A MESSAGE FROM...
Serina Hi Everyone,
The summer went past so quickly! We’re now heading towards Christmas and the nights are getting colder. Halloween passed, and Christmas is right around the corner, which means party nights and celebrating with friends and family.
Warm cosy nights with a glass of wine, a beer, or in my case a pink gin, good hearty meals like casseroles with loads of vegetables, curries and homemade soups. If you have any favourite recipes you want to share, please bring them in, or add them to our Facebook page.
Why not spend these shorter days with the family, playing games, doing a puzzle together, and teaching the kids to bake bread, cakes or biscuits. Wrap up warm and take the kids out conker picking or seeing how many different leaves have fallen off the trees, and what you can make with them when they get home. We would also love to display some of the children’s winter artwork on our notice board.
Let’s shout about the winter fun we can have. One year, my husband and I went to London and visited all the great sites, we took photos of ourselves and then sent them to Lucy, then moved on to the next one. We then finished with a ride back on the Thames Clipper to Woolwich, Arsenal. We spent little money but had great fun and we were able to include Lucy who was not with us on the day. Please share with our Facebook page some of the great winter activities you and your family get up to, and maybe someone else will take inspiration from your experience.
What Have We Done Since Our Last Update?
We replaced all the grating around the outdoor spa area with new grey ones and replaced all the grating around the main pool. We also removed and replaced the tarnished mirrors in the family changing rooms and replaced the disabled changing room seating.
The ceiling tiles in the studios have all been replaced, along with those in the women’s changing room.
I worked closely with the maintenance team in November scheduling maintenance work that needs to be completed in the R&R area. I will update you all on this soon.
Sad news. Matt from the gym team made the difficult decision to leave us last month - he has left for family reasons. We have also lost Caitlin and Michael. I would like to wish them the very best of luck for what the future has in store. We have replaced our gym team with Matt who comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience. We are now starting the interview process to employ a new assistant manager; we also have positions available in our cleaning team and the F&B department if anyone is interested. Please follow the link below to see our latest vacancies. https://birchwoodparkgc.co.uk/vacancies/
Don’t forget to visit the ‘Back to the Community’ board, which has all our members contracts and suppliers. The board is located outside the changing rooms. If you want to advertise your business on our board, please leave a leaflet with me or Mike.
Since my last newsletter, I have had to deal with several issues that could have been avoided if members simply followed the club rules and showed consideration to others whilst using our facilities. Please be considerate to other members at all times. Mobile phone use is getting better, but we are still seeing mobile phones being brought into the R&R and poolside area.
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Trying to hide them in your towel hoping not to get caught will at some point fail you! We will catch you and your membership is at risk of being cancelled.
As we head further into the winter months, and we start to get those colds and blocked noses, this is when a few members will bring in Olbas oil to use in the sauna and steam room. While you may find temporary relief and comfort from its inhalation, it can be a nightmare for others. If someone has a sensitivity to the oil, they may experience some negative effects including rashes, nasal symptoms and even breathing difficulties. So please DO NOT bring Olbas oil into the club for these reasons, but also it comes in a glass bottle that if dropped, can cause cuts to members walking around in bare feet. This also includes glass bottles in the changing rooms.
Message from Lisa
The Autumn 2024 timetable saw the following classes added.
Total Body & Core @ 19:00 - 45 mins
• Targets all major muscles and core strengthening exercise
• Improve fitness levels
• Great for toning and conditioning
Blitz! @ 19:30 - 45 mins
• HIIT workout
• Improve cardio and endurance
• Mixture of bodyweight exercise and equipment
Functional Fitness
• Small gym floor-based class for 30 mins
• Exercises to help with everyday life
• Improve balance and strength
I am hoping that attendance numbers for the classes start increasing. We have a few classes that are at risk of being removed from our timetable so I have been monitoring the class attendance throughout November. Please show your support by spreading the word and attending your favourite group exercise classes.
