Active Lifestyles

The Active Lifestyles team hosted the second Energia Fitness Fun Day on Wednesday 18 June.  With a record number of 420 participants, the event once again was a big success! Imperial students and staff members were able to enjoy a range of free fitness activities, free t-shirts and prizes for gym challenges! Also, for one day only, all the studio group exercise classes were free of charge!

The team also invited external guest trainers to run a selection of brand new classes, including the Les Mills ShaBam, BodyStep and Body Jam; Belly Dancing and the very fun Boxing Fit and Jumping Fitness!

Katherine Parkins said ‘Boxing was fun in the sun! I enjoyed the change of scenery and I find it cool that I could have a good punch up with colleagues!’

Sharon Sheenan said ‘Jumping Fitness was wicked! It really gets your heart going and it feels like a full body work out.’

The Active Lifestyles team would like to say special thank you to everyone participated in the event! We would also like to say thank you to Angela Cameron who gave up her own time to teach back to back classes; Julia Balazova for volunteering to bring Jumping Fitness to Imperial – it was a class enjoyed by on-lookers and all who attended. Finally, we would like to thank the Belly Dancing Society, the class was very unique and it appealed to very diverse audience.

For more information about Energia Fitness Fun Day and to find out about upcoming healthy initiatives, please email us at activelifestyles@imperial.ac.uk

Click here to view more photos on Facebook.

Read The Energia Fitness Fun Day was a great success! in full

Written by Giovanni White – Active Lifestyles Advisor (Participation)

I had the pleasure of representing Imperial College in the annual European Network of Academy Sport Service Fitness Experience. This took place at the USC of the Radboud University on May 22nd and 23rd in Nijmegen. Representative from other universities were also present. The purpose of this visit was to develop networks and exchange idea for university sports service.

We started the day with a tour of the university sports centre which is the largest and most versatile in Nijmegen. The indoor facilities include a 1000 m2 state of the art fitness area, four squash courts, four multipurpose halls, two sports halls, a gym an indoor cycle room, a dojo and a climbing wall. Outdoor facilities include twelve tennis courts, two beach volley ball court, artificial football rugby and hockey pitches, a basketball court, 400m running track, a small artificial turf practice field and several bowling courts.

Throughout the conference we had many different lectures. These lectures covered topics such as the relationship between inactivity and the development of chronic diseases, diabetes awareness, and developments in sport and sports participation. They were presented by leading expert within the health and fitness industry such as:

Prof. Dr. Maria Hopman Radboud University Nijmegen

The research of Maria Hopman is best summarized by the theme Healthy Aging or Preventive Medicine.

Prof. Dr. Koen Breedveld Radboud University Nijmegen

Koen Breedveld is managing director of the Mulier Institute – institute for social scientific sport research – since 2007 and professor in Sportsociology at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen since 2013.

Bas van de Goor Olympic champion

Bas van de Goor, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2003. He founded the Bas van de Goor Foundation. A foundation that the quality of life of people with diabetes improves through sport and exercise.

The lectures were really informative and detailed; my favourite lecture was the development in sports and sports participation, with Prof. Dr. Koen Breedveld. I enjoyed this because it links directly with my job role as Active Lifestyles Advisor – Participation. I learnt about the different type of barriers to participation and how to overcome them, I can now take this information and use it in my everyday working.

In addition to the lectures, we took part in various exercise classes. I found this really helpful because we had the opportunity to learn different methods of training. The classes started with a warm up session using broom sticks; during this we learned how to activate joints in a fun way. We then moved on to other classes such as power lifting, Outdoor boot camp, kettle bell, testing and neck and back pain treatment.

This experience overall was fantastic and I am happy and thankful to have been giving this opportunity. I met a lot of great people and learn a lot of new thing.

Read European Network of Academy Sport Service Fitness Experience in full

I have been a member of Ethos for over than 5 years now. I have been an ative member, attending a wide range of classes offered by the gym. Over the past year Energia team has introduced a whole new set of classes from circuit training to weight lifting !! Also, every now and then they arrange health weeks which includes lots of interesting nutrition seminars, range of free classes and free t-shirts!! So I recommend trying out any of their classes, you could have an hour of a proper core workout to get tight abs just in time for summer or go for boxing where you can get rid of all your stress for the day.

