Beginning a new fitness journey

This should be the part where begin to outline my January fitness journey and how I got my mind and body into shape following all the festive excesses, but if I were to continue the “journey” analogy, the road got a little bumpy and then the wheels fell off!

The plan was very simple, nothing too excessive, something achievable considering my general fitness had been in decline for some time.

This simple plan included early morning workouts using the Freeletics App and a 5k run every day with a ‘T’ in it! My “T for Training” routine as I call it.

The idea being that my workouts would gradually build as my fitness improved while my 5k runs would remain the same distance, but using the Nike Run Club App to chart how/if my pace was improving.

Things certainly started out as planned, I began with a full body workout on the App to build general fitness (before focusing on upper/lower/core strength) and the first 5k run went pretty well, considering the temperature was minus figures with steady snow fall. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great pace, and I didn’t run the whole distance, but the fact that I got out there and did it is an achievement in itself.

The plan was very simple, nothing too excessive, something achievable
I’ve never been a morning person, definitely more of a night owl. Trying to be both is utterly exhausting, but I was managing it for a little while. In truth, I wasn’t really pushing myself too hard on the workouts, doing just enough to get the heart rate up. Meanwhile, the runs were going really well, my second 5k absolutely smashed the first and unlocked several achievements on the NRC app. Confidence was building just as much as the fitness levels. Or at least it was for the first 2 weeks, then it all fell apart.

When you already have a bad sleep pattern, it only takes a little something to throw everything off balance, and that little thing was my one year-old daughter. We had only recently begun to enjoy peaceful nights after a very bad first 9 months, which resulted in a tough period of sleep training, but ultimately it worked and improved all of our lives considerably.

Then, following her jabs a couple of weeks ago, she develops her first ever full-blown cold! As you might imagine, a one year-old plus the symptoms of a cold does not equal fun times!

Late nights, early mornings, a lot of broken sleep in between, all those things blurring together aren’t very conducive to a good training regime. Before you know it, you’re the only one in the household that doesn’t have a cold, meaning you get even less sleep.

Now, this could be seen as a cop out, that I don’t really want to do it. But the thing is, I do want to do it, I just don’t need to do it. I have a pretty positive body image and know that even though I’d like to improve my fitness, I’m OK with how it is.

I also have this magical thing called “perspective” . I know that in the grand scheme of things, whether I do it this month or next, it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. As long as its making a positive difference for myself, and it isn’t adversely affecting those around me, it’s all good!

It’s very similar to the way that we work with our clients. Yes, we’ll look deep into the finer details of a project but we never lose sight of the bigger picture, ensuring the best, most suitable outcome for all.

Now, we’re starting a fresh new month and it’s back to my ‘Days with T for Training’ routine in my bid to “Get fit in Feb” … or March, or 2021… whichever works best in the long run. Always in it for the long run, or 5k at the very least!

Paul[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

What does the future hold for gyms?

We’re in unprecedented times, and we’re all doing our best to protect our family and friends until the vaccine has been widely distributed, but what does this mean for gyms that have been closed for so long now?
Are we seeing the demise of gyms perhaps? Or maybe a shift to exercising more at home with the exponential rise of products such as Peloton and virtual training platforms? Or are we now more attuned to having personal trainers shout at us from the telly in our living rooms, or taking us for training in the great outdoors?!

Perhaps the answer is yes to some, or all, of these points however it’s highly unlikely we’ll see gyms disappear completely of course, but without question they’ll have to change and adapt to this new landscape.

At KYAK we work with a wide range of clients within the fitness industry from gyms through to personal trainers. We don’t profess to have all the answers but we see many of the problems and concerns that are currently being faced and feel that perhaps this is a great opportunity to reflect, plan, change and move forward.

One thing we do think is important to explore is what the new gym of the future looks like and what it offers. As always customers will be looking for value for money but this doesn’t mean being the cheapest, uniquely in this industry it’s mostly defined by seeing the results of having a regular workout whether that be physically, mentally or even socially.

Given that everyone has been forced to consider alternative ways of keeping fit (and sane!) you could argue that gym customers have become much more savvy and that gym owners are going to have to compete with a greater array of options and alternative solutions than ever before. So what do you do about it?

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY WANT

Variety and motivation is the key. This has undoubtedly always been the case and often why gyms see a considerable drop off in attendance after the first few months of the year, as the novelty of joining the gym wains and perhaps initial results have flattened off.

But perhaps there’s a way of keeping the interest going, offering additional value for money and standing out from your competitors?

How about combining a range of solutions for your customers to suit a variety of wants and needs? You could create an environment that isn’t just about spending an hour bench pressing or doing your lateral raises in front of the mirror. How about creating a membership that allows the development of groups to explore different facilities / locations / workouts / routines and yet also creates a social element to being a gym member – you can’t get that from a solo workout in your living room!

Join your local gym network group and go on a voyage of discovery organised by your personal trainers/lifestyle managers. Explore nutrition, health, a wide variety of workouts and group activities, new and unusual sports, both indoors & outdoors, locally, nationally or even organised trips abroad.

I can already see the (beautifully designed by KYAK) poster now!

As a gym member if you could choose the type of group you want to join – the age range, level of difficulty and ultimate goals, from cycling to weights, aerobic to mixed sports, online or in the gym then it becomes a very different proposition. If there’s a group for everyone (without excluding the option for individual training of course) then I’m joining a club not just a gym, I’m part of something, I’m enjoying myself and I’m definitely coming back next week – it’s become a lifestyle not a chore.

This sort of set up would primarily be aimed at likeminded individuals who enjoy working together and motivating each other to achieve their goals. Led by experienced trainers / lifestyle managers who keep things fresh by adding and changing activities and locations on a regular basis so that the member can experience new and challenging activities. It may be a trip to the National Watersport Centre for a day of white water rafting, an afternoon bike ride around Sherwood Pines, an open water swim once a fortnight or how about a fitness focussed holiday once a year (when we can go away once more of course!!) all wrapped up with standard gym routines, wellness activities and even social events. And if you can’t make it to a particular activity because you’re a new mum or perhaps working away for the week, then no problem – join the groups online and keep in touch with your friends and trainers until such time you can be in the same room once more.

Sure this takes a lot more work than just letting members turn up, do their thing and go away again but perhaps thinking outside the box and looking at the mix of solutions is one way that gyms can fight back? Most importantly it provides freedom, choice, flexibility and fun. Plus it may also be a way of actually increasing membership prices if you can demonstrate to the customer that they’re going to be getting so much more bang for their buck?

Rob
KYAK Director

We hope that this blog post has given you some ideas, they are simply our thoughts and views. However we’d love to have the chance to see how we may be able to help you develop and grow. At KYAK we don’t charge for a chat, so please pick up the phone or drop us an email.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]