Drummond Education trained Personal trainer Norah Greatrix has organised a fund-raising fitness boot camp on Tuesday nights at 7pm in Palmer Park, Reading. The boot camp is designed for women of all abilities to help raise the cash to keep a vital robot used in the fight against cervical cancer, in Reading. It could mean cervical cancer patients get life-saving operations at the Royal Berks.

At the moment, the “Robbie the Robot” is used to perform key hole surgery on men with prostate cancer. But if it stays, it could be doing keyhole surgery on cervical cancer patients within the year.

The robot costs £1 million pounds a year to keep at the hospital, and unless that money is found the Royal Berks will have to give Robbie the Robot up. But personal trainer Norah Greatrix is determined not to let that happen.

She says it’s up to women to work together on this.

“Being a woman, cervical cancer is obviously always a scare. There’s a history of it in my family, my mother’s twin sister died because of it along with my grandmother. There are so many great, strong women falling victim to this disease, it would be such a shame to lose something that could help them”.

For more information or to sign up for the boot camp, click here. http://www.fitinsideout.co.uk

With a full three-day programming schedule, Drummond Education has mustered world class presenters to showcase the very best in functional training and group fitness practical sessions.

Igor Castiglia (Italy) makes his Blackpool debut, alongside the Aussie contingency of Greg Sellar, Michael Steel, Steve Schiemer and Rebecca Small. The Les Mills team will also be making their first appearance at the convention, not to mention the presenting debuts of our very own Drummond presenters, Gareth and Nicky Nock, Gemma Osman and Jenny Jolliffe.

To book your sessions for the Drummond Education Arena, log onto www.chrysalispromotions.com and download the 2010 brochure, or alternatively call Chrysalis Promotions on 07980 738 382.

Drummond Education has teamed up with Nordic Walking UK to develop the most comprehensive instructor course yet. Nordic walking is becoming so popular, PTs are now launching lucrative group programmes to attract those who don’t respond to traditional ‘exercise’ advertising. 

“In the first month of promoting my business I have almost paid for my training and my instructor pole pack”, says newly-qualified instructor Felicia Shiengold.

After placing an ad in a local paper that generated over 40 leads, Felicia offered free taster sessions and has since signed people up for her technique courses and small group training sessions. This is in addition to the 25 other potential clients who are awaiting further dates. She has been astounded by response from the community.

Felicia is now looking for extra instructors, has been approached by the local sports college and has seen her new walking clients embracing other forms of exercise offered in her studio.

If you would like to do the CYQ Nordic and Fitness Walking course, or upgrade your one-day Leki Instructor Award to join Nordic Walking UK, call Gill on 0845 260 9339 or visit www.nordicwalking.co.uk

We have new online blended learning courses for Level 3 Personal Training and Nutrition, which is perfect for those with busy schedules and on a fixed budget.

Our online courses make it both cost-effective and time-efficient in training to become a personal trainer.

In addition, we have our new Level 3 Pilates certification beginning this year.

For more information on dates and venues, please contact our Course Advisors on 0871 221 9422. Alternatively, click on the venues tab for a full list of venues and upcoming training dates.

LessBounce have a club for instructors to join (its free!) and you get a t-shirt you can wear with your clients to make light of the importance of a sports bra, as it can be an embarrassing subject to tackle!  When you join, you can also have as many posters and catalogues for your clients as you would like, and you get a 10% discount code for you and your clients.  If you are interested in joining please email jo@lessbounce.com.  Or you can check out the LessBounce range for yourself at www.lessbounce.com - their sale is now on!

LessBounce.com stock the widest range of sports bras in the world, and offer a no quibble freepost returns policy.  In addition they stock running and fitness kit, briefs, swimwear (again with proper support in) and many other accessories.

Taking in more calories will help you to lose calories apparently – doesn’t sound right but could it be true? We are all very familiar with the idea of creating a negative energy balance to lose weight. This is where the amount of calories consumed is less than the body needs and so the surplus calories come from your energy stores ie fat cells. To enable this to happen individuals often restrict their calorie intake and consume a hypo-caloric diet –it is a common myth that this will enable you to lose body fat.. It’s not quite as simple as creating a large negative energy balance. Consuming the right amount of calories is more likely to achieve the results you want.