– By Zahra Sharif

Read Zahra’s experience with the Active Lifestyles Team in full

In July last year a strange couple wearing red t-shirts wheeled a cart through my office handing out fruit and leaflets advertising the weight management program. I was already a regular gym attender (5 times a week) but hadn’t got round to acting on my resolution to ‘try out a class sometime’. The next time I was at the gym I sought out a member of the active life styles team just to find out more.

I had no intention of singing up on the spot, I never do things like that, but this initial chat was with the most friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable fitness instructor I had met. (This was Shannon, she was also wearing a red t-shirt.) I didn’t believe a lot of what I was told (90% of health information including that from the NHS is wrong) but Shannon’s extensive knowledge (Well backed up by scientific studies and background knowledge) convinced me to at least find out and I walked out of the gym signed up to the Weight Management Program.

During the program I met the rest of the team and enthusiasm for fitness must be contagious as they all worked hard to encourage, help and push me to achieve more in my gym sessions. Soon the enthusiasm spread to me and I was doing fitness circuits, running round Hyde Park (in the running club), doing weights and even started attending (my now favourite) Grit classes. I learnt how to exercise properly radically changed my diet and did this all as part of the group of ‘regulars’ also on the program. Exercising with others massively increases the effort you put in.

It changed my gym experience forever and I will never go back to just hopping on a few machines. If you have one of these ‘resolutions’ to try a class one day I would recommend finding Shannon (home in on the red t-shirt) and having that conversation.

-By Robert Metcalf, Technical Project Services

Read Robert’s experience with the Active Lifestyles Team in full

Healthy Living Week 2014 was a true success with over 460 people attending the week. Imperial staff and students had full access to a wide range of free activities – ­body MOT’s, free classes, gym challenges, sports massage, nutrition and back pain management seminars were all on offer.

The gym challenge involved over a hundred people and was an exceptionally hard press-up challenge, 1 set 1 rep and so on. The pyramid only stopped if members couldn’t complete any more repetitions or were timed out on 10 minutes. Congratulations to Giulia Ferretti who won the women’s gym challenge and received a huge goodie bag of prizes! Giulia is a student at Imperial and a committee member of the Imperial Cheerleading team.

A huge thank you to Paul Smithhurst and Ali Al Ramahi, Ethos’ s very own personal trainers for providing online fitness support, sports massage and back pain assessment seminars. If you are interested in any personal training please contact activelistyles@Imperial.ac.uk for a referral. Michael our residential osteopath completed free postural assessments throughout the week coupled with some back and neck pain analysis.

Finally we had free classes galore and they were all brilliantly attended! Boxing, GRIT, salsa, spin and boot camps were ran throughout the week with fast classes running throughout the day in the gym. Ethos also teamed up with Les Mills who provided us with the resources to run a GRIT PLYO class. Thank you to Les Mills for allowing us to run this one off featured class.

The Active Lifestyles Team will be running new studio classes in the summer and more events across the year. If you would like to receive more specific information on our services, please contact our email address, actlifestyles@imperial.ac.uk

Read Healthy Living Week 2014 was a great success! in full

Weight Management is back! Day 1 saw this week’s
new clients complete their initial testing and 121’s. Angela Cousins from the Active
Lifestyles Team has been analysing everyone’s food diaries and documents to
develop an individual evaluation to kick start the 8 week lifestyle, nutrition
and fitness changes.

This summer’s weight management see’s the
introduction of loads more sessions for people to get involved in. The team now
runs 5 sessions in the morning throughout the week plus our great new classes,
BODY CORE and BODY BLITZ.

Whilst developing and improving the weight
management product I have decided to practise what I preach. I would like to
say before people think I sit at home and eat pie’s all day, I am a pretty good
eater, however like many people I have an incredibly sweet tooth! I also suffer
from a small coffee and diet coke addiction, which needs to be kicked into
touch. So I thought, why not join in my own health and wellbeing product and go
through all the challenges that my clients will have over the next 8 weeks.

