Park or Zoom classes? Tell us what you think!

I've been absolutely blown away by how many people have answered our survey about our Zoom and outdoor classes. Also how enthusiastic and supportive all of your messages have been. I literally have a tear in my eye. Thankyou!

I'll close the survey on Sunday night, so if you haven't done so already, here's the email and survey link:

- - - -☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️- - -

The question everyone has been asking me is “are you going to run classes in the park again?”...Shortly followed by “how will it work?”.... And also “will you continue with the Zoom sessions?”

My answer is usually some shade of the following: As a team we really enjoy running our Zoom sessions, and we’ve gained so much more time from not traveling to classes.

You, our lovely clients, have told us that you’ve really enjoyed our online timetable, and many of you are doing a lot more sessions than you were doing pre-lockdown!

So if everyone is happy, why bother going outside?

Well, venturing out to the park for a class gives you a break from your work and family environment. And there’s so much more space to move around. Not to mention the social side of being able to chat freely while you blaze through a set of squats and burpees.

In a perfect world, we'd have an extensive timetable, both on Zoom and in the park, for you to dip into each week. However, as I’m sure you can appreciate, we have to be realistic with our time and resources.

We’re aware that you’ll all have different preferences and one-size will not fit all. So, we’ve put together this short survey to help find out what you’d really like to see on the timetable. We can then use this to put together a plan of action.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Z55QB6C

It goes without saying that we’ll be observing all social distancing guidelines. And we’ll only train in groups outside when it is safe to do so.

Hope to see you on Zoom soon!

Heather x

Online quiz night - 18th May!

Tonight is Quiz Night!!!

We start at 8.30pm tonight. Zoom links to be sent out later today.

They'll be a mix of easy, challenging and silly questions, and of course time to chat too.

The prize will be the glory of everyone knowing your briliance!

We’re aware, as I’m sure you are, that Merton Foodbank is really struggling at the moment. So if you enjoy the quiz, and are able to make an optional donation, a link to the crowd funding page for the Foodbank will also be circulated.

All you need is Zoom and a pen and paper. Don't forget to pour yourself a drink and grab some nibbles too.

We'd love to see everyone there.

Need a hand? HA fitness personal training sessions available

As a team, we've been running PT sessions on Zoom since the beginning of lock down. And we've received a lot of amazing feedback as a result. Some of our clients are even booking in extra sessions!

You may have heard that there's been a change in what we, as a profession, can offer. We're now allowed to train people on a one-to-one basis, provided that it's outside and social distancing guidelines are observed.

However, after speaking to many of our clients this week, they've all said that they'd prefer to keep their sessions online for now. Well that suits us too!

If you're interested in starting some Personal Training sessions with our team, either on Zoom or outside, do drop us a line. We'd love to have a chat and see how we can help. Be it one or two sessions to set you on the right track, or regular weekly workouts tailored to your goals.

Training safe online during lock down

Four weeks ago, we headed into the unknown and announced that our Fit In The Park class wouldn't be outside, and instead would be streamed online into your kitchens and living rooms.

It was our 9am Saturday class, the busiest of our week, and a huge ask of our lovely Instructor, Kate.

Amazingly, over 20 of you tuned in for her session. And she nailed it!

Since then we’ve added to our timetable and made a few improvements to our set up.

With the current lockdown measures remaining in place for at least another 3 weeks, and life not going back to normal at any point soon, we'd like you to know that the HA team have got your back. We're ready and fired up to give you a physical and mental boost, six days a week, until we can all safely go outside again.

As before, you get all of our Zoom classes for just £12 a week (no commitment, you just pay on a weekly basis). Our week runs from Monday through to Saturday inclusive.

If you'd like to sign-up to next week and don't already have our payment details, just email me at heather@hafitness.com.