Hypo-caloric diets

Individuals reduce their calories because there is an assumption that the surplus energy will be taken from their fat stores, resulting in a reduction of body fat. However if the body is kept in a state of nutritional deficiency, what will really happen is that protein from muscle will also be broken down to provide energy. What you should be aiming for is a calorie deficit achieved through exercise together with a diet that gives adequate calorie intake (above basal metabolism levels). This will result in any losses coming from only fat stores and an increase in your energy output.

In addition, on a hypo-caloric diet carbohydrate stores are in a state of depletion. Fat cannot be broken down fully if carbohydrate is depleted or if you are de-hydrated as fat is hydrolysed in the presence of oxygen and water. Fat must therefore burn in a flame of carbohydrate and water. The breakdown of carbohydrate as an energy fuel is the first stage of fat breakdown. Carbohydrate in the presence of oxygen for energy ends in the product ‘pyruvic acid’ which can be broken down to the enzyme acetyl co-enzyme A which is the un-locker of fat in the energy cycle. Fat can then be used as an energy fuel in the mitochondria of muscle. If carbohydrate stores are too low much of the fat that is released from the fat stores will be taken to the liver instead, where it is broken down to ketones that provide energy for the brain in times of nutritional starvation – this is the state of ketosis. As ketones accumulate in the blood, they lower the pH balance and create a more acid environment. This will make you feel unwell and nausea and vomiting are common. If you are also de-hydrated, this will make you feel worse. The body can survive for many months in such a state but it is not healthy and can be potentially dangerous for an individual who is exercising.

Hypo-caloric diets give you a low energy intake which means that the body will adapt to a survival strategy, saving energy by lowering its metabolic rate (the rate of burning calories) and conserve its fuel stores. Fuel conservation is assisted by the action of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Produced in the capillary, it feeds the fat cell and helps promote the storage of fat.  The end of the equation will be an increase in the storage of fat, rather than the popular myth, fat being used from fat stores therefore reducing fat. The bottom line is that if you don’t take in sufficient calories the body will restrict the mobilisation of fat – the exact opposite effect to what you want to achieve on a fat loss programme.

Guidelines for successful long term weight management have been produced by the American College of Sports Medicine. They suggest that calorie reduction should not fall below 1,200 calories per day and that exercise should increase caloric expenditure by approximately 300 calories per day. If 300 more calories per day are expended over and above intake through food and drink, then approximately one pound of fat will be lost in 10-12 days (one pound of fat equals 3,500 calories).  

Addressing your fluid requirements

The key to fat loss is exercise, the right amount of calories and good hydration. So how do you go about addressing your fluid requirements while exercising? You need to make sure you get just enough carbohydrate calories to enable fat-burning during exercise but without getting too many to cause an excess. Lucozade Sport Hydro Active differs from conventional sports drinks in that it has been specifically designed to address the above needs. The addition of electrolytes (sodium) and a small amount of glucose provided by this drink aids effective hydration by not only increasing consumption but also by promoting absorption and retention. Hydro Active can be used effectively as part of your strategy for fat loss successfully!

One of the most popular health and fitness qualification’s recognised by REPs at Level 2. This qualification is the standard entry route and a great way to start off your career in the fitness industry.

Level: 2

What is the course about:

An entry route qualification to the fitness industry this course will teach you to plan and teach safe and effective exercisesessions and have an understanding of the principals of training. You will learn how to adapt exercise to suit varied fitness levels and how to use a range of teaching skills gaining an understanding of the body’s systems and its responses to exercise.

How long does it last:

- Pre reading and online learning

- 2.5 days teaching

- 2 days practical practice and assessment

Who is the course suitable for:

Anyone wishing to work in a gym as a fitness instructor or teach groups as a studio instructor, or as an on route qualification to becoming a personal trainer.

What Qualifications are needed:

no prior knowledge is necessary

What will be studied:

With the Gym qualification you will learn how to structure a gym programme as well as how to teach safely and effectively. With the ETM Qualification, you will learn how to work to the beat and phrase of the music, plan and teach classes using the principals of choreography to provide safe and effective exercise for a motivating class.

How Is It Assessed:

- Externally assessed theory paper

- practical assessment

- lesson planning and worksheets

Are there any books or special equipment that the student needs to purchase:

All course materials will be provided. For assessment day it will be necessary to bring a friend to practice on.

What can the qualification lead to:

Work as a fitness instructor in a gym or as a group exercise instructor or a step towards becoming a personal trainer.

How much does it cost?

£499 including assessment fee

Venues nationwide and Scotland. Please call the office on 0871 221 9422 for further Information