We're very proud of Charlie (hubby of Jane & pictured here with Rob Pinchbeck) & Liz (Fit In the Park & Buggyfit Mum) on brilliant times for the 100 mile Ride London race earlier this month.
Hope the thighs & bum have recovered!
SW19 is home to some more sporting action this weekend as the Ride London route heads through Raynes Park, Wimbledon & then Putney.
We'd like to wish all our clients & friends good luck including Charlie (husband of our instructor Jane) & Liz (one of our regular Buggyfit mums). We're sure all of your hard work & dedication to training will pay off. We'll be cheering you on all the way!
Cool Spots
Running your wrists under a cold tap when it’s hot feels lovely. Did you know this is part of your body’s natural cooling system?
The blood vessels in your wrists are close to the surface of the skin. The theory is, by making this bit of you cold, you reduce the temperature of the blood passing through. This cooled blood then circulates around the rest of your body, giving you some relief from the heat.
All of your pulse points (places where you can feel your pulse) seem to work like this. The neck, inner elbows & backs of the knees are some of the easiest areas to chill. Throw cold water on or wrap a wet cloth around them during your workout & you’ll get some relief. You've also got pulse points in the tops of your feet & ankles, so after a hot workout plunge your throbbing tootsies into a bowl of icy water. Bliss!
Cooling your whole head feels great too. I love going out for a run with wet hair (quick cold shower before I go, looks a bit strange but it works!).
Cool Sweat
When we’re hot, more blood is directed towards the skin’s surface (that's why you go red). The body then produces sweat on the skin to cool the blood down.
It’s a great cooling system, but it does use up a lot of water. So when it’s hot outside, stay hydrated. Plan ahead, keep sipping water throughout the day & increase your consumption both during & after your workout.
There’s a quick scientific test you can do to see how hydrated you are. Go to the loo & check the colour of your urine. The lighter the colour the better. Think the colour of lemonade rather than Pimms!
Cool Kit
To allow this sweating process to work efficiently, avoid wearing clothes that trap sweat & heat against your body. Opt for lightweight, loose fitting clothes.
If you train a lot in the heat, invest in some technical kit that pulls the wetness away from the skin. It’s the evaporation process that keeps you cool. Look for words like Climacool (Adidas), Dri-Fit (Nike) or just a generic "moisture-wicking" fabric.
Cool Ego
When it gets hot, slow down and listen to your body.
Be aware of your current fitness levels. Generally, the fitter you are, the better your body can tolerate exercise in the heat. If you're unfit or new to exercise, don’t push it too hard & take lots of breaks.
Whatever your fitness ability, on hotter days, don’t aim to beat previous scores, or get a PB. You have my permission to ease back!
Cool Training
Summer outdoor workouts are definitely worth sweating over. Just make sure you train sensibly, stick to the shade & avoid the middle of the day.
So don’t hide indoors. Make the most of the lovely weather, it won’t be around for long!
7pm Thursday Fit In The Park - last class on 18 July.
We're taking the 7pm Thursday night Fit In The Park class off the timetable next week (last class on 18 July). We apologise to those of you who like this class time. Unfortunately we have to make a decision based on the level of demand. The majority of our Wimbledon Park regulars prefer seeing us before breakfast rather than at the end of the day!
Don't forget that we still have our evening class on Mondays at 7.15pm in South Park Gardens. This beautiful park is just a 5 min walk from Wimbledon station. If you're driving, there's free parking in Effra, Faraday & Clarence Roads after 6.30pm (some of the other roads are metered).
Friday Fit In The Park Class - now starts at 9.15am
You told us that the school run routine would work better if our Friday Fit In The Park class in South Park Gardens was earlier.
So, starting from 19 July, this class will now take place at the earlier time of 9.15am.
What are your thoughts on our class timetable?
Would you like different times, days & venues? Drop me a line & tell me about it!
We're really pleased to welcome Gemma Mossakowska to the HA fitness team!
Gemma started coming to Wimbledon Buggyfit & doing some personal training with us 3 years ago after the birth of her first child. She loved it so much she decided to train up & join the team!
Gemma will be covering different classes over the summer, so hopefully you'll all get chance to train with her. She's brimming with fresh ideas & has lots of new moves to share!
You can read more about Gemma here.
We had lots of fun meeting old clients & making new friends at the Holy Trinity CE Primary School fair last Saturday in South Park Gardens.
