Fun Fitness Found In Lichfield
Hi I’m Kate Shaw and I’ve been working in the fitness industry for over a decade now. I’ve seen it all come and go, Step, Pilates, Aerobics, even Hoola Hoop, I’ve taught them all. I am aware more importantly, what people enjoy doing, and what actually works!
So Zumba, is getting everyone talking, and I can see why. It is actually based on Latin type music and has the ‘fun’ element to it, and of course it’s quite dance orientated. I’m so excited that I’ve got the chance to combine teaching Zumba and Salsa together with my background experience of working in top International Spa resorts. I currently run http://www.SalsaPeople.co.uk dance company.
You will find me wacky, chatty, and very outgoing I love meeting new friends and I’m looking forward to getting you into that swim suit and looking great for those hot days of summer. If some of you have already done Zumba great! However I am offering that little bit extra to my Zumba program, mainly because, if I had a penny for everyone that asks me ‘how do you get your tummy that flat’, so one of the tracks will be doing ‘abs blast’ if you are up for some fun and fitness do join me for Zumba in Lichfield.
Lichfield Football Club, off Eastern Ave, Brownsfield Rd, Lichfield, WS13 SBT (look out for the Zumba/Salsa sign on the side of the road and turn in on the same side as the sign. Classes are:- 7pm Zumba 8pm Salsa Kate www.SalsaPeople.co. 0750 655 7692
This article appeared in Recommended Lichfield Magazine
Sutton’s Kidz UK Sponsored Skydive
A number of willing volunteers will be jumping out of an aeroplane at 10,000 feet and freefalling for 5000 feet before floating back to earth on a tandem skydive. They are doing this to help raise the funds to enable Andi Markham and the Sutton Coldfield based KidsUK team to continue to share the great message in the unique, fun and unforgettable way they do with thousands of children in our local schools. Many children in Sutton Coldfield will recognise Andi and of course his friends Jack and Grandad. They’re hoping to raise £2000 by doing this.
Can you help? You can donate online by visiting www.KidsUK.org
Can You help by becoming a KidsUK SkyDiver Yourself? (There are still a couple of SkyDiver places left. For information please email Andi on info@KidsUK.org)
Kidz UK appreciate any support you are able to offer
IT’S A CHALLENGING TIME FOR THE CANCER SUPPORT CENTRE
It’s that time of year when peoples thoughts turn from cosy night’s in front of the fire finishing off the Christmas chocolates to bright mornings and summer holidays. And the realisation that this year they may have over done the festivities yet again. So what to do about it
Why not sign up for a challenge and raise funds for the Cancer Support Centre – a local charity based in Sutton Coldfield, working to help local people affected by cancer.
Ann Mckeown, Fundraiser at the Cancer Support Centre says “There are probably lots of people out there thinking about the need to tone up and slim down this year. They may even be thinking about ‘challenging themselves’ in some other way. It’s also a challenging time for the Cancer Support Centre. We moved to new premises in Sutton Coldfield, February last year and extended our opening hours so knew we would be able to support more people. However new client numbers are up over 40% and we have already provided more treatments so far this financial year than we did in the whole of the previous year. So it’s putting a real strain on our resources.”
The Cancer Support Centre is asking people if they have set themselves a New Year’s resolution if they would also add a charity challenge to this as well and raise some much needed funds for the Cancer Support Centre. There are lots of ready made opportunities that people can take part in. For example the Great Midlands Fun Run 2012 opens its registration for this year’s event on Friday February 3rd and the Cancer Support Centre has a small number of guaranteed places for the Birmingham Half Marathon later in the year. The Centre would also love to hear from anyone who may be undertaking a more gently challenge as they can help with ideas and materials such as sponsor forms and posters.
Ann says “We need to raise £110,000 this year in order to continue to provide support, advice and complementary therapies to the many local people diagnosed with cancer this year. It’s a been a challenging year in lots of ways with high and low points but without more funds the number of people we can support will always be limited. So if anyone is signing up for the Great Midlands Fun Run don’t forget to support the Cancer Support Centre.”
