 LivingWell
Health Club and Gym
Click here to see Sarah at the gym!!!
Having never stepped foot in a gym before, I was unsure what
to expect from the LivingWell Health Club in Peterborough (UK). I had conjured up images in my mind
of "Perfect 10" females running on the treadmills, and guys with
muscles to rival Arnie, pumping iron in front of ceiling to
floor mirrors.
Living Well's reception area was welcoming with relaxing music playing
in the background. To the left was a café with a large seating
area of sofas and tables. To the right was small shop selling
various bits of fitness equipment and clothing. I was greeted by
a smartly dressed receptionist, who gave me a simple form to
fill out and a towel. While filling out the form I couldn’t stop
thinking about what was going to happen to me when I entered the
gym.
I was looking forward to having a work out plan drawn up and
setting goals but was also anxious about actually having to use
the machines in front of so many people. What if I couldn’t lift
the weights? Or fell off the back of the treadmill? What would
people think of me? I put my attention back to filling in my
form. It asked me to tick boxes for areas of the health club I was
interested in. I ticked them all. A lady named Ros then took me
on a guided tour around the club.
Our first stop was the swimming pool. After telling Ros that
I’m not a terribly confident swimmer she suggested I take part
in the adult swimming lessons run at the club. You have four adults to
a class and it costs £55 for 10 lessons. Ros then talked me
through the jacuzzis, steam rooms and saunas explaining how
there were two of each to help cater for everyone. One of each
is set at a higher temperature so that you can choose which your
prefer. I thought this was a lovely touch. I was then shown to
the changing rooms, which were also spacious. Communal changing
areas were separated by individual cubicles and surrounded by
mirrors. At each mirror was a hairdryer, cotton wool pads, hair
gel and body lotion, there was even an iron and trouser press.
Living Well seems to be at the luxury end of the health club
business.
I was then taken to the dreaded gym! While wandering around I
quickly saw that the images I'd formed in my head were far from
true. A variety of people could be seen working out on a wide
selection of machines. I realised that this may not be as bad as
I had anticipated. Our final stop was one of the two full size
studios. This was where I found my ceiling to floor mirrors. 70
classes a week are run in these studios from yoga to body
combat.
Once I was ready I made my way back to the gym and was met
straight away by a smiling face and a man who introduced himself
as Mark, my instructor. Mark was well presented and seemed
genuinely friendly, right from the start. When I told him I was
nervous he soon reassured me that everything would be OK. This
helped to put me at ease. I had to fill out another form that
asked about what I found to be important to me health wise and
how often I would be using the gym.
Mark explained to me how using the gym 3 times a week instead
of just 2 would benefit me and convinced me to aim for three
sessions a week. We then focused on my goals and established
that I wanted to improve my overall fitness level and tone up
and maintain my current weight. It was great to see that I
wasn’t just been thrown into it and that my plan would be
personal to me. Mark also took this time to show me a plan of
the classes that are run and tell me about ‘Personal Training’.
All classes at Living Well come included in the price of membership although
‘Personal Training’ comes at an additional cost of £25 for one
hour with an instructor one-on-one.
Next came the part I had been nervous about. We stepped into
the gym to start the induction. We wondered around various
pieces of machinery. With each piece Mark demonstrated how to
programme it and showed me what I needed to do to ensure that my
technique is correct. He then made me have a go, which was
actually quite a laugh. We had a giggle whenever my arms and
legs were flying places they shouldn’t be but it was obvious
that we were laughing together, not him laughing at me. I found
that the more machines I tried out, the more I relaxed. As we
walked round Mark wrote down the pieces of equipment I am to use
and the level I am to try to work to on my progress card. I can
use this each time I come to the gym to keep track of how I’m
doing. As we were trying out each machine Mark explained about
the areas of my body each machine works and the benefits I will
get from it.
These are the pieces of equipment I am to use:
- Treadmill – to improve my overall fitness level
- Total body cross trainer – to improve my overall fitness
level
- Rowing machine – to improve my overall fitness level, tone
up arms
- X Robics – to strengthen legs muscles and improve overall
fitness level
- Weight machine to tone up outer thighs and bottom
- Weight machine to tone up inner thighs
- Weight machine to work my biceps
- Weight machine to work my triceps
- Weight machine to tone up my lats
- Fit ball – to work my abs
- Ab trainer – to work my abs
I found that I liked the cardiovascular machines and the fit
balls the best as they help the areas I would like to improve
the most.
I wasn’t too sure about the weight machines for my arms but I
know that this is only because I find it quite hard at the
moment. I am on the bottom weight, and still find it hard which
disheartens me a bit, but my motivation to keep trying is that
soon I will be strong enough to move up to the second weight. I
will be very proud of myself when this happens!
I left the gym feeling much more positive than I had entered and
had to admit to myself that I was looking forward to coming back
to try it on my own.
My Living Well gym induction lasted for 1¼ hours and after I went to the
changing rooms where I showered and changed. I then treated
myself to a pot of tea from the club's café, which also serves
breakfast, lunch and larger meals.
I left the health club feeling refreshed and surprisingly confident.
I knew that I had made a positive change in my life and that
with support from Mark and the other members of Living Well staff I could
stick to it.
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