Active Active lifestyle lifestyle & & sport sport Newsletter Newsletter Term 3 - 2014/15 Keep active during term 3 to reduce stress during your exams We often read articles in newspapers, magazines and blogs attesting to the value of physical activity in dealing with stress in our lives. So how exactly can exercise aid in stressmanagement? At its most basic, exercise can be considered a lifesaver. The NHS lifestyles pages has succinctly stated, ‘Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had, but many of us have forgotten to take our recommended dose for too long’. People who partake in regular physical activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases and it has been shown to promote the release of Endorphins. These neurotransmitters lead to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, the release of beneficial sex hormones and the enhancement of immune response. All of these benefits combine to
help combat stress. Exercise (provided you are using good technique) will also encourage good posture, leading to a reduced likelihood of general aches and pains, helping to combat stress.
Exercise is also regarded by many as an effective form of ‘active meditation’. If a really tough essay is getting you down or you are struggling to balance academic and part-time work demands, you will find that shortly into your workout session you will have forgotten about all these problems or they will not seem so daunting! The Endorphins released during your session will help prolong this mind-set and aid in
tackling these problems in a more efficient way. Of course, Yoga and other meditation practices are also effective in reducing stress and clearing your mind in the same way! There’s no better way to combat stress and keep your mind healthy during the exam period than getting out and exercising on a regular basis. Whether it’s training in the gym, participating in one of our fitness classes/be.active sport sessions or having a kickabout with your friends, get out of the library and get a sweat on. Continue reading this newsletter to find out how we are aiming to help you stay active this term. There is lots going on and we are running various promotions to help make it as easy for you to get some exercise and beat that stress. We wish you the best of luck in your exams.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Petting Zoo Thursday 30th April 10-3pm The SU are running the event on founders field to help you take your mind of exams and meet some new friends
Student Sports Fest Monday 1st June 12-6pm Food, music and fun hopefully in the sun…
Staff Sports Fest Wednesday 24th June 4-7pm Free event for all staff to include taster sessions and mini tournaments. More information to follow.
Magna Carta Sports Events 2nd-12th June Volunteering opportunities available. To register your interest email Stephanie.ukpelukpe @royalholloway.ac.uk
Term 3 Class Changes Please be aware that for the first 4 weeks of term the sports hall will be used as an exam hall, therefore classes will take place in different locations. For Yoga and Pilates classes please meet at the Sports Centre reception 5 minutes before the class starts. You will walk up to the Gower and Wedderburn common room with the instructor as a group. If you are attending a class at the Students’ Union please arrive and wait outside the SU main hall 5 minutes before the class starts and a member of staff will meet you there to sign you in. For all the other classes please report to one of the reception desks at the Sports Centre to sign in. Here is the full timetable for term 3. Remember, Gold and Platinum members can book online and all remaining members via email until further notice.
New Class For Term 3 Summer is fast approaching and we are ready for it: Outdoor Strongman Circuits are now on the timetable. If you have not tried circuit training before, there is no need to worry. Just like any exercise class, it is as hard as you make it. The equipment used in these sessions includes:
Sledge hammers Sleds Ropes Tyres Suspension straps (for bodyweight training)
Price Drop for Drop-in sport If you want to play a sport but don’t want to commit to a sports club, our drop-in activities are the perfect solution. There is a variety of activities to choose from, helping you to balance university life while staying physically active. All Drop-in sessions for non-members are just £1 in term 3. These sessions take place each week during term time and are run by student volunteers. All abilities are welcome and equipment is provided for you. Turn up on your own or with a friend and have a go! There’s no need to book, although January sessions can get very busy and spaces are limited so booking is recommended.
** NEW ** O2 Touch A team activity to music - social fitness at its best! Check out the link and use the password “o2touch” https://vimeo.com/107135957
Special Offer on Facility Bookings! 10% discount on all student bookings in term 3 for pitch/court hire* Is all of your attention on revision and the impending exam period? Need a way to escape and rejuvenate your brain? Why not come down to our sports facilities and play a game of basketball with friends or play football on our state of the art 3G pitch? Our outdoor facilities are available daily from 7am– 9pm for hire by students and staff to play recreational sport with friends and colleagues. With no student union training taking place in term 3 peak hours are available to book up to six days in advance.
Membership starts from £50, with pitches available to hire for as little as £5 per hour! Our facilities are open to all students and staff as part of our commitment to ensuring everyone can maintain an active lifestyle. We also welcome members of the local community and guests to use our facilities. Please contact our Sports Centre on 01784 443892 for more information.
Pitches and courts can be reserved at the Sports Centre reception. All prices quoted are per hour. * Excludes club bookings.