To find out more about how you can help The Cancer Support Centre, Sutton Coldfield and local people living with cancer call Ann Mckeown on 0300 012 0245 or email fundraising@suttoncancersupport.co.uk for details of the latest activities.
OLYMPIC SWIMMER URGES SYNCHRONISED SUPPORT FOR 2012 ST GILES HOSPICE SOLSTICE WALK
A 2012 Olympics hopeful from the Sutton Coldfield is encouraging women across the region to grab some glory of their own this summer by taking part in the St Giles Hospice Solstice Walk. Synchronised swimmer Yvette Baker has begun the official countdown to St Giles’ biggest single fundraising event of the year by calling on women to sign up now – and help raise thousands of pounds for the care of local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses. The 2012 Solstice Walk, sponsored by Lichfield-based Florette, the UK’s leading prepared salad specialist, is a high-spirited night-time 9-mile stroll through the streets of Lichfield taking place on Saturday 23rd June. Yvette (20), who is from Sutton Coldfield, says: “Coming from the local area, I’m well aware of the superb work that St Giles Hospice does for people in need – and the Solstice Walk is a fantastic opportunity for women to get together, have a great time and raise money for a really worthy cause.”
The Solstice Walk is open to women aged 16 and over, and entry is £15. To sign up, visit http://www.stgileshospice.com/solsticewalk, calling Jenni Dawson on 01543 432542, email jenni.dawson@st-giles-hospice.org.uk.
Health – Obesity – An International Epidemic
During the first half of the twentieth century, people started using cars more and doing less physical jobs. Food shortages during and after the second world war meant a decrease in food consumption, but by the 1960s food became plentiful again and, within a decade, levels of obesity had risen sharply.
A problem that was originally limited to rich western countries is now sweeping across the globe. An estimated 500 million people across the world are now classed as obese. In the UK, one in four is currently obese and this figure is predicted to rise to 40% by 2030. Across the Atlantic it is even worse – a third of adults are already obese and this is expected to rise to half within 20 years. It is estimated that obesity-related problems now account for between 2% and 6% of health care costs in most countries.
With the increasing availability of fast food, this global issue needs to be urgently addressed. Researchers at The Lancet believe tough legislation is needed, such as a tax on unhealthy food and drinks and traffic light labelling on food. This would ultimately save money by reducing health care costs. Hungary has just introduced a tax on pre-packaged foods containing high salt and sugar content, such as crisps and chocolates; similar taxes are already in place in Finland and Norway. Restrictions on junk food advertising and school-based education are also recommended by the researchers.
So how will our health benefit if we reduce weight to within a healthy range? Being obese can put you at risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis in weight-bearing joints, sleep apnoea and heartburn and urinary stress incontinence.
Residents in Walmley are advised that a simple first step to reducing your weight is to reduce consumption of sugary foods and drinks and fatty foods, whilst eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. It must also be noted that under eating to achieve a ‘size zero’ figure is not a healthy aim. All things in moderation for a happy and healthy life!
Phoebe Hodge Further reading http://www.thelancet.com/series/obesity
Fitness – It Takes Two
If you and your partner have decided to get fit together then you should try out some sports designed to be played in pairs. You might find out more about your partner than you ever would have done normally; they could be a crack shot or hopelessly uncoordinated, either way you’ll feel like more of a team. There are plenty of options in Walmley and Sutton Coldfield.
Something like badminton is really easy to learn, requires little equipment and is delightfully indoors; perfect for this time of year! Jogging together is not only a fun way to enjoy the outdoors and increase fitness but is also safer if you are an evening exerciser. You could even indulge in some his and hers jogging outfits to really look the part!
Dance classes are the perfect way to include some romance into your workout regime. Tangoing your way to trim bodies and learning something new together will keep the sizzle in, whilst you sweat out those toxins.
