Since I stopped playing rugby a few years back, my life has very much changed. Along with my family, my main focus has become building a successful business. My training has become less specific and is now based on all round conditioning and remaining fit and healthy. But more recently I have found myself searching for a new physical challenge to grab my attention….
It needed to be one that was tough, but could realistically fit somewhere into a busy life. After seeing all the amazing feats individuals achieve for events such as Sports Relief and Comic Relief I had also found myself thinking about attempting it for charity. After a lot of thought I came up with the idea of rowing One million metres on the Concept 2 rowing machine throughout the month of January. That will equate to 32,258m, or just over 20 miles, per day everyday. Whilst I do a fair amount of rowing, that felt like a challenge, and also one that I felt was extreme enough to be able to ask for sponsorship for.
January is a great month for a physical challenge. There is huge attention on health and fitness following the festivities at Christmas. I hope to grow the idea and involve my clients and the public, as it will be a great way to burn off those excess pounds gained.
Alongside me for every metre will be my close friend Shane Kingsland. He is super keen, although I am not sure he will be thanking me as we get a few weeks into the challenge!! Who knows if we can raise the profile of the event enough then maybe it could become a yearly event involving many others.
We have chosen two charities that are both heavily involved with children as that is close to my heart. One is a national charity and one is based locally in Exeter. Full details on how you could get involved will follow, along with all relevant challenge updates. The link below has information on our charities and how to arrange sponsorship.
Over July and August 2013 all 3 groups of Future Performers will be taking Part in the “Performers Pre Season sessions” which will mix up Gym sessions including technique, circuit work, and conditioning work on Exmouth Beach! Join us.
There will be a total of 9 sessions, involving all 15 Future Performer members – getting geared up and prepping for their upcoming 2013-14 playing season.
Next Tuesday (9th July), all groups are at Exmouth Beach. We will be working and testing all 3 groups in different areas from the gym in preparation for the other 4 beach sessions over the 2 months.
Fitness Testing
Testing took place at the start of July for the 16, 17 and the 13’s age groups to give us a line where they are at. This gives us an opportunity to give individual targets for the end of august. We will be testing the 14’s group within 2 weeks in the gym.
We have an exciting new offer for you lovely people!
To start making use of this slightly warmer weather that we’re getting, we’ve decided to give away one FREE PLACE on our Saturday Group Circuit Session, each week! The session is open to all abilities, men and women, and covers a range of fun challenges and exercises aimed at getting you energised and working out.
It’s not your traditional circuit training session. Taking place outside (to keep you fresh and on your toes), the hour-long session is very much a team activity, working with one another on various challenges to get the best out of each other. It’s fun. It’s energetic. It’s a chance to get to know new people and to get to know us!
So, what do you need to do to win?
Head over to our Twitter page (@FMPTExeter), then follow us and retweet1 one of our #fmptoffer tweets.
OR
Head over to either our Facebook or LinkedIn pages (or both?), then like our page and share a post2 (one of our FMPTOffer statuses).
The session starts at 9.15am each Saturday and winners will be announced on Thursday mornings each week (to give you enough time to prepare!)
Get liking, get following and get sharing!
Terms:
1You will only be eligible for entry into the prize draw if you both follow the @FMPTExeter Twitter account and retweet a tweet containing #fmptoffer
2 You will only be eligible for entry into the prize draw if you both ‘like’ the Fitness Matters Facebook page (or Follow the Fitness Matters LinkedIn page) and share a status containing FMPTOffer.
“You’re either in or you’re out. There is no such thing as life in-between.”
As NBA legend Pat Riley once said,
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.”
Bearing those wise words in mind, when looking for the best gym for you to start training to get that Marathon body you’ve always wanted, remember ole’ Pat; you’re either in or you’re out.
We’re not going to hide the fact that what we’re looking for here at Fitness Matters, are people who are determined, energised and looking to succeed. The personal (and group) training schemes we offer are tailored to you so that what you get out of it is the best training and nutrition regime for you. We push you at a rate that is comfortable for you, but that also challenges your physical and mental fitness. You should measure yourself not by what you have achieved, but by what you should have achieved with your ability. This is key to the philosophy here at FM. To be successful exercise and good nutrition needs to become part of your lifestyle.
If you think you’re one of those individuals that wants to work with one of our professional trainers to develop a regime unique to you and who wants to stick at it, get in touch, because we want to hear from you.
Click the link on our homepage and fill out the form to book your free consultation.
The fantastic summer of games we’ve enjoyed has thrilled audiences and inspired generations from all walks of life. We summarise five important lessons to take from the events, to help you improve your fitness, health and self-fulfilment.
INSPIRATION
With so many heroes doing such great things, it’s easy to be inspired – and we should be! In an interview, Dame Kelly Holmes said that “London 2012 has the ability to inspire people from so many walks of life, and so many abilities and disabilities, to get involved in sport .” She herself was inspired to greatness by watching Sebastian Coe win gold in 1984. Take a leaf out of Dame Kelly’s book and get some ambition to be best that you can be.
DEDICATION
Once you have chosen your role-models and set out your goals, you must stick with it! Richard Alexander from the GB Hockey team says “Don’t put exercise off till later. The longer you leave it the greater the chance that something may come up or distract you. And if you can’t do the full workout, do what you can… five press ups/sit ups a day before bed is an extra 1825 a year.” Dedication is the key to attaining your goals in life – whatever they may be. The most successful people are those that are always working towards their targets, whatever their mood or however they’re feeling.
TRY SOMETHING NEW
Are you a “yes man”? You should be! Saying yes to things is the best way to find new opportunities that could lead to all sorts of life benefits. With all the media coverage of even the most obscure events, lots of sports have seen massive rises in popularity as a result of the games. Even Usain Bolt may try something new, with reports that he may move on to other events such as the long jump . The London 2012 has a great website to get you into some new sports, so say “yes” and check it out: click here.
DON’T LET FAILURE STOP YOU
Possibly the greatest lesson to take from the Paralympic games is that even when life gives you a tough time, you can still achieve great things. If something goes wrong, it is easy to give up and go home. Pick yourself up, try again, ask for help, try a different approach, adapt or simply work harder – do whatever it takes to keep going and get back on track. To be superhuman and to know true greatness, you have to know failure first.
NO SHORTCUTS, JUST HARD WORK
It goes without saying that true success comes from pure hard work. “The chief lesson of the Olympics is that success does not come without hard work, and lots of it .” Mo Farah said that his success at the Olympics was down to hard work and “grafting”, and Andy Murray proved that after years of struggling and falling behind, he had what it took become a champion . These sport heroes show us that whatever we deem “success” to be, hard work is the best way we can achieve it. From a totally different perspective, this moral has spilled over into Conservative viewpoints (click for reference) in an attempt to “make Brittain great again”. Despite how you vote or where you stand politically, a summer of great games has shown us that being dedicated and working hard is the best way to realise great results.
What did you take from the games? Which of these points means the most to you? Leave us a comment below and support Fitness Matters.
Each month we will be summarising a list of interesting articles that we’ve been talking about. Have a look in case you missed any. An abundance of fitness advice and news!
Usain Bolt talks about eating KFC, back problems and running tips:
