How to help 10,000 people get fit in 10 months

New! Personal Training + Babysitting service

2012-02-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hello bouncing peeps,

This week has been so very productive and uplifting. I have been working very hard on some plans that I can't say too much about right now, but they are very exciting and will hopefully help me smash my Fitness 10,000 target!! Today, I was bouncing ideas (excuse the pun) off my career and life coach Jana Schuberth which was just fantastic. She really is one of the most positive people I have in my life. You can find out more about Jana and her coaching services here.

What else have I been up to? Yesterday was the corporate wellbeing bounce class at Samworth Brothers in Leicester which was a huge success. Some of the staff forgot their kit on the day, but I didn't let them get away with not taking part - instead I just gave alternative exercises so they didn't rip their trousers!

I have launched a new Health & Fitness M.O.T service. I will visit you in the comfort of your own home to take measurements of blood pressure, weight, BMI, fat % etc. and discuss current lifestyle habits and set goals for the future. I shall then analyse the data and provide recommendations as to how you can improve your health & fitness with some simple small changes. The idea is that with this one session (and recommended check ups every 6 weeks) you will be motivated to implement the changes. You can find out more here or enquire about booking here.

Finally, this week I also got to experience babysitting whilst also trying to personal train a client of mine. Trust me, it wasn't easy but I guess I can add that to my CV as a new service I offer. I now have more admiration for new mums who juggle fitness and looking after the children!

Looking forward to more productivity and positivity next week and wish you the same.
Becky Bounce :-)

Bouncing-back into Bounce

2012-02-18T04:10:00.000-08:00

This week I have been leading a kids activity camp for Fit For Sport in Stratford during half term. I have worked for Fit For Sport for over 6 years now at various different venues. I love the company's ethos about getting kids active and teaching them about healthy eating. The camps are for ages 5-12 year olds so you always get a mixed group which makes it great fun but also very hard work and this week was no exception! Over the week, I lead sports, fitness and arts & crafts activities plus lots of fun games and even a Stratford Olympics with 25 children in attendance each day meaning I can add another 125 children to my Fitness 10,000 Challenge. I really enjoyed the camp but glad to be back in the swing of training adults again this morning and looking forward to getting back into Bounce next week. I have lots of sessions next week including a new corporate wellbeing class with staff at Samworth Brorthers in Leicester.

Have a great week.

BB :-)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2012-02-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday tomorrow and there's snow on the ground - that hasn't happened for a few years! Snow doesn't stop the bouncing fun though. Last weekend the snow came down quite heavy whilst I was in London on an Olympic volunteer training day. I did wonder if I'd get back for my busy Monday but I did, no problem, so I'm hoping this weekend won't be any worse.

So, this week has flown by yet again and I've been helping lots of people to start new fitness regimes. onesixeight: fitness specialises in exercise for beginners so I like to think I know how to help people go from not having done any exercise (or at least not done some for a while!) to get motivated and be regularly active. I have had a lot of success with my Bounce Fitness classes and personal training which is great for beginners because 1) it's fun 2) it's easy to get the hang of 3) it doesn't feel like exercise - but gets great results really quick. I add in other exercises such as boxing or toning exercises to give variety and keep beginners excited about their new fitness plan. I also regularly measure and report on their progress to help keep clients motivated - everyone likes to see that their hard work is paying off. Every new client I take on between now and the Olympics will count towards my Fitness 10,000 Challenge so I'm always on the look out for new clients who just need a help in getting started. Most clients work with me for 6-12 weeks before they feel they have got in to the routine of exercising regularly. Some clients need more sessions and some only need a once a month 'check-up'. onesixeight: fitness cater for all of these types of programmes and can work with you to devise a plan that suits your needs, schedule and help you achieve your fitness goals. For more information contact us here

This week I shall finish with my total so far. As of the end of January, I have helped 5,460 people to get fit!! Over half way there!!

Have a great week and let's keep bouncing (even if it is cold and snowy!)
BB :-)

Time flies when you're having fun bouncing!

2012-02-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

The past week or so have just flown by and we are now in to the 2nd month of year. I'm enjoying 2012 so far and have lots more to look forward to over the coming months. I hope you are all making progress towards your goals for the year - especially your fitness and health goals. Keep me posted on your progress!