I feel so luckly that we're able to run our fitness classes in this buzzing part of Wimbledon. It's a great place & really wonderful people.
Thanks to everyone who popped over to say hello!
Regulars at our Saturday morning Fit In The Park class in South Park Gardens, Ant & Rich, decided to do something a bit different last weekend. They, plus 2 other friends, completed the Endure 24, a twenty four hour race over a 5 mile loop. They completed a staggering 160 miles between them (40 each!) from Saturday noon to Sunday noon.
Well done guys!!
With the Tennis Championships heading our way, SW19 will soon become the sporting focus of the world again.
During this busy fortnight (24th June to 7th July), all of our classes will continue to run as normal. However, we'll be keeping well out of the way of the happy campers in Wimbledon Park by training at the top end of the park. Come in through the Revelstoke Road entrance & turn left. We'll be slightly up the hill to the left of the tennis courts.
We recommend giving your workout an extra boost by walking, running or cycling to Wimbledon Park when the tennis is on. With the usual 2 car parks closed & no parking on the local roads, your best option is to come on foot or by bike.
All of our other classes in Wimbledon Common & South Park Gardens should be unaffected, although the traffic may be a bit heavier. Surprisingly, the Windmill car park on Wimbledon Common never gets too busy, so no problem with parking for Buggyfit on Tuesdays & Fridays.
Don't let this put you off though. We've got some great classes planned & would really love to see you there. You may even bump into some famous faces!
Do you have any visitor parking permits for Wimbledon/Southfields/SW19?
Despite being a small business in the area, we're unable to get parking permits for the tennis fortnight. We'd therefore really appreciate it if anyone has a visitor permit that they could give or lend to us (with lots of kit & many sessions to train, it's not so easy to leave the car behind).
If you can help, please get in touch & we'll arrange to pick it up.
Many thanks!
Heather
Want a challenge this Saturday? How about a 15 mile charity walk from Richmond Park along the Thames to Hammersmith? Here's why you should join us:
1) It's for an amazing charity. Maggie’s Centres provide emotional, practical and social support to people with cancer & their families & friends.
2) It's just £35 to sign-up, which you can do online. There's no fundraising commitment, just raise as much as you can.
3) It's a beautiful scenic walk, which will help you to burn calories & get fit.
4) I will be doing the warm-up at the start!
Go to the Maggies website for more info & to sign-up. Hope to see you there!
As people start thinking about summer holidays, we hear lots of talk about quirky diets purporting to be the answer to our beach body dreams. Just putting the word "diet" into Amazon brings up some crazy titles such as The Overnight Diet, the Greedy Girls Diet & The Belly Fat Diet. All are high on promises, but none inspire me with confidence.
There's nothing new about fad diets. The same ideas have been remodeled & repackaged for decades & have never really worked. Fad diets are easy to spot, they tend to have one or more of the following in common:
1. Promises rapid weight loss or a quick fix. Yes, most will lead to fast weight loss, but the focus is on the short term, so you will end up putting the weight back on again.
2. Contains a ritual (drink grapefruit juice everyday) or sacrifice (cut out carbs). Many of these things are based on dodgy science or no research at all. Cutting out certain food groups could prevent you from getting the important nutrients & vitamins that your body needs to function properly.
3. Involves a magical food or food combination. These often make far-fetched claims with little or no evidence to back them up.
4. Rigid menus or monotonous food choices. These are impracticable to follow in the long-term and may be nutritionally unbalanced. The minute you go back to your old lifestyle, the pounds will start returning.
Lose weight the HA fitness way!
Eat less & exercise more. We put on weight when the amount of calories we eat exceeds the amount we burn off. To lose weight, you need to eat less & burn more. Get in touch if you'd like to know more about how we can make this work for you!
The schools are back & we're already counting how many sleeps until the summer holidays. Now's the time to do that final push for the summer. Whether you want to turn those bingo wings into sculpted pieces of art, or convert the spare tyre into something that more resembles a washboard, the best thing you can do right now is to train hard & eat well.
Have a look at our timetable below. Can you squeeze in one more session a week? Just until the summer?
Try & come along to one of our evening classes after work. It's lovely at that time of day in the park at the moment. Take advantage of the long evenings while you can & join us on:
Mondays: 7.15pm, South Park Gardens - meet in the middle of the park
Thursdays: 7.00pm, Wimbledon Park - meet near the Revelstoke Road entrance.
