30th December 2019 | Nottingham

Manager’s Welcome

As we move into the new decade there is more and more pressure from social media to embrace a healthy lifestyle – this is great but as we all know it’s not always that easy to apply just after Christmas and sometimes it can be information overload.  If it all gets a bit much let us help you decipher what’s important to you and your fitness goals.  We are here to help you get the most out of your gym membership by keeping your gym program specific to what you want to achieve, making sure that they are achievable to you and not plying you with an overload of information; keeping it real will help you achieve your targets.  Or if it's classes that keep you coming back for more, then coaching and motivating you to become the best fitness version of yourself for 2020.

Don’t forget it’s not just about the gym, we also offer classfit. sessions where you can learn about all of our different classes available and also swimfit. sessions that give you the opportunity to discuss your fitness goals with the focus on swimming.

All of these sessions can be booked easily via the Roko App along with all of your classes. Remember if you need to cancel then that can be done easily on the App too.

Let us help you to kick start your best year and decade yet!

A very happy and healthy new year to all of our Roko members.

Best wishes

Julie Bowley
Your Roko Nottingham Club Manager

refer a friend who joins

& you both get a limited edition roko workout top

As a Roko member, you've already committed to achieving your goals - and we're here to support you. But did you know that you are more likely to achieve your fitness goals with a workout buddy? 

So introduce a friend to Roko and you'll both benefit from the additional motivation that you will provide to each other. PLUS, when you refer a friend right now and they decide to join, then they'll pay no joining fee and we’ll give you both a limited edition Roko workout top. Simply click here to refer your friends now: https://www.roko.co.uk/nottingham/offers/tshirt

Club News

Just a little reminder, that as we move into the New Year the car park will get busier.  Please remember that the first bay on the left hand side is for high sided vehicles only.  We encourage you to use the other parking bays available.

Your Online Account has landed!
We have launched an online portal where you can manage aspects of your Roko membership; you are able to change your PIN, update your communication preferences and make payments.  You are also able to book and cancel classes through your online account.

Login is available on the Roko website through the prominent login button and you use Member ID and PIN as per the Roko App.

Make sure we’ve got your correct email address as you cannot access the benefits of Your Online Account without a correctly registered email address.

NEW Roko App coming mid January!
The current Roko App has been a great success allowing you to always have your club in your pocket with quick and easy access to book your favourite group exercise classes. 

We are launching a NEW Roko App in mid-January 2020 which will enable more members to benefit from using the Roko App. 

The NEW Roko App will feature Your Workouts, Workout History, Training Programmes and Connected Fitness Apps in addition to booking your favourite group exercise classes.

Your Workouts – you will have access to a huge library of exercises to create and track your own workouts on the Roko App.
Connected Fitness Apps – the NEW Roko App allows you to connect all your Fitness Apps giving you a fitness hub that pulls together all your fitness training information.
The NEW Roko App will replace the current Roko App and we will send you a full invitation to download the NEW Roko App in mid-January when it’s ready for launch.

Make sure we’ve got your correct email address as you cannot access the benefits of the NEW Roko App without a correctly registered email address.

Fitness News

Top 10 Ways to Beat the Post-Christmas Blues 
The post-Christmas period can leave many of us feeling down. Thankfully, there are many ways to get your spirits back up after the festive period. Here are 5 tips for beating the post-Christmas blues (courtesy of realbuzz.com).

1. Make a Plan
After the excitement of Christmas, going back to a regular, mundane routine is enough to lower anybody's spirits. A good way to alleviate this feeling is to create something to look forward to. Whatever you plan, be it following a new fitness plan, starting a new class or walking to work 3 days a week. Make sure it is something you will look forward to and sustain, then start counting down the days.

2. Exercise Your Funny Bone
Laughter has been proven to be an extremely effective mood booster; releasing endorphins which instantly raises spirits and give a feeling of wellbeing. To help raise your spirits, download a funny movie or book and spend a few hours exercising your laughter muscles.

3. Brave Your Fears
If you are feeling listless and uninspired following the Christmas period, there is nothing guaranteed to energise you so much as stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a few risks. Make a commitment to doing one thing a week (or day) that takes you out of your comfort zone. Whatever it is, doing a studio class for the first time, making that gymfit. appointment or starting training for an event.  When you achieve big or small challenges this is guaranteed to put you in a positive mood.

4. Get Active
Although feeling glum is unlikely to put you in the mood to exercise, getting up and active is actually one of the best things you can do. Exercise not only releases mood boosting endorphins, but if weight gain is one of the things getting you down following Christmas it will help you to quickly shift those excess pounds. Get out in the fresh air for a run, or try a spot of yoga or Tai Chi to help put you in a better frame of mind.

5. Watch What You Eat
A healthy diet is actually very effective at helping you feel good. Some mood-boosting foods to stock up on are those containing B vitamins (which help the brain produce serotonin) such as wholegrains, nuts and marmite, and those containing Omega-3 fatty acids (which can help lift depression), such as oily fish or flaxseeds.

Make 2020 your year. This is the year to be fit and fearless!

New Team Members
We would like to welcome Harry Price and Thomas Mellors to the fitness team; some of you may already recognise this friendly helpful lad from Reception.

Harry has a background in playing various sports as well as achieving a foundation degree in sports coaching and bachelor’s honours in sports science and coaching along with 10 years’ experience in football coaching.

He is now available for gymfit. and stayfit. bookings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 2pm and 9pm... book in via the app or through reception.