Since I last posted a blog, we've had lots of new followers on the @onesixeightfit Twitter page - now up to 1,035 who each count towards the Fitness 10,000 challenge. I've also booked in 2 Bounce-athons for March - hundreds of children will be taking part!- and have another 2 or 3 schools already interested in booking. I am offering the school Bounce-athons for FREE during February & March so please do get in touch if your school (in the Loughborough area) would like to get involved.

I have also arranged some Bounce Fitness sessions with Leicester based food manufacturer, Samworth Brothers, to help get their employees fit. They are taking part in Leicestershire & Rutland Sport's Workplace Challenge and thought it would be a good idea to encourage staff to be more active during their lunch break. I'm really looking forward to starting these sessions. Do you own a business in the East Midlands or work for a large organisation that could benefit from implementing a corporate fitness programme in the workplace? If so, onesixeight: fitness can help. Contact Becky to arrange a no obligation meeting to find out about our services.

And finally, a client success story... In just 6 months, one of my clients has gone from not being able to run for 30 seconds to successfully reaching her goal of running a 2.4 mile loop non-stop and in a great time of 27 minutes. I am very proud of her and she has put in a lot of hard work to get her to where she is now. Well done, Kate and long may her success continue in 2012! If you know someone in the Loughborough area who wants to start a new fitness plan and share similar success to my current clients - please direct them to my website http://www.onesixeightfitness.com/ to see how I can help.

This weekend I am going to London for part of my Olympic Games Maker training- I'm very excited! Next week I shall be starting my work at Samworth Brothers in Leicester, networking with the ladies at Women in Business Network Leicester North & advising students and staff at Loughborough University on how to be more healthy as part of their Healthy Living Week on campus, as well as lots of bouncing and running and some new ViPR sessions with personal training clients.

So, until next week - keep bouncing!
Becky :-)

Bouncing Becky is back!

2012-01-22T06:06:00.001-08:00

Hello bouncers!

This week has been a very productive week here at onesixeight: fitness HQ... Lots of plans for the future, new clients prospects and I started 2 more Bounce Fitness classes in Newtown Linford and Redlands Community School in Sileby (both Leicestershire). Both new classes were a success and will continue each week. The afterschool club was extremely popular and there is even a waiting list for the kids to sign up. I loved working with the kids and feel that the Bounce exercise and my instructing is a great way for them to enjoy exercising. The kids remembered 'Bouncing Becky' from the Bounce-athon event held in December so they were all really excitable and I wasn't half tired on Thursday night!!

I can add 60 people to my Fitness 10,000 list this week from all the classes. I can also add 650 participants from the Loughborough Half Marathon after sending my welcome email with lots of useful training tips for everyone. I shall be sending an email every week to keep participants updated with training schedule and also giving handy tips. Entries have now closed for this year's race but if you would like to register your interest for taking part in 2013 please email me

Lots to do this week. I'm loving this year so far and enjoying working with new clients and groups of people. I think Bounce is going to get bigger and bigger this year so I'm keeping up my good work spreading the word and helping people up and down the country and across the world to get fit and feel as great as I do when I'm exercising.

Take care everyone and keep bouncing!
Becky Bounce :-)

Bounce-camp was a great success!

2012-01-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Last week was Bounce-camp and it was great! We exercised for 1 hour each morning at 6.30am in a park in Shepshed. The weather was wonderful (mild until Thursday and then frosty on Friday) with no rain which meant we didn't have to move the workout indoors and we got to enjoy the morning fresh air. The camp progressed using the same exercises each morning and increasing the duration on each exercise in a circuit. The exercises were: Core extension, Squats, Lunges, Core twists and Press ups with bouncing intervals in between. Videos for all of the exercises can be found on our YouTube page

Day 1: 30 seconds on each exercise

Day 2: 45 seconds

Day 3: 45 seconds with added resistance

Day 4: 60 seconds with added resistance

Day 5: 60 seconds with increased added resistance

We really enjoyed the camp and felt smug all day long for having done exercise before most people had even got up for work. Try it yourself one week if you want to feel bounced-back into shape or contact me to arrange your very own bounce-camp at home!

Last week was also a good week for making plans for Bounce-athons and beyond - so watch this space!

I shall be back next week for another update on how my Fitness 10,000 plans are going. In the mean time, let's keep bouncing!! :-)

Let the Fitness Detox commence!

