating. I must admit, getting back into training has been hard, I am aching from head to toe but it’s that satisfying ache; one where you know it is making a difference. I am almost back to where I started with my weights although my fitness levels are taking a while to return to normal.

The biggest difference is in my body, mood and energy levels. I have followed the same eating plan for the whole 4 weeks, whilst allowing myself a few treats on Saturday and Sunday. It has been incredibly easy to follow and am now finding it hard to believe that healthy eating is usually such an arduous task! My eating plan is as follows;

Breakfast

Either 3 poached eggs + 1 slice of organic brown toast
Or
Fruit smoothie

Snack

3 oranges and apple/nuts

Lunch

Chicken salad/tuna salad/ham salad/ chicken and cous cous etc

Snack

Fruit and yoghurt

Dinner

Chicken skewers + salad/steamed fish + veg/soup + sweet potato jacket with humus

Training diary

Monday

Weights and swimming + football

Tuesday

Weights + intervals running

Wednesday

Running club + weights + swim

Thursday

Weights + football

Friday

Stretch and swim

Saturday

Football match 90 mins

Sunday

Mountain biking 3 hours

I realize this may seem excessive, but I have managed to incorporate the football and mountain biking into my weekly routine. The trick is to make exercise as much a part of your life as anything else. For example, instead of watching TV on Saturday mornings, why not go for a run instead? Not only will it mentally prepare you for the day ahead, but will kick start your metabolism, thus cancelling out the curry the night before!

Saying this, the challenge is not an easy one. It’s going to be tough, but it’s only 6 weeks out of your life and will make all the difference when you slip into that bikini, wedding dress or football kit…. When I started out it seemed like a decade away, but now 4 weeks have flown by and I feel great and cannot wait to complete the full 6 weeks.

The Before Photos

2010-01-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Tom Horton - Fitness Manager
View Tom's Profile

Shaun Langson - Personal Trainer
View Shaun's Profile

Christmas Flab Challenge

2010-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

4th Jan 2010 until the 14th Feb 2010

theclub staff will prove that it is possible to change their bodies in just 6 weeks, using just a gym membership and the facilities it has to offer.

You have got to be kidding!!!! ‘5 weeks!!’ The words muttered as I view my new torso staring back at me in the mirror. I have to repeat it to believe it. This is the amount of time it has taken to go from fairly fit to flabby over the run into Christmas and the Christmas period. A period of 5 weeks where I have totally stopped training, and allowed myself no boundaries to what crosses my lips.

I have dipped into every tin of sweets, accepted every biscuit and even reduced my water intake, replacing it with things such as coke/sugary juice and tea/coffee. I have ballooned from 15stone to 16’3 and gone from a waist 34 comfortable to 36snug fitting!!! And my energy levels are at an all time low. Now this may seem extreme, however if 90% of the people using the gym were to write down and document their daily/weekly habits of eating/drinking and working out and keep track of how they felt and performed, then it would be no surprise that it would make for some alarming reading not to different from that above.

However I have decided to change it all, and to show those people who think it is not possible to change yourself in 6 weeks like all the adverts say. Also to quash all the readily available excuses ‘I don’t have time’’ I cant make it up to the gym’ ‘I work to much’ I have recruited some of my work colleagues to join in, as I am aware that I work in a gym so it is easier for me. As for them, Al Morgan is the head chef at theclub doing shift work, unsociable hours, 6 days a week etc etc and Graham Clark is the operations manager at theclub doing 9-5 6 days a week, more normal office hours. So we have a varied scale of hours worked etc. myself I do hours tailored generally around my clients availability which may be 6am to 10pm so it is completely sporadic. But having these varied shift patterns allows us to get a better understanding of the time people have available over the week.

We are going to monitor our entire food intake, document weight and measurements, our before and after photos and also keeping a diary of how we feel, energy levels, mood etc. the rules are simple, we are only allowed to use the facilities on offer at theclub, pool, gym etc etc and only offer the advice and programming of the gym staff. We each have different needs and goals so we will each be getting assessed and given a program from a separate gym team member then following their lead all the way.

So role on the 4Th jan. Please feel free to post your comments.

Tom Horton
Fitness manager