Thomas is working towards a Level 3 in Personal Training, he trains 4 to 5 times a week himself and is very keen to learn new techniques.  He is already knowledgeable and approachable. So please do not hesitate to say hi :-)

The Ski and Snowboard Season Is Upon Us!
For those hitting the slopes don’t forget that pre-ski conditioning training is key to good performance on the pistes.  Here are some tips and pointers to follow:
Skiing and snowboarding are not linear activities so incorporate multi-plane movements:
   Lateral lunges
   Wood chops
   Lunge with upper body twists
Glute activation is crucial for control and alleviating over loading of quads:
   Try Bridging - with heels under knees, lift butt up and away from floor. Squeeze sit bones towards each other, release and then repeat.
Focus on eccentric loading of hamstrings and quads for example:
   On the leg extension for quads, focus on control when flexing at knee joint, this should take 3-5 seconds.
Don’t forget your core exercises – drop into a Pilate’s class to increase your core strength and help you to increase awareness of stability and mobility through your body.

For more advice and ideas don’t forget to give one of the gym team a shout.

Group Exercise News

Les Mills Launches
We start the year with new challenges with all your Les Mills classes. Come along to your class launches starting Saturday 4th January.  Why not take this opportunity to start a new class?

Times
Saturday 4th January 2020
09.35 Body Attack
10.35 Body Pump

Monday 6th January 2020
17.45 Body Combat

Tuesday 7th January 2020
18.30 Body Jam

Wednesday 8th January 2020
18.00 Body Balance

Time to Change
We are changing the times of some of our popular classes, to ensure that your pre and post class experience is better.  Please check the new times below:

                                          New Time

Monday        Zumba           09.35

Tuesday       Pilates            09.45

Thursday      Zumba           09.35

Swimming

The swimming team here at Roko hope you have had a lovely Christmas and we hope all our swimmers old and new are raring to go in the new term!!

If you haven’t booked in for swimming lessons yet we do still have a few spaces across the programme-including a Rookie Lifesaving class with Katie on a Saturday at 1.30pm-this is a 45 min. lesson working towards bronze, silver and gold awards.

Bev is running the baby classes on a Monday and Saturday-come along and try a lesson before you commit to the term which starts on Thursday 2nd January and runs for 9 or 10 weeks depending on which day you book.

For anything swim related please give me a call at the club or I can be contacted on jennie.keast@nottingham.roko.co.uk

Whether it’s a subtle change or a big change, our fantastic hair team have you covered! Why not try one of our new colours from the ‘Vibrant Range’ or add some volume and length with our Balmain hair extensions!

Take some ‘me time’ and treat yourself to our Superb Spa Fix Package. 

Nutriplenish
Shampoo, conditioner, leave-in treatment & multi-purpose hair oil for dry hair offers both light and deep hydration options made with coconut oil, mango butter and pomegranate oil; For curly, oily, wavy or straight hair

Paulina from Notts Physio give us some helpful tips on neck rehabilitation.

Over the past 12 months we’ve seen plenty of people suffering from neck pain, stiffness and tightness. The causes for this type of pain are wide ranging and vast, ranging from traumatic events such as road traffic accidents, falls and collision type sports, to the other end of that spectrum: patients who suffer from long standing chronic neck pain due to an old injury or even related with their occupation or posture. What all these have in common, is that they need to develop a greater degree of robustness. Manual therapy, acupuncture, massage can help to alleviate symptoms, but strength is key if you want a true resolution of symptoms.

Start with working against gravity
Neck strengthening exercises do not need to be complicated. In fact they should be simple. We start by teaching our patients to be able to recognise and hold a ‘neutral’ position for their neck whilst working against gravity (a great form of strength training). You can give this a go yourself by lying down on your back, lift your head off the floor with chin slightly tucked, but don’t bring your chin right up to your chest. You can then make this exercise a bit more dynamic by adding an element of neck rotation (looking over shoulder). You can then lie on your side move your ear to shoulder. These exercises are easy to do, require no equipment and can be made easier or harder by decreasing or increasing the number of repetitions.  In the next section we will describe how you progress your neck rehabilitation even further.

Progress to banded exercises
Adding resistance by using a resistance band is a straightforward way to progress the exercises and allows for endless options and opportunities by challenging the neck from a variety of angles and different levels of tension. It is not unusual for the upper trapezius (shoulder muscle) to refer pain up into the neck region, therefore a more global approach involving shoulder, upper back and neck strengthening is necessary to help achieve a long-term problem resolution.

Use your own bodyweight for an extra challenge
Bodyweight neck exercises are extremely challenging and are also a great full body workout. Again, you don’t need any fancy equipment; it can be as easy as leaning against the wall and using your body weight to challenge neck stability. That would be considered an isometric (static hold) exercise and can be progressed by addition of dynamic movement. The “Neck Bridge” exercise requires dynamic control and stability and involves full body movement- it’s an advanced exercise we would complete with a lot of athletes who come visit us with neck issues. You can check out this exercise in the video below.

If you are suffering from head, neck or shoulder pain, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for a thorough assessment, comprehensive treatment options and functional rehab program to help reduce your pain levels, improve how well your neck moves, increase the strength of the muscles around your head, neck and shoulders so that you can return to a pain free existence again.  Please visit our website to see some of our rehabilitation videos and get in touch to help us guide you through your rehabilitation journey. 

Thank you,

Paulina & Johnny

nottinghamphysio.com