2012-01-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

Hello to all and Happy New Year!

It feels good to finally be in 2012 after talking about this exciting Olympic year for so long. I love January because everyone has so much more energy and it's a new start for us all. It's also my busiest month because a lot of people set New Year's resolutions to get fit and be more healthy. I'm here to help people achieve those goals, not just in January but throughout the year, but anyone setting goals for the NY may find my advice on Twitter especially useful.

Over the past week, I have been helping clients work off the festive indulgence at my Bounce classes and personal training sessions. I've written training programmes ahead of the Loughborough Half Marathon in March and also I've written a beginners guide to running a half marathon which will be available to download from the onesixeight: fitness website very soon.

On Tuesday, we started the Team 168 group training sessions for those taking part in the Loughborough Half. The group is suitable for everyone, but especially good for beginners because we don't run too fast or for too long! If you want to come along please book here or to find out more click here

Well done to Glenda from Leicester who won the 12 Days of Fitness Challenge with a fantastic score of 280! She admitted that my Bounce-Back into Shape DVD helped her score so highly and she can see and feel the benefits after just 1 month of bouncing in her living room. The 12 Days of Fitness Challenge videos are still available on YouTube if you want to find some simple exercises to help you be more active in 2012.

Next week, is Bounce-camp week! I'm really excited for the 6am starts and can't wait to get outdoors with clients at the new Shepshed venue. The hour-long sessions provide a fun and energising start to the day and help you bounce-back into shape after Christmas. It's the equivalent of a fitness detox! I shall let you know how it goes next week. I'm also giving a presentation to a group of ladies about goal setting for the year and meeting to discuss progress with the Loughborough Half organisers.

Stay in touch via Twitter or Facebook and here's to a great 2nd week of January :-)

The 12 Days of Fitness

2011-12-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last posted a blog about my progress and it's not because I haven't been helping people get fit I might add. I hope you have had a lovely Christmas. Over the past few weeks I have been planning my New Year fitness packages to help the ladies and gents of Loughborough to get fit in January. I have also managed a children's activity camp in Stratford-Upon-Avon on behalf of Fit For Sport. I have worked for them in the past and when asked if I wanted to work the week leading up to Christmas with 20 children aged 5-12 years old each day then I jumped at the chance. The camps are a great way to get children off the sofa and off the computer games and to get them ACTIVE! We all had a great time and I can't wait to do it again for February half-term. The camp allows me to add 100 people to my Fitness 10,000 challenge.

It has been fairly quiet in fitness town since I last blogged. A combination of clients being ill, going on holiday and Christmas parties has meant that most have seen the Christmas period as a time to relax and recover ahead of the New Year. I, on the other hand, have continued to train for the Loughborough Half Marathon taking place next March and feel in good shape to start my next phase of training. The hard stuff starts next week!! To help me get through those tough interval sessions I have the onesixeight: fitness training podcasts and I shall also be training with Team 168 in Loughborough at the new group training sessions starting next Tuesday at 6pm. Find out more here.

There's still time to enter the Loughborough Half with Team 168... Email Becky today to find out more

As this is the last blog of 2011 I thought I should update you with an accurate Fitness 10,000 total so far. Drum roll please...........................

4503

I am nearly half way and that makes me very happy and excited for the next 7 months. I thought I would share with you some plans as to how I am going to help the next 5,500 to get fit in the New Year.

School Olympic Bounce-athons
The Loughborough Half in March
1 giant Charity Bounce-athon in June before I go to the Olympics
Personal training, group bounce and running sessions
Corporate fitness programmes
and much much more! :-)

Stay tuned next year to find out when I reach my target of helping 10,000 people get fit and how I manage to do it.

Before I sign off you may be wondering what the 12 Days of Fitness is all about. You can follow the 12 Days of Fitness Challenge on the onesixeight: fitness homepage. The challenge is all about helping people get up and active after the Christmas break and in to the New Year - kick starting those New Year's resolutions. Score points for doing the video exercises, low intensity activity and higher intensity exercise. Report your points score and progress via Twitter or Facebook to win prizes!! Good luck!!