For fun at home, the Wii could provide the source for some serious amusement. Whilst being aerobically effective, it can unfortunately bring out the dark competitive side in us; virtual boxing matches quickly advance to shin kicking and gouging in my experience. There are plenty of less aggressive games on the Wii for two to enjoy; tennis, tug o’ war, golf and baseball to name but a few.
If you argue a lot, have you thought about some constructive stress relief? Learning to wrestle could iron out plenty of marital problems and expose who really wears the trousers. With professional coaching, it is an extremely effective all-round exercise and is a constructive therapy for working out those disagreements.
Spending time exercising together can be a way to make the most of the time you have outside of work and other commitments. It will keep you both looking fabulous and, if you are lucky, could see you exercising your dog together in the park well into your 90s!
Carrie Cartwright-Owen
Fitness – Child’s Play
When your child doesn’t finish their dinner, nibbling the leftovers is a common habit for mums and dads. Not only that, shopping for children almost always adds sugary treats and fatty snacks to the trolley that our fridges and waistlines could do without. Unfortunately, this combined with clothing them and driving them about amounts to not much spare time for the gym.
If this sounds familiar, you might be missing a trick. When you take them to the park, let them loose in the garden or go swimming what do you do? My money is on you sitting on a bench, doing the ironing or watching them splashing about through a Perspex window, with a coffee in hand. What is stopping you joining in?
I’ll bet that you have a basic understanding of most of the sports they play; you might have even been a netball star back in school. I’d stick to the more traditional games of tennis, football and hockey as ‘crab football’ is definitely not for the elderly; i.e. the over 30s! Dust off your trainers, walk to your nearest green space and get the whole family moving; you won’t even notice how many calories you are burning off by trotting back and forth to the pram, chasing the astonishingly quick older ones around, giving your husband the odd dirty tackle and sprinting after the dog that’s stolen your ball.
Get involved in what is going on in their sporting worlds. If you’ve got a son or daughter who needs a bit of practise batting or bowling, you could be the one that helps them get selected for the team this year. Don’t just send them off for a swimming session when you have to sit and wait for them anyway; dive in! Your partner might think you’ve gone a bit mental but I’ll bet they’ll appreciate the re-emergence of the sprightlier you.
Fitness article provided by Walmley Pages, Sutton Coldfield community magazine advertising local business to the Sutton Coldfield public
Parry Riposte!
Parry Riposte!
When we fancy a sporting session we usually go for a knock about on the tennis court or a kick around on the football pitch, never have I heard someone say, “Let’s have a quick bout on the strip.” Derived from both French and Italian swordsmanship, Fencing has come a long way from the life or death situation of a Duel. It is nowhere near as popular as it deserves to be, so I decided to go for a quick refresher session to find out if it is as fun as I remembered at school.
It is no wonder that you might be put off the sport by the outfits you have to wear; a bee-keeper type mask, straitjacket and either a very Clockwork Orange-esq cod-piece or plastic chest protectors! When I was suited and booted I picked up my foil, this is the lightest of weapons and is easy to move around to learn and practise the various positions, and we began to twist our wrists back and forth to piece together basic defence and attack positions. Initially, I was discouraged by the amount of French used to describe blocking positions but these can easily be transformed into numbers.
Once you have learnt a few ways to block your opponent, and remembered to riposte (attack) straight afterwards, you start getting competitive. Combat is the original form of competition and this is certainly an elegant way to entertain that primal instinct. Brute strength is not an advantage here; this is a sport for the resourceful.
Fencing teaches control, technique and sharpens your senses. Posture is imperative, as is quick footwork and short bursts of power from your legs. This type of exercise will get your heart rate up and push your muscles to the limit, as you reach for that elusive winning point. Absolutely anyone can have a go and everyone will improve their lightness of foot and probably their French too!
Carrie Cartwright-Owen
Fitness article provided by Walmley Pages, sutton Coldfield community magazine advertising local business to the Sutton Coldfield public.
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