Type
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Bronze
be.active membership
Pay as you go
Outdoor (per hour) MY – netball courts
£14.00
£18.00
£20.00
£22.50
£22.50
£22.50
MY – tennis courts
Free
£6.00
£6.00
£8.00
£8.00
£8.00
Founders tennis courts
Free
£4.00
£4.00
£4.00
£6.00
£6.00
£36.00
£48.00
£54.00
£65.00
£65.00
£65.00
£28.00
£36.00
£40.00
£55.00
£55.00
£55.00
£14.00
£16.00
£20.00
£25.00
£25.00
£35.00
£25.00
£30.00
£35.00
£45.00
£45.00
£45.00
£5.00
£5.00
£5.00
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
Free
£6.00
£6.00
£8.00
£8.00
£8.00
Full sports hall
£21.00
£21.00
£21.00
£21.00
£29.00
£29.00
Half sports hall
£14.00
£14.00
£14.00
£14.00
£18.00
£18.00
Table tennis/ badminton area
Free
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
£8.00
£8.00
Squash
Free
Darren £3.00
£3.00
£3.00
£3.00
£4.50
MY – full pitch rubber crumb (3G) MY – sand based artificial pitch MY – artificial pitch 7 a side (sand/ rubber) MY – artificial half pitch (sand/rubber) MY – multi-use games area (half court) Nobles cricket nets Indoor
New membership offers and promotions! 3 MONTH GOLD MEMBERSHIPS (available until 31st July 2015) Students: Just £50 online or £60 at the Sports Centre Staff: £60 when bought online or at the Sports Centre Buy it now!
BE.ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP £25 for full access to all be.active recreational sport until the end of the academic year!
ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM for Platinum and Gold members We are pleased to announce that our new booking system has been running since January for Platinum and Gold members. All Platinum and Gold members should have received an email at the start of term with the link to the new system and we are hoping to be able to expand the online provision to all other members next academic year. This system will allow you to view the weekly exercise class timetable, and book or cancel all of your exercise classes online. All classes will be available to book up to 6 days in advance. To register, you will just need your student number and college email address. If you have any problems registering, please call the Sports Centre on 01784 443892 and they will be able to assist you. All staff and community members will need to contact reception before registering to retrieve their unique membership ID number.
12 month memberships also still available Membership
Details
Platinum - £225
Full access to the fitness suite and exercise classes. FREE health and fitness consultation and personal programme. Be.active membership for recreational sport. FREE access to cricket nets as well as badminton, squash and tennis courts. Discounts on recreational facility hire.
Gold - £195
Full access to the fitness suite and exercise classes. Be.active membership for recreational sport. Discounts on recreational facility hire.
Silver - £120
Full access to the fitness suite and exercise classes until 3.15pm or £3 for access after this time. Be.active membership for recreational sport. Discounts on recreational facility hire.
Bronze - £80
Full access to the fitness suite between 10.00 - 14:00 or £6 for access outside this time. All classes are £3 per class. Be.active membership for recreational sport.
Be.active - £40
Full access to the recreational sport programme and leagues.
Pay as you go
Single entry to the gym £6 or class £5.
Gym Challenge - Term 2 Winners Our gym challenge for term 2 was “Health and wellbeing transformation”. We took 20 clients through 11 weeks of coaching to achieve their desired goals. Before and after progress shots were taken of each client and the winner of the term 2 challenge received a refund on their current membership. David Cobb and Clarissa Tyerman were our winners of the term to challenge, runners up were Keith Rogers and Rachel Woods, who all worked
extremely hard and achieved some amazing results. After losing nearly 2 stone in the 11 weeks David Cobb said “The Fitness team couldn't have been more supportive; now I’m armed with loads of nutritional knowledge from Ben Coomber (who delivered a great Seminar earlier this year) and specialist training from the team, I’ve become a regular gym bunny. This has been an amazing transformation for me, literally life changing, and I genuinely look forward to carrying it on’’.
Do you train with free weights? Using free weights allows you to train any muscle/joint at any angle. It will increase stability, mobility, strength and muscle tone/size. Our free weights area is safe for beginners and advanced enough for athletes. Uncommon in most gyms, we have full power cages. These are superior to half racks for the following reasons: George Mitchell
Better rack height adjustability Safety pins to keep you safe Better exercise versatility Safer and sturdier We have a few new additions arriving at the gym, first of which is some soft plyometric boxes, meaning you can practise box jumps without fear of scraping your shins! For the more experienced athletes, we hope you will appreciate our new barbells, including a Texas power bar, safety squat bar (left) and an improved weightlifting bar. Katherine Trotter
Colours Ball Goes Swimmingly! The end of the second term coincides with the end of the regular sports season for most of our teams competing in BUCS and LUSL. Thus it has been a timehonoured tradition to celebrate our sporting achievements at the annual Colours Ball towards the end of March. And so, on one hallowed Saturday evening, 600 students, college and SU staff and honoured guests descended on the Thistle Hotel Heathrow to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done.