All that is left for me to say is Happy New Year and let's make 2012 a year to remember... only 5497 people to go!! :-)

2011-12-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

This week has been pretty quiet in terms of my Fitness 10,000 challenge. I have, however, been out and about networking at the Women in Business meetings in Market Harborough and Burton. Both lunch events gave me the opportunity to talk about my Fitness 10,000 challenge and how I can help people with their New Year Fitness regime, which should contribute to my Fitness 10,000 challenge next year.

In other news this week, I have started to send out my Christmas cards. All of the cards have a voucher for a week of FREE bounce classes in January or February next year. If you haven't received a card but would still like to try bouncing for free in the New Year you can request a voucher here.

Finally, if you aren't already following @onesixeightfit on Twitter you are missing out on lots of tips on how to eat healthily over the festive period. And then there's the @168LboroHalf twitter page where you can find lots of running tips - not just for people running the Loughborough Half Marathon next year.

Top tip for the week - if you are exercising with extra layers on because it's cold outside, be sure to replace the fluid lost from sweating with lots of water. Even though you may not feel like you've sweated a lot or feel particularly thirsty - you still will have lost water and need to replace it asap so you don't become dehydrated.

Keep bouncing, peeps :-)
BB

Santa Clause is Coming to Town!

2011-12-04T06:22:00.001-08:00

I waited until today to write this week’s blog as I wanted to report on this morning’s activity… I was asked only last week to lead the Loughborough Santa Fun Run warm up. The event was a huge success and the warm up was very much appreciated on such a chilly morning! I am waiting to hear how many Santa runners the event attracted, however, it is estimated that over 1,000 runners had registered. Unexpectedly, this takes my Fitness 10,000 challenge up to the next level and I can add these 1,000 people to the list – taking the tally up to over 4,000!!

This week, I organised my 4^th Bounce-athon, which was held at Redlands Primary School in Sileby. The event was a huge success with 237 children and even some teachers taking part throughout the day. I really enjoy the energy that children have and feeding off their energy is possibly the only way I can keep bouncing for 7 hours! The kids had lots of fun and I am sure they will enjoy the after-school classes planned for the New Year. My next Bounce-athons will be in January so I look forward to those. Feel free to get in touch if you would like your child’s school to get involved.

On Thursday, I also received a very important and exciting email informing me that I have been successful in my Games Maker application for the London 2012 Olympics. I applied to volunteer last year and have gone through the application and interview stages and knew that I would find out before the end of the year if I had a place or not. I am very excited and honoured to have been offered a place – I haven’t yet accepted, but I definitely will be doing! This is an excellent once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and will also be a great end reward for after achieving my Fitness 10,000 Challenge. I shall let you know more of my Olympic plans in the New Year – including details on my Olympic Bounce-athon taking place on July 2^nd when the Olympic Torch passes through Loughborough.

Finally this week was the onesixeight: fitness Christmas meal and in true fitness professional style I supplied all the guests with a ‘How to stay in Shape over Christmas’ fact sheet which went down well! The fact sheet includes calorie information for alcoholic beverages, health benefits of a Christmas dinner and how to burn off the Christmas treats with shopping and dancing – after all, I do believe in everything in moderation. If you would like a copy of the information then you can download it from the onesixeight: fitness website.

Quick tip: if you don’t want to leave the house to exercise because it’s too cold or dark, try this home circuit…

Stair running for cardio

Press-ups for upper body

Squats for legs

Tricep dips for arms

Sit-ups for abs

Keep warm everyone and enjoy your Christmas shopping, fairs and more.

BB :-)

1/3 of the way there before the end of the year!

2011-11-26T03:37:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone!

This week has flown by... It doesn't seem 5 minutes a go that I was reporting on what I did last week!

Nothing new this week unfortunately, I have been working hard on my forthcoming weight loss book - available on Amazon before Christmas (fingers crossed!)

Personal training clients are still making great progress leading up to Christmas and so are Team 168 runners doing the Loughborough Half Marathon next year. In the new year I shall be launching running groups for Team 168 to all train together, which I think some people will need more than others! There's still plenty of time to get started... I shall also be launching a 3-month training programme over Christmas for those looking to kick-start their training on Boxing Day and I've been told there is a 10K run in Barrow-upon-Soar on Boxing Day if anyone would like to take part with myself and Team 168 - please email me to find out more information.