I don't want to speak too soon, but the forecast for tomorrow is looking pretty good for those of us in SW London. No rain predicted & there should be a little bit of sunshine to keep us all smiling.
As usual, all of our hard working instructors will be enjoying a well earned day off, so there will be no classes tomorrow (Bank Holiday Monday). However, we'll be back full of energy & raring to go on Tuesday 28th May!
Have a lovely Bank Holiday!
Heather
GUEST BLOGGER, Anita, from Feron Clark Style, gives us her top tips on how to choose the best handbag
Handbags - Make More Than A Statement
1) Your handbags are part of your signature style, so you want them to show off your personality. A Creative personality might choose something like a Helen Rochfort bag, whereas a City Chic would prefer a neat style from a brand like Radley or Osprey.
2) Try out handbags as you do clothes, checking in a mirror whether the scale, shape and colour work for you.
3) Make sure the handbag is suitable for its purpose. You may be wowed by a great design or colour, but if you can’t get all your belongings in it, you'll end up not using it.
4) Ideally you want ones with linings in a light colour, to find your items easily. You want to make sure the light coloured lining is easy to clean too.
5) When you carry your handbag it will fall near your body, so if you have a large bust, carry your handbag at arm’s length by your leg or by your waist. If you are fuller around the waist and bottom area, avoid handbags dangling at that level, carry them higher up.
Never seem to have the right handbags or shoes? Anita is offering all HA fitness clients 20% off any of her services, so get in touch if you need some help to make the right choices in clothes, colours & accessories:
Anita Feron Clark
Feron Clark Style
07799 856544
Happy Days & Double Trouble!
The lovely sunshine (please come back!) inspired so many of you to get fit & have fun with us in the park last week. We love our classes being so popular, but we also want to make sure everyone gets the attention they need.
So we've decided to give you TWO trainers at your Saturday morning Fit In The Park class in South Park Gardens, Wimbledon!
Our lovely Kate will be running the class in her usual fun & challenging style. I'll also be there to check technique & motivate you to get the most out of your class. We're starting tomorrow morning, so come along & see the Kate/Heather team in action!
Monday Nights In South Park Gardens, Wimbledon
Don't forget that our Monday evening sessions (meeting at 7.15pm) will now be in South Park Gardens, rather than Holy Trinity School.
For those of you who don't know it, this lovely little park is just a 5 min walk from Wimbledon station. If you're driving, there's free parking in Effra, Faraday & Clarence Roads after 6.30pm (some of the other roads are metered at this time).
No need to book, just turn up with your HA fitness pass, cash or cheque!
See you at a class soon!
Heather
GUEST BLOGGER, Sue Saker, The Couples Coach, gives us some top tips to help you put a bit of sparkle back into your relationship:
Holiday time is approaching which often means spending more time than usual with our loved ones. In theory that’s great but it can also highlight tensions or show that all you ever talk about is the kids, logistics and work - not the most stimulating topics! Here are 3 quick tips from Life Coach Sue Saker help get the love party going again.
Enjoy yourselves!
Sue Saker
The Couples Coach
www.thecouplescoach.co.uk
Huge congratulations to our client, Mandy Brown, for running the Boston Marathon on Monday. It's really saddening that what should have been a day of triumph & festivities turned into something so horrific. Let's not allow it to change the way we enjoy & participate in big sporting events in the future.
Feeling inspired?
Running a marathon is an experience that's difficult to put into words. It's a mixture of passion, pleasure & pain. However there's something really inspiring about watching those runners pushing themselves to the limit to cross that finish line. Maybe it could be you next year?
If you're thinking about putting your name down for a race, doing a run for charity or simply want to improve your fitness levels, get in touch. We can motivate, advise & help you to achieve your goals, & have a bit of fun too!
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
So come dance in the rain/snow with us!
We know it's cold, we know it's hard. But we also know it's worth it. Join us in the park & we'll keep you warm, we'll put a smile on your face & we'll get you fit (did you know you burn more calories when it's cold?).
It will get warmer, but why wait? We have just as much fitness fun all year around. So get your trainers, hat & gloves & stick 2 fingers up to this deep freeze!
When times are tough, a friend is the best person to turn to (and also cuddle when it's cold!). So for the month of April, you can bring a friend to any of our Fit In The Park classes for free! They can come to as many classes as they like, as long as they are with you, & you have a current HA fitness Class Pass.
We're hoping this will encourage you not to miss a class & will also motivate your friend to get fit & enjoy all of the training you do.