And don’t forget to cancel your class if you cannot attend, this allows another member on the waiting list to take your space.
Mindful Meditation Area
We have introduced a mindful and meditation area in studio one, after all the instructor lead classes are finished. We dim the lights, turn off the air conditioning and put on relaxation music. Mats are already laid out if you do not have your own. This area is for relaxation, stretching, and meditation.
Many people have started to think about meditating and finding time to unwind with no other distractions. They do this to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate peace of mind, which can have a positive impact on mental, physical, and emotional health.
The studio is a NO MOBILE PHONE area, so please put your phone on silent or better still turn it OFF.
A MESSAGE FROM...
Sandra
Hi all,
This September I entered my first perimeter swim at St Andrews Lake, Hailing. If anyone is interested in lake swimming, please speak with me or Sarah for more information.
Summer saw the return of the very popular Rookie Lifeguard Course. We had full classes with a mixture of returning Rookies, as well as some new ones. Well done to all those who attended. A special mention to Olivia Swan who has now moved onto her gold section of the award. We look forward to seeing you in April 2025 for the next course.
On the back of our popular Rookie Lifeguard, we also run a water safety course for our younger swimmers. We had lots of interest and well done to those swimmers who attended. We will be running this course again next Easter if anyone is interested. Please keep an eye on our Swimming TV in the swim foyer for the details.
Lucy Young - Swimming Instructor
Well done to Lucy who completed her STA Parent and Child Swimming Instructors Course. We have welcomed Lucy to our very popular Saturday morning lessons where she has taken over from Helen.
Adult & Children 1 to 1 Swimming Lessons
With Sarah
Summer 2024 saw an abundance of swimming lessons for Sarah. Our one-to-one lessons were very popular throughout the summer and autumn, with both children and adults learning to swim. Sarah, along with the other instructors, still have spaces available every week. For further information, please either speak to a member of the swim team or leave your details at reception and we will contact you directly.
New Nutrition Coach
Congratulations Sarah!
You may know Sarah as one of our resident Swim Coaches, but we are pleased to announce she has completed her training to become a certified Nutrition Coach.
Anyone who knows Sarah, or has worked with her in swimming lessons, will know she has a passion for working with people, understanding how they tick and working with them to get results. With the completion of her course, we are pleased to announce that Sarah has added Nutrition and Fat Loss Coaching to the exclusive services we can offer our members.
If you are looking for help with your nutrition or your eating habits, she will be more than happy to discuss how she can help you. Whether you have struggled with weight loss before and are looking to lose weight, and keep it off this time, or are looking to change your eating habits to feel energised and healthier within yourself she can help.
She offers personal support tailored to help you reach your goals by working with you to understand where you are now and where you want to be, empowering you to change your habits and plan your eating around your lifestyle (and not the other way around).
If you wish to find out more and have a chat with Sarah, please leave your details with reception and she will give you a call.
Blue Ribbon Foundation Male Health and Wellbeing Talk
On Monday the 11th of November at the club we welcomed The Blue Ribbon Foundation to deliver a male health and wellbeing talk here at the club. November, or as some call it Movember, is Male Health Month. The talks are not given by a doctor and thus are not ‘medically’ orientated, rather from the standpoint of an ‘older brother’ who has been there and is now well informed of the general pitfalls that some and in some cases most men can fall into.
The talk was general by nature and lasted around 50 minutes covering a wide range of subjects including:
• Men and the way most men ‘do health’.
• The ‘Miracle’ of the body we all have.
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Your Heart
• Liver Disease
• Mental Health
• Lifestyle Risks to Male Health
• What To Do – A Few Suggestions
It was a hard-hitting talk to make you think about your health with a few laughs along the way.
Biohacking
What is ‘biohacking’ and what does it mean?
I was at the Excel earlier in the year at a Health and Fitness convention, and one of the topics was biohacking, and how it affects us, what small changes we can make that do not mean spending a fortune and getting
your genes analysed (which soon will be a thing).