Happy training and stay safe,

Heather x

Online fitness - Easter timetable

We’re so egg-cited about how much you're all enjoying our cracking Zoom timetable, that myself and the HA team have decided to not stop hoppin' over the Easter Break. Here’s the plan:

FRI (tomorrow):

7am: Fit In The Home with Antonio (slightly later time)

12.30pm: Core with Heather (Sophie is still recovering)

SAT:

9am Fit In The Home with Kate

MON:

7am: Fit In The Home with Antonio (slightly later time)

1pm: Stretch & Restore with Heather

See you on Zoom!

Heather x

Lockdown challenge - The 100

Here's a little workout challenge to do at home.

The idea is, you take a break from work/family and do 20 press ups. Then take another break, later in the day and do 20 squats.

Your goal is to do 100 of each by the end of the day! Let us know how you get on...

Coronavirus (COVID-19) And Outdoor Exercise

OK, let’s talk about COVID-19 (do we ever talk about anything else at the moment?!).

First of all, I know that we have lots of health professionals as clients, who are far more knowledgable than I am. I also know that there’ll be lots of data nerds out there who’ll be able to out-quote me on all of the facts. I am by no means an expert.

However, I’d like to reassure you that the health and wellbeing of our HA fitness community are our priority.

I strongly believe that our immune systems can be boosted by living a healthy lifestyle. By that, I mean eating nutritious foods, reducing stress and enjoying exercise.

So do keep joining us in the park for some stress busting fitness fun. I have always said that exercising outside exposes you to far less germs than being in a gym.

Here’s what we're doing at HA fitness:

As Instructors, we’ll be washing our hands as often as possible (if we can get hold of alcoholic gel, we’ll use it). We’ll refrain from hands on exercise correction and handling babies or children. We won’t ask you to do any partner work where you have close contact with each other.

We’ll reduce the amount of equipment we use to a minimum. As we’re working outside all day, it’s difficult for us to sterilise our mats. However, please do feel free to bring your own mat or towel.

Here’s what we advise you to do:

Wash your hands before and after each class, and if you’re using your own mat, give that a clean too. Wave and smile at each other, rather than hugs and kisses. Eat well, get lots of activity and plenty of sleep to strengthen your immunity and build up your own personal defence systems.

Obviously, don’t come to class if you’re sick or believe you have come into contact with the coronavirus.

We hope to keep our full timetable running during this period, whist taking all of the appropriate precautions.

If you have either any concerns or helpful suggestions, please do drop us a line. Let’s focus on a united HA fitness effort to stay healthy.

Heather x

Slow Cooked Chicken and Apricot Hotpot

Healthy, warming and sweetly comforting. This hotpot is great for busy days and hungry families.

Simply toss everything into the slow cooker and ignore until dinner time. It took me around 15 mins to prepare from scratch. If you’re pushed for time, I’ve listed some timesaving cheats at the bottom of the recipe. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this in the oven for around 1hour 30mins. If it turns out too spicy for certain family members, top with some creme fraiche, coconut milk or cheese.

Ingredients:
500g chicken (breast or thigh)
Splash of olive oil for frying
6 apricots (fresh or dried)
2 carrots
2 peppers (red, orange or yellow)
4 potatoes (medium)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp mild curry (optional - add according to taste)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
500ml of chicken or vegetable stock

Method:

• Fry the chicken in a little oil to seal. Then fry the onion until soft. Pop both into the slow cooker.

• Meanwhile, roughly chop the carrots, peppers, potatoes and apricots. Then pop all of this, plus the garlic, into the slow cooker.

• Make up 500ml of stock. Mix in the spices and honey. Then poor it all into the slow cooker and give it a good stir.

• Cover and cook on low for around 6 hours.

Timesaving cheats:

• Don’t bother browning the chicken or frying the onions (just throw them into the pot).

• Scrub the carrots and potatoes rather than peeling them.

• Use garlic paste or pre-chopped garlic rather than fresh cloves.

Joe Wicks Recommends Buggyfit!

Oooohh thanks Joe Wicks The Body Coach for encouraging parents and carers to come along to our Buggyfit postnatal classes!