Here are the terms of this offer:
If your spirits are flagging with this unending Winter, our trainer Kate, shares a few useful facts & tips to help inspire & motivate: Exercise The Mind As Well As The Body.
Easter has us skipping, hopping & jumping into British Summer Time when the clocks going forward on Sunday. This officially marks the time to get your body ready for summer!
Here's a reminder of what's happening with our timetable. Don't forget, your HA fitness class pass can be used at any of these sessions:
Fit In The Park - Family friendly:
Mon: 7.15pm, Holy Trinity School Hall (No class on Easter Monday)
Tue: 9.15am, South Park Gardens
Thu: 6.15am, South Park Gardens
Fri: 9.30am, South Park Gardens (No class on Easter Friday)
Sat: 9.00am, South Park Gardens (There is a class on Easter Saturday!)
Fit In The Park - Women only:
6.15am: Mon (No class on Easter Monday)
6.15am Wed
7.00pm Thurs
6.15am Fri (No class on Easter Friday)
9.00am Sat (There is a class on Easter Saturday!)
Buggyfit - Postnatal:
Mon: 9.30am, South Park Gardens (No class on Easter Monday)
Tues: 10.45am, Wimbledon Common
Wed: 9.30am, Wimbledon Park
Thurs: 9.30am, South Park Gardens
Thurs: 11.00am, Wimbledon Park
Fri: 10.30am, Wimbledon Common (No class on Easter Friday)
Happy Easter!
Heather
Want to come in from the rain?
Then train inside with us every Monday night at Holy Trinity School, Wimbledon at 7.15pm.
Outdoor training...indoors
Enjoy a challenging hour of creative cross training, combining cardio, static and mat-based exercises.
If you want those fashionably toned arms for the summer, you must join us on Monday nights! These classes are becoming known as ‘Monday’s Arms’ with some impressively sculpted upper bodies on display from our regulars.
With fresh exercises each week ranging from ‘spider man’ & ‘side laying superman’ to ‘grizzly bears’, our indoor class will test your fitness to new levels. What are we on about? Join us on Monday night to find out!
Get down & not dirty with us!
When: 7.15pm every Monday
Where: We're in the Front Hall at Holy Trinity Primary School, Wimbledon. Situated on Effra Road, the school is just 2 minutes walk from South Park Gardens. The French windows are opened at the front of the school, which leads you straight into the hall.
Who: As with all of our classes, complete beginners, trained athletes & everyone in between are all welcome. We'll give you lots of different options so that you can workout at your own level.
No need to pre-book. Just turn up with your HA fitness pass, cash or cheque!
If you haven't already heard, your dedicated HA fitness team is now running 16 fab fitness classes a week, Monday through to Saturday!
There's something for everyone including postnatal fitness, boot camp style classes & women only sessions. Join us at the spacious Wimbledon Park, the gorgeous South Park Gardens, the luscious Wimbledon Common or retreat indoors at the Holy Trinity School Hall. Each venue offers a different type of space, workout and buzz.
Cardio Controversy
Some research suggests that if you exercise first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, it may encourage your body to burn a greater proportion of fat as fuel.
The theory goes that your glycogen stores are depleted from fasting during the night. If you get up, don’t eat anything and immediately start exercising, your body then has to burn more fat as a source of energy.
Fat Chance!
Before you jump out of bed at 5am and head directly out for a run, there are few reasons why this isn’t necessarily a good plan.
Firstly, by skipping breakfast and going straight into your workout, you’re likely to tire sooner than if you’d munched on a banana first.
Flagging energy levels may result in a shorter or less intensive session and you ultimately burn fewer calories. It can also have a ruinous effect on any type of endurance training.
On top of that, you could end up being so hungry following your workout that you scoff more calories than you would do normally!
Let Not the Sands of Time Spoil Your Breakfast!
Admittedly not everyone can stomach food first thing in the morning and then go straight into a workout. A smoothie or piece of fruit with water might be a wise option. It’s really what works for you.
What I’m trying to get across is that the timing of your cardio workout is not an important factor in fat loss. The key is to burn more calories than you consume overall. Do this by exercising as much as possible and follow a healthy balanced diet.
My ideal is to get up early, eat a banana wrapped up in a piece of bread, and wash it down with a glass of water. Then get dressed and head out for a run. It gets the workout done plus you glow with that feel-good factor and a smug sensation all day!