Next week I am leading another Bounce-athon at Redlands Primary School and I have also arranged to lead some after school clubs in the New Year for them. I would like to arrange some more Bounce-athons for 2012 so I shall be contacting schools ahead of the Christmas holidays to arrange some dates. The aim is to have surpassed the 3000 marker in my Fitness 10,000 challenge before the end of this year - with 1000 of those being Twitter followers.

Stay tuned to see whether I meet this goal and also to find out what I've got planned for 2012 :-)

Becky Says Bounce for 2 hours non-stop in aid of Children in Need!

2011-11-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

I'm writing a day later than usual because this week has been very tiring and last night I just needed to get some well earned rest - so I hope you understand!
Yesterday was Children in Need and to help raise money I organised two Bounce-athon events. The first was at Loughborough University on Wednesday afternoon where over 100 students bounced for 2 hours. The second was at Newtown Linford Primary School on Friday morning with 60 children and their teachers. Both events were great fun and I know that the University bounce-athon raised £79.11 and yesterday's event will have raised a similar amount thanks to kind donations by the children and parents. I like doing these events as that's another 160 people towards my Fitness 10,000 count and with my next bounce-athon at Redlands Primary School in Sileby on December 1st I will have reached the 3,000 mark before Christmas and then I shall probably wait until the new year to organise any more. I would, however, be interested to talk to any P.E teachers or headteachers that would like to organise a bounce-athon for their school - or even any businesses that would like to organise a fun charity event for their workforce. Please email me info@onesixeightfitness.com if you would be able to help.

On Thursday, I returned to the Charnwood Golf Range to lead the 'Becky Says Box & Bounce' fitness class standing in for Mathew for one night only. It was good to be back and I enjoyed leading the class with a couple of regulars and some new people too. I really wanted to impress the girls as they've been telling me how much they enjoy Mathew's sessions and how hard he works them and I think it's fair to say they got a good workout indeed! If anyone would like to come to Becky Says Bounce fitness class at the Charnwood Golf Range, please visit http://www.onesixeightfitness.com/ to view the class timetable and to book online. I am already in talks with Mathew about January's Bounce-Back into Shape classes and special offers - so watch this space!

Finally, some other exciting news from my week... I have been asked by an old uiversity lecturer of mine to come back next term and deliver a presentation on my business to current students. The presentation will look at how I set up onesixeight: fitness, the challenges I faced and how I managed it with my studies. I'm really excited about this as I love to stand up and talk to people about topics that I'm passionate about. I have also been working hard on developing my new 'Top 100 Weight-loss tips' book to be launched (fingers crossed) in time for Christmas. I am very pleased with how it is progressing and I think readers will enjoy learning new ways to lose the pounds (especially for January!). More news about where the book will be sold and how much for to follow next week :-)

That's all for this week bouncing peeps - lots more classes, clients and hard work next week and hopefully I'll have recovered from bouncing for 2 hours non-stop by then!
Keep bouncing! :-)

Wacky dreams do come true – hopefully!

2011-11-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

This week has been a great week! So, what have I done… Monday started nice and early with a class at Walkers in Leicester, a client in Leicester and then two personal training sessions in Loughborough and then a nice afternoon to work on my LiveLifeLoveFood project (more info coming soon!) before a class at Loughborough University’s Sport Park building and back to Leicester for my usual Active Together rebounding class in Wigston. In total, I helped 20 people get fitter and feel motivated to exercise more often.

Tuesday started just as early with a personal training client in Melton Mowbray, then a VIPR training session with Sheelagh Powell and a bounce session with two clients together at their home in Ashby. After a busy early morning, I found time to sit and enjoy a green tea at my favourite café ‘Saints & Sinners’ in Loughborough – networking with lovely ladies. The rest didn’t last for long, I was back up and this time dancing (not bouncing!) teaching my Zumba Circuits lunch time class at Loughborough University. After a quick lunch, I was back on my trampoline at Walkers with 2 classes there followed by a meeting with the RAG committee to discuss the University’s Children in Need Bounce-athon lead by me of course! This event will take place next Wednesday at 2pm outside the Rutland building on campus. All the residential halls will bring teams of students to bounce non-stop on 16 trampolines for 2 hours! The students will compete against each other to see who can raise the most money and also who can bounce the longest! Prizes will be given out on the day so if you are looking for something to do on Wednesday afternoon come and support a great cause and have lots of fun at the same time! I shall report back next week with a report on the event – I’m hoping there will be 100 people getting involved on the day and even Pudsey will be bouncing too!