Join us with your little one on Wimbledon Common every Tuesday morning at 11am for a powerwalk, strength training and some core workouts.

Wimbledon Buggyfit is the ultimate fitness class for new Mums. We've been training postnatal ladies in SW18 and SW19 for nearly 14 years!

Our classes are:

- Suitable for all levels of fitness, from the complete beginner to experienced exerciser

- Great for shifting post natal weight

- Ideal for toning your tummy, arms, bum & legs

- Convenient as baby comes too

- Safe as our instructors are all qualified & experienced in ante/post natal fitness

- Sociable and a great way to meet other new mums

- Not just a walk in the park!

Get in touch to organise your free trial :)

This weekend...

As usual, there will be NO classes on Bank Holiday Monday (we're all having a little rest).

Saturday morning IS going ahead in South Park Gardens, meet us there at 7.45am and again at 9.00am.

All back to normal on Tuesday for Buggyfit at 11am on Wimbledon Common.

Enjoy the sunny long weekend!

Heather x

And the winner is...

CONGRATULATIONS to Zoe Spyvee! She was the first to get the right answer as to where I took this photo. It was Heathrow Terminal 5, on our way back from Portugal.

Zoe, you've won a free class pass that can be used at any of our sessions until the end of September (I've extended it from August).

Helen Blythe, you were close with Liverpool. I believe there is also a similar set up there.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness of neuro-developmental disorders including ADHD, autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia. You can read more about it here.

Underneath are water fountains. My kids spent at least half an hour running through them. Great place to go if you're at Heathrow and need to kill some time!

Punch. Breathe. Repeat.

Are you ready to roll with the punches? We've got some great BoxFit classes coming up in August and September. Working on your cardio, strength and power, these sessions are great stress busters too!

We have a mixed bunch of clients who come along. Both guys and girls, with different levels of fitness and boxing experience. All classes are beginner friendly, but expect to workout hard...and sweat a lot!

We provide all of the gloves and pads, however if you have your own, do bring them along.

Head over to our BootCamp page for dates and booking details.

Get ready to box and burn!

Class Update

Just a quick reminder that, as usual, there are NO classes on Bank Holiday Monday.

Due to the team being away, there will also be NO Buggyfit class on Wimbledon Common on Tuesday.

We've got a full timetable for the rest of the week, so that you can burn-off some of the weekend excesses!

- Wed: 6.15am Wimbledon Park
- Thu: 6.15am South Park Gardens
- Thu: 9.30am South Park Gardens
- Thu: 11.00am Wimbledon Park
- Fri: 6.15am Wimbledon Park
- Sat: 7.45am South Park Gardens
- Sat: 9.00am South Park Gardens

Everyone is welcome to join us at all of these sessions. It's half term, so why not bring the kids along too?

See you in the park soon!

Heather and the HA fitness team x

BeachBody BootCamp - May 19

A total body conditioning BootCamp just in time for the summer!

Antonio will show you how to use your body as a tool to create lean muscle mass. Teaching you how to increase resistance to challenge, build and sculpt your muscles. As there’s no fancy gym equipment, you’ll learn techniques and movements that you can take away with you (so there’s no excuses not to practice at home!).

Each exercise can be adjusted to make you feel comfortable or push you to your limit!

We’d love to welcome, motivate and encourage people of all abilities at these sessions. Drop us a line if youre like to have a chat about how it could work for you.

Join us on this 4 week progressive course and feel strong and fit, just in time for the summer!

Time: 6.15-7.00am
Date: Every Friday for 4 weeks starting from 3 May 2019
Where: Wimbledon Park, Revelstoke Rd entrance

Cost: £36 for the 4 week BootCamp. If you miss a session, you're welcome to make it up at one of our regular Fit In The Park or Buggyfit classes. Scroll down for the link to book. Closing date for bookings is 1 May 2019.

All of our regular Wimbledon Park clients are welcome to drop-into these Friday morning sessions using your HA fitness pass. So that we can judge numbers, please can you email us and let us know before 1 May if you think you’ll be joining us on Friday mornings.