I have decided to do exactly what I
recommend in the program, nothing more and nothing less. I have taken a picture
of myself on day 1, and by the final week 8 I shall post both of them and we
can see if there are any differences. I hope to show people who feel they are alone
with their challenges regarding exercise and nutrition that this isn’t the
case. May people suffer from low self-esteem whether they are clinically over
weight or not. It is our mission as an Active Lifestyles Advisor to help change
these negative perceptions and show people they can be proud of their bodies.
I have had a sporty career however, I also am a very big eater with a sweet tooth and this

will be just as bigger challenge than anyone else but I hope to prove that if you stick to what I tell you, changes can be achieved.
I shall be blogging throughout the 8 weeks telling you about my progress (always honest and hopefully interesting) and
what all the clients on weight management have been getting up to. If you are
interested in joining us, it isn’t too late, we are still signing up people
until the 1st August. If you would like some general information on active
lifestyles please email actlife@imperial.ac.uk

I thought I would finish with lesson 1: ALWAYS bring a lunchbox to work preparation is key when
losing body fat. Just for your reference I weight in at 68.90kg, height 5f 8 in, body fat 23%. Let the 8 weeks begin!

Read Weight Management – BACK AND EVEN BETTER! Day 1 in full

Pre-season is heading our way again in September. We have some amazing new additions to the program. This year we will have guest coaches from British Weight Lifting and free t-shirts for staff and students who join in. Sessions run 10-12pm, 2-4pm and new this year evening sessions Tues and Thurs 515-715. Join Us!

For more information email actlife@imperial.ac.uk or register on our actlife website page.

Read Pre-Season 2013 in full

The Active Lifestyles Team challenges you!

On the 20th June the Active Lifestyles Team will challenge all gym members to a crushing challenge. The challenge sounds simple but don’t be fooled this is one nasty workout.

Run throughout the 20th June – Fitness Fun Day, we will challenge you to complete 100 burpees for time. If you don’t make 100 burpees within 10 minutes we will time you out and your total burpees will be counted.

Here are the rules;

1.) Ask a member of the Active Lifestyles Team to time you. This is the only way to receive an offical time.

2.) Chest has to hit the floor otherwise it is a NO REP, feet have to be flat upon landing.

3.) You have to jump up, with both feet leaving the floor and clap your hands over your head.

4.) Once this move is complete you’ve done 1 REP! just another 99 to go.

We trialed out the workout this week with Cory and Gio from ALT leading, one Ethos member managing to finish the 100 reps in 9.07 minutes. If you think you can improve on that time, come along on the 20th June at Ethos and have a go. There will be a protein goodie bag and free sports wear for the best girl and guy that day! Remember always make sure an ACT member times you and takes your details down! Look forward to seeing you soon. #dontbeaverage

Read Gym Challenge – 100 burpees for time, max time 10 minutes in full

The Active Lifestyles Team has contined to run the weightlifting club every Tues and Thursday at full capacity. More and more members are joining. Why not come along and join in, book in at Ethos reception. If you want to get your hands on this class for free, please look out for the Fitness Fun Day posters around the university campus and Active Lifestyles website, contact Giovanni White on, actlife@imperial.ac.uk. Fitness Fun Day will be held on the 20th June ALL DAY around various locations at the South Ken Imperial campus! Free classes, gym challenges, outdoor fitness sessions, free t-shirts, prizes and guest appearances from master trainers at Les Mills. Keep your eyes pealed!

Read Performance Room – Active Lifestyles in full

Above, Sharon, Jasmin and Active Lifestyles Manager Shannon.

Weight Management sponsored by Total Greek yogurt continues to push clients to their limits. The Active Lifestyles Team trains members daily throughout the 8 week program.

Angela Cousins – Active Lifestyles Advisor (Wellbeing) says, “everyone has been working really hard, both losing inches and best of all we have had feedback that our clients feel more energised throughout their working day, it is just brilliant to hear we are making real changes to peoples lifestyle habits”.

The Active Lifestyles team prides itself on providing informative, evidence based information to their clients. We are always looking to bust industry myths about nutrition and exercise. If you would like more information about our services please email actlife@imperial.ac.uk

Read Weight management morning fitness session in full