As we enter tier 4, we have no choice but to close again.
We will reopen as soon as possible and thank everyone for their ongoing support.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for regular updates and workout ideas.
We hope to see you in the not too distant future.
Christmas can be difficult – but we can help you.
Such a lot of food – so little exercise – do you look forward to these days (seems like 5 of them this year!) or do you dread them – fearful of what they will do to your body?
At Forefront Fitness we think it’s all about balance.
It’s about admitting that Christmas day might be a blow out but we can reign it back in on Boxing Day (and go for a walk!). it has been a difficult year – be kind to yourself and do the best you can.
Five gold rings (sorry – rules)
• Don’t count the calories – just counting random calories won’t really help– you could eat your daily allowance in Mars bars and that won’t help you to mange your weight (nor your blood sugar!) Aim to make every calorie count – so before you eat something consider; - is this going to do me any good? If not – don’t eat the whole packet!
• Eat your veg – those dreaded Brussel sprouts that haunt our Christmas plates are actually really good for you. Eat plenty of green veg, top up with carrots and any amount of good salad veg and then you can go steady on the sugar laden fruit but still get your 5 a day
• Make it yourself – whenever possible, cook from scratch. That way you know what is in it and how its been cooked. Heavily processed food (think take away and ready meals) are OK once in a while but the bulk of your food should be stuff you have made yourself with fresh ingredients.
• Choose protein – eggs, meat, fish, beans and pulses are great sources. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. Try to eat protein every mealtime and you may find that you need fewer carbs. Having said that – we all need carbohydrate but go for the complex (slow release) variety, not the sugary quick fixes. So, keep off the biscuits, cakes and sweets; avoid white bread, rice and pasta and try porridge, sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
• Eat some fat – gone are the times when we all avoided fats – what we need is a portion of the ‘good’ fats everyday. You can get those from oily fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil. We need these types of fats to fully metabolize all the nutrients contained in the other foods that we eat. Oh – and please avoid ‘low fat’ options on foods – usually these are over processed and have added sugar to make them palatable.
So Christmas need not be a disaster – remember portion control and go light on the Quality Street and all will be well (as long as you don’t go overboard on the booze!!) Let’s face it – 2021 has got to be an improvement on 2020!
We will re-open at 06:30 on Wednesday 2nd December, we look forward to seeing you all again.
Here we go again; stay at home, don’t go out, don’t see any body and above all, don’t go to the gym
So – what can we do?
Here’s a few ideas of what not to do:
• Don’t mope about – it won’t help anything
• Don’t stay in bed all day
• Alcohol is great – but please don’t drink before lunch time – that 2pm Zoom conference just won’t go well
• Opening that bag of your favourite sweets is sooo tempting – just don’t – you know what will happen next!
• And above all – please don’t just sit about
OK – that’s the bad bits – here are some ideas that really work:
• GO OUTSIDE. Every. Single. Day – without fail, come rain or shine. Don’t worry about how many steps – just get out there. Listen to a book, a podcast, music, make a phone call. Anything – but get some fresh air.
• Find a routine that works and keep to it. At times of uncertainty we need to keep a grip on everything that we can – get up at roughly the same time day (preferably before 10.00!), keep things regular, do your washing, cook proper meals, make your bed. If you don’t it all feels out of control. Make order out of the chaos
• Eat proper meals – yes, peanut butter on toast 5 times a day will stop you feeling hungry, but it won’t provide you with the nutrients you need. We can go food shopping or get the basics delivered. You know what we always say – even the best car engines won’t run well if we put in the wrong fuel.
• Lift some weights. Muscles shrivel if they don’t get used – if you have dumbbells at home – great – use them. If not – body weight exercises are a good alternative – think press ups, squats, lunges, planks, abs crunches, mountain climbers.
• Get some sleep – yes, iPlayer is great – but ‘just one more episode’ leads to late nights and short sleep spans. Save it for tomorrow – something to look forward to
• And please – reach out to someone – reach out if you need support – the gym staff are there for you. But also – drop an email or a text to a friend – you might just be the one person that makes a big difference
So on Saturday, the news nobody wanted was announced. We will be returning to lockdown this Thursday and as a result we will have to close the gym. In line with the government instruction, we will be closing at 9pm on Wednesday. We will of course update our website and Facebook should anything change.
For those of you who choose to keep your membership payments active, a big thank you. That helps us to survive as a business and open fully as soon as possible.
Stay safe everyone and make the most of the next three days!
We understand that many people are concerned about the risk of contracting Covid-19 at the current time and at Forefront Fitness we have taken precautions to ensure your safety. All equipment has been spaced out as much as possible and is cleaned after use by our members. Our staff are also cleaning throughout the day and we are fogging the gym on a regular basis to further clean and disinfect all areas.
The latest evidence suggests that catching COVID-19 in a gym environment is low.
Going to the gym is about so much more than a bit of a sweat. We are all under huge pressure just now – lockdowns, masks, job insecurity and a lack of social events. Many of our usual coping mechanisms just don’t exist at the moment.
Difficult as it is, we have to find ways of dealing with what is happening and one great way is getting to the gym. Quite apart from the well researched knowledge that working out is great for your mental health – coming to the gym is somewhere to meet people and to chat.
Right now we are likely to be very isolated and its quite possible to go for several days with only a muffled few words passing your lips. The gym is a great place to chat while you work out and compare COVID stories (or not talk about the wretched pandemic at all – which is a relief in itself!)
At Forefront Fitness there is always a member of staff on duty and we are only too happy to pass the time of day with you. Even if you don’t feel up to doing much in the way of talking (or working out for that matter) – just come on in. Getting out of the house is a bonus, getting in a few steps has got to be good and if you lift a few weights – well, you’re on a winner.
Drag yourself away from your desk, the TV, the kids and drop into the gym. We can almost guarantee you will feel a bit better when you leave!