Please note that our BootCamps are non-refundable and non-transferable. You must complete a health form before you join, and you attend at your own risk. Please also read our full Terms And Conditions.

Mum and Baby Cardio Tone BootCamp

Our trained jazz dancer and fitness instructor, Laura, is back with a new course for Spring 2019! We’re delighted to offer our first specialised indoor post-natal workout for both Mum and baby, allowing mums to exercise to music whilst also giving baby a sensory and fun adventure at the same time!

Join us for…

• Resistance work using bands and mat-based body weight exercises to strengthen muscles and address postural imbalance

• Core work to strengthen deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor

• Low impact, high intensity cardio intervals to encourage sustainable weight loss

• Gentle stretching to ease muscle tightness

Babies can join mum and/or play on the mat nearby.

You will need to bring your own mat. Please feel free to bring a bouncy chair, bumbo or similar along with some toys and a towel or muslin for baby to lie on. Please note your baby remains your responsibility throughout the session.

Who is the course suitable for?

The course will be suitable for babies up to one year/walking. Once they’ve worked out what their legs are capable of, they may be keener to run at our Fit In The Park (FITP) – Family classes and join in the action there!

What are the benefits?

• Low intensity exercise will help you feel less tired.

• Exercising boosts your energy levels and releases wonderful feel-good endorphins.

• You are able to get fit and entertain baby at the same time!

• A small group setting - with space for just 8 clients (and their babies) there will be the opportunity to discuss post-natal fitness with Laura and set a goal or focus over the course so that she can cater to each of your individual needs.

Whilst we cannot promote the benefits of outdoor fitness enough, this particular course during the changing seasons will keep baby warm without a speck of mud in sight!

Where: The Gooseberry Bush Studio (above the café) 115 Kington Road, Wimbledon SW19 1LT.

The Gooseberry Bush Cafe is a lovely welcoming place which is great for socialising afterwards as well as offering excellent baby changing facilities.

When: Every Wednesday for 5 weeks from 24th April to 22nd May 2019.

Time: 9.30-10.30am

Cost: £65 for the 5 sessions. If you miss a session, you're welcome to make it up at one of HA fitness’s regular Fit In The Park classes.

Places are limited due to space and so please book soon to avoid disappointment. If you have any queries, please do drop us a line.

Inspire your children into being active

My kids may not always do what I ask them to do. But they’ll often want to do the things that they see me doing.

I love it when, at some of our classes, toddlers try to mimic what they see their Mums and Dads doing. They might not be strong enough, or co-ordinated enough to be able to perfect a burpee yet. But they’ll give it a dam good go, especially if it involves getting a bit muddy!

So be the person that inspires your children’s future fitness. Let them see you exercising, and let them know that it’s important to you.

Why not bring them along to some of our Fit In The Park - Family sessions over the Easter Holidays?

Everyone is welcome to come along, no matter how old or young. Drop us a line if you have any questions about how it all works.

Heather x

P.S. The photo is of me and my 2 kids last Saturday. We entered a 5K team Swimathon together. My 7 year old swam 1K (40 lengths), my 9 year old swam 2K (80 lengths) and I brought us up to the 5K mark. I was a very proud Mum! (Dad worked very hard too. He had to count and accurately record every single one of our 200 lengths!).

Kids Aquathlon - Morden - 14 April 2019

Introduce your kids to multi sport racing!

Whether they're already a competitive swimmer/runner, or just looking to have some fun, our children's Aquathlon races are open to all abilities. With a supportive and friendly atmosphere, we'll ensure everyone has a great time. And there's free cake at the end for all finishers!

DISTANCES:

* TriStar Start (8yrs): Swim 50m (2L), Run 500m
* TriStar1 (9-10yrs): Swim 100m (4L), Run 1k
* TriStar2 (11-12yrs): Swim 200m (8L), Run 2k
* TriStar3 (13-14yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 3k
* Youth (15-16yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 4.5k
* Junior (17-19yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 4.5k

DATE: 14th April 2019
PLACE: Morden Leisure Centre, SM4 5HE

Head over to the Kingfisher Triathletes website for more info and to book.

