December 2016
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Project to shine a light on solutions to inactivity crisis By Christina Eccles ORGANISATIONS, groups and individuals who are actively contributing to increasing levels of physical activity across the UK are being urged to sign up to a major new research project; launched to identify solutions for getting people more active Building on the recommendations of the All Party Commission on Physical Activity, the ukactive Research Institute is collaborating with the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and Public Health England on Promising Practice Two to identify physical activity programmes that demonstrate good and promising practice in local communities. By highlighting effective physical activity initiatives that – if scaled up – could contribute to shifting the population towards becoming more active every day, Promising Practice Two aims to build on the insights and recommendations produced by its predecessor to uncover exercise solutions that deliver the associated health, economic and social improvements for local communities. ukactive research director Dr Steven Mann said: “Through Promising Practice Two we want to identify and scale the most successful initiatives
so that they can bring the benefits of physical activity to communities nationwide. “Our report will provide practical guidance on how the physical activity sector can consolidate good practice and build an evidence base around what works and significantly improve the standard of physical activity. “To build the case for wider commissioning of physical activity programmes, it’s essential that we are able to demonstrate our impact and the return on investment of our services in the same way as other public health services.” All submissions will be reviewed and classified by a senior academic board and projects deemed ‘good’ or ‘promising’ will be considered for a range of opportunities. These include showcasing their practice at ukactive’s National Summit 2017 and forthcoming regional roadshows, featuring in reporting to key stakeholders such as Sport England and Public Health England, as well as being able to use their submission as entry to the ukactive Flame Awards 2017. To take part in Promising Practice Two, entrants need to submit details of a physical activity programme that their organisation is running through an online questionnaire. To register visit https://www.surveymonkey. co.uk/r/PromisingPractice_2
No 279 £3
GymCube’s challenge raises more than £23k
Olympic and world champion rower Zac Purchase has launched his first fitness studio in Marlow. Zacs – Exercise For Life, is based on a series of 40-minute, pay as you go classes based around one of four themes: strength, stamina, speed and stability. Investment has also been secured for further studios to be rolled out across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire over the next five years. *For full story see page 5.
THE team from GymCube has raised a massive £23,500 by hosting a marathon 24-hour fitness challenge. The company teamed up with FitCamps Events to take on the epic task in aid of Children in Need, ahead of the annual TV marathon fundraising event. For 24 hours solid, personal trainers and team members from GymCube live streamed exercise classes online via the GymCube Facebook page, as well as on their own website. Trainers including GymCube founder Kevin Foster-Wiltshire, event director Lydia Campbell, Katie Bulmer-Cooke and X Factor favourite Chico Slimani ran fun classes that people could join in with at home – getting fit and raising lots of cash. Every GymCube membership taken up from the beginning of the live stream through until the annual Live Children In Need broadcast was also donated to the charity. Kevin said: “Children in Need is a charity close to all of our hearts and one which inspires amazing fundraising efforts.”