200 alumni come back to visit us. Principal’s Cup, awarded to the team of the year, was a hugely The evening commenced with a difficult decision to make after beautiful rendition by the newly such a competitive season but, in founded Royal Holloway Sports the end, went to Women’s BasChoir. The choir brings together ketball, our first team ever to athletes from more than 10 compete in the Premiership sports clubs and has recently re- playoffs. And finally, everyone leased its first charity CD. We was on the edge of their seat, or then kicked off the three-course indeed upstanding, as they waitmeal while enjoying some season ed to hear who the Club of the highlights put together by RhuYear is. Nominations included barbTV and was interspersed Men’s Rugby, Women’s Rugby with award ceremonies. A whole and Women’s Football who have list of all the individual and club all had incredible seasons. But the winners can be found on the SU Swimming Club walked away website and a huge congratulawith the trophy after doubling tions to them all! Colours were their membership to become one then briefly interrupted by a live of the top three largest clubs and performance from the Cono doubt providing the most President Sports and Developamount for their members. Anment himself, who had promised other congratulations to all the the Women’s Rugby club a rendi- winners! And so we wrapped up tion of his infamous election song the evening and the most sucin return for a £55 charity donacessful sports season yet by dancAnd indeed, there was lots to be tion. Luckily the PA system was ing the night away. patted on the back for. As it not the best and so his questionastands we are looking to comble rapping was barely audible, plete our most successful BUCS especially once most of the room campaign ever, currently ranked got up to join him and the Stuthe 50th institution in the country dent Activities Committee in belton BUCS points. We’ve managed ing out ‘Can’t Hold Us’ by Mackto clinch 11 BUCS league wins, 4 lemore. BUCS cup wins and two LUSL cup wins. Individual highlights came The awards ceremony drew to a from Emelia Gorecka, who won close with the presentation of the the BUCS Cross Country Nation- biggest awards of the night. The als for the second time, Verity top three shall be mentioned Ridgeon, who secured a fencing here. The Frank Grimes Cup, the bronze at BUCS Nationals, and highest individual honour awardAshley Ransome, the first Royal ed for outstanding contribution Holloway swimmer to make a na- to sport at the College, was very tional final. Of course, we have well deserved by Mark Hyndman, hugely benefitted from the new our new Head of Active Lifestyle outdoor Margaret Young facilities and Sport. Having been here for this year. The official opening at 10 years, this year he was largely Alumni Sports Day was a wonder- responsible for the realisation of ful occasion, that saw more than the new outdoor facilities. The
Exam Tips Learning how to de-stress is crucial. Straightforward, effective, self-help techniques are going to be very helpful when you have a heavy workload, in the run-up to the exams, and even when you’re sitting in the exam room. Try a relaxation routine
Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Breathe out more slowly than you breathe in. Locate any areas of tension and try to relax those muscles – imagine the tension disappearing. Relax each part of the body in turn – from your feet to the top of your head. As you focus on each part of your body, think of warmth, heaviness and relaxation. After 20 minutes, take some deep breaths and stretch.
Exercise As little as 10 to 20 minutes a day spent doing moderate physical activity can have a positive impact on your mental health. Exercise releases ‘feel good’ hormones, which can help overcome a low mood. It can also distract you from unwanted thoughts or worries, and is an excellent way of coping with stress – especially if it’s enjoyable.
Rest If you're tired, your worries can get blown out of proportion. If you've been finding it difficult to get to sleep, try cutting down on stimulants (e.g. tea, coffee, and alcohol) and make sure you have time to unwind before bed. Some people feel very stressed about not getting enough sleep. Remember that it is normal to struggle to sleep before something you are worried about, like exams. De-stress Yoga, meditation and massage all have proven benefits in reducing stress and promoting relaxation. We have 4 Yoga or Pilates classes on a week from just £3 a session for non-members. Get yourself booked in to clear your mind before exams or as a break in revision.
Sports Centre contact details
Active lifestyle & sport Newsletter Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX
Opening hours: Term time 07:00 - 22:00 - Monday - Friday 09:00 - 20:00 - Saturday 09:00 - 22:00 - Sunday Vacation time 07:00 - 21:00 - Monday - Friday 09:00 - 18:00 - Saturday 10:00 - 18:00 - Sunday
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