BoxFit 5 week BootCamp - Wimbledon

An ultra-calorie burning workout that’s guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Using boxing pads and gloves, you'll work your whole body, whilst challenging your strength, speed and endurance. It's lots of fun and a great stress buster too!

Dates: 5 weeks starting from Tues 23rd/Wed 24th April to Tues 21st/Weds 22nd May 2019 (inclusive).

Tues 7.45pm at Garfield School, Wimbledon
Wed 7.15pm at Holy Trinity Church, Wimbledon

Cost: £45 for a block of 5 sessions. If you miss a session, you're welcome to make it up at one of our regular Fit In The Park classes.

Think you’ve got what it takes?

Sign-up today and become a Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine! We'll be limiting numbers due to the space and equipment available, so book your place now. Or drop us a line for more info.

If you miss a session, you're welcome to make it up at one of our regular Fit In The Park classes.

Please note that our BootCamps are non-refundable and non-transferable. You must complete a health form before you join, and you attend at your own risk. Please also read our full Terms And Conditions.

BoxFit Pop-Up Easter Sessions - Wimbledon

Antonio is running 4 BoxFit Pop-Up sessions over the Easter holidays. These are a great way for our regular boxers to keep up thier training. We’d also warmly welcome anyone who is new to BoxFit to come and give it a go, without commiting to a whole course.

BoxFit is a ultra-calorie burning workout that’s guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Using boxing pads and gloves, you'll work your whole body, whilst challenging your strength, speed and endurance. It's lots of fun and a great stress buster too!

N.B. We need to confirm with both halls for these sessions in advance. We therefore have a cut-off of 31 March to book places (If after this date, we have enough interest, and spaces available, we may extend the booking deadline).

Dates:

• Tues 9th April 7.45pm at Garfield School, Wimbledon

• Wed 10th April 7.15pm at Holy Trinity Church, Wimbledon

• Tues 16th April 7.45pm at Garfield School, Wimbledon

• Wed 17th April 7.15pm at Holy Trinity Church, Wimbledon

Cost: £10 for 1 class or £18 for 2 sessions.

Think you’ve got what it takes?

Sign-up today and become a Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine! We'll be limiting numbers due to the space and equipment available, so book your place now. Or drop us a line for more info.

Please note that our Pop-Up sessions are non-refundable and non-transferable. You must complete a health form before you join, and you attend at your own risk. Please also read our full Terms And Conditions.

Kingfisher Aquathlon

Our local triathlon club is organising an Aquathlon (swim then run) on 14 April. It’s perfect timing if you want to get some practice in for a triathlon later in the season. Or if you just fancy a different type of challenge or trying something new.

Start with a swim in the brand new Morden Leisure Centre pool. Then run through the beautiful, traffic-free Morden park.

DISTANCES

Standard distance (17+ yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 9k
GoTri distance (17+ yrs): Swim 200m (8L), Run 4.5k
TriStar Start (8yrs): Swim 50m (2L), Run 500m
TriStar1 (9-10yrs): Swim 100m (4L), Run 1k
TriStar2 (11-12yrs): Swim 200m (8L), Run 2k
TriStar3 (13-14yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 3k
Youth (15-16yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 4.5k
Junior (17-19yrs): Swim 300m (12L), Run 4.5k

CHIP TIMING
Swim splits, run laps and run splits (incl T1), and finish times will be available.

RACE SERIES
The Kingfisher Aquathlon Standard distance race will be part of the London League Series 2019
The Kingfisher Aquathlon TriStar/Youth/Junior races will be part of the London Junior Series 2019

EXTRAS
Free cake for all race finishers
Free parking

Entry closes 10th April 2019 at noon. Head over to the Kingfisher Triathletes website to book your place!