A recent study suggests we might all live to 150 years old — and beyond. It’s all part of a new trend towards longevity science. Led by rich tech bros, the aim is to keep our bodies feeling and working well for as long as possible.
Should longevity science become more popular, there’s a chance we could be receiving regular plasma infusions and ideas like uploading our brains to robots could come into play. Or is the secret to biohacking much more down to earth? It turns out, the latest biohacking advice is simpler than we thought without getting all sci-fi.
What do we mean by biohacking?
At the cutting edge of longevity science, biohacking takes the latest findings in the fields of genetics, neuroscience, and nutrition to try to improve our physical or mental performance –whether that’s micro-dosing to stay focused at work or something as simple as using black-out curtains to improve sleep quality. It might also involve ‘hacking’ what you put in your body.
Biohacking can be used to describe incremental changes to your diet and lifestyle, with the aim of improving your health and promoting peak performance, including various markers such as sleep, physical exercise, diet and mental health - without plugging your brain into a computer.
The aim is usually to expand lifespan and health span simultaneously, meaning not only do you aim to live longer, but you want to feel younger and fitter at the same time. So, a biohacking 70-year-old might aim for the biological age of a 50-year-old, and the vitality of a 20-year-old.
With us all becoming increasingly invested in our health and looking to enhance our biology in some way, biohacking should focus on the main aspects of health including diet, exercise, sleep and stress. We can also change our environment and circumstances to have more control. control.
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A fitness tracker can help you keep an eye on health markers enabling you to reflect on any progress – or lack thereof – over time, nothing is a quick fix, and it is important to concentrate on slow progress and consistent effort over time.
What can I do to bio-hack my body without turning myself into a robot?
Reducing oxidative stress - An imbalance between antioxidant defences and free radicals in your body causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between your body’s antioxidant defences and the production of free radicals, which can potentially damage your cells.
Free radicals are oxygen-containing molecules with unpaired electrons. They are crucial for certain bodily functions, such as fighting off pathogens.
However, because free radicals have an uneven number of electrons, they are more reactive. When they gain an electron from a nearby substance, such as a strand of DNA, they can change or damage the strand’s structure. This can lead to disease or inflammation, but an antioxidant-rich diet can help prevent oxidative stress.
Many foods contain these nutrients, including; berries, leafy green vegetables, citrus fruit, bell peppers, pumpkin and squash, tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, grapes, nuts and seeds, seafood like fish, oysters, shrimp, green tea, and dark chocolate.
Breathing techniques - Focusing on your breathing can help with stress and mental health. It sounds simple, but explore breathing techniques, to “hack” your central nervous system. We have an afternoon Wellness and relaxation zone in studio one, which will give you the time to chill out, unwind and relax.
Cold showers - Quick bursts of cold water are linked to a benefit in circulation and
recovery after exercise, which may be due to the reduction in inflammation and speeding up recovery time. We have an ice shower which is located in the R&R area.
Morning walks - Get outside for just 15 minutes of natural morning light, this can help you absorb vitamin D. Other benefits of natural light include improvements in overall sleep quality, as well as mental clarity and focus and improving blood pressure. As darker nights and mornings are soon to set in, why not leave the car at home and walk to the club during the day? Alternatively, spend the 15 mins in the outside R&R where you can get your 15 mins of vitamin D, a cold shower and chill out in the spa doing your breathing techniques.
Calm Your Way
Calm Your Way is a family-run startup business that makes yoga, pilates, meditation and wellness products.
Their products include yoga/pilate equipment bags, relaxation eye pillows, meditation masks, decoupaged candles and crystal energy bracelets.
They had a stall of products just inside the barriers on 12th and 14th of November during the day.
But if you missed this you can still view their products online. You can find them on Facebook and Instagram @calmyourway.
Our Train in Pink was on the 18th October for Breast Cancer
Thank you to everyone who not only turned up to train in pink but also for your kind contributions.
We raised £202.42