The night finished with me taking part in one of Mathew’s Becky Says Bounce fitness classes at the Charnwood Golf Range. We had some photos taken at the start of the class thanks to Joanne Cooper photographer and then I decided to stay for the class. Lots of tricep dips, squats and of course bouncing in the 45 minute class and it was fun having someone telling me to push down harder and put me through my paces. I do love Mathew’s style of teaching – he brings a fresh vibe to the bounce classes and the girls have definitely warmed to him as well!

Wednesday started nice and early (again!) with a breakfast networking event where I am continuing to ask for help in recruiting Team 168 members for the Loughborough Half Marathon. So far none of the members have signed up for the race but I want at least two of them to get involved and I’ve still got 4 months to work on them. On the subject of the Loughborough Half Marathon, today online entry went live and I sent the first Team 168 email out to all 25 members. If you want to be a part of Team 168 then it’s not too late to join us. Signing up to run with Team 168 means you get additional support, access to training groups in Loughborough, a free team t-shirt and reduced price entry for the Loughborough Half. Email me to sign up today!

On Thursday, I received a very exciting email from a TV production company asking if I would be interested in starring in a new TV show where industry experts help people to feel 10 years younger. Now I reckon I can better that and help people feel just 10 years old again whilst bouncing on my trampolines! The girl I spoke to on the phone loved my enthusiasm and thinks that I’d be perfect for the show, so now I just have to wait and see. It excites me to think of how many people I can reach out to if I do get to take up this opportunity, but at the same time I am keeping my feet firmly on the ground and not getting too carried away as it all relies on them getting the go ahead from the TV channel and also me getting selected from a list of potential experts etc etc. But what I will say is this is my ‘wacky dream’ – something I’d love to come true but never thought it would in a million years – so even to be considered is a huge honour.

Finally, Friday is here and I’ve spent the morning planning new year bounce-back into shape fitness classes in Newtown Linford (where I shall also be holding a school bounce-athon next week for Children in Need) and at Outwoods Primary School. I also have been working on my new LiveLifeLoveFood book which is going to compile my top tips for being a healthier new you and I hope it will be ready for the new year when everyone is wanting to make positive changes to their lifestyles. Plenty more work to go so I’ll be busy working on that over the next few weeks.

I think that’s about it for my week (so far). I couldn’t find a link to the article from last week’s Loughborough Echo so I shall have to write it up myself and it shall be on the news section of onesixeight: fitness over the weekend.

Until next week – keep bouncing!

BB :-)

Join my Fitness 10,000 challenge and you can have your cupcake and eat it too!

2011-11-05T03:09:00.000-07:00

This week has been a mix of my usual day-to-day classes and personal training with new project planning and fun promotional work. Monday is always my busy day - several personal training clients and classes to get the week off to a good start. It's also usually the day when enquiries from new clients come in (perhaps trying to make amends from the weekend!) and this week was no exception with new Groupon customers booking in to the Loughborough bounce classes at Charnwood Golf Range. The group classes are proving to be super popular at the moment - classes are booked up for the next few weeks already! - so I'm glad that I implemented the online booking system when I did so that it allows me to not have to think about who has booked on and who hasn't. It also makes it easier for me to count up how many people I can add to my Fitness 10,000 challenge.

Tuesday and Wednesday were similar to Monday - great progress made by current personal training clients, more and more people signing up to the corporate fitness classes lead by myself at Walkers Crisps and me nearly making new client Sheelagh Powell (Sheelagh Powell Professional Make-up Artist) sick whilst putting her through her paces - VIPR style! Sheelagh came to me asking for motivation to get her back into her training routine after a few weeks off. She has previously done several triathlons and regularly runs, swims and also teaches yoga so I know she is capable of pushing herself and training hard. I designed a training session using one of my more challenging pieces of kit called the VIPR (which stands for vitality, performance and reconditioning). The session was an express workout lasting 30 minutes and Sheelagh did very well, however, by the end I left her sitting with a glass of water looking very pale. Luckily Sheelagh and I are friends, or at least we were!, and she re-assured me later that morning that she had recovered and that it may have been a lack of sleep that caused it. Hopefully next week when we do the workout again she will be in better condition and I won't feel so mean! I love the VIPR and would like to make a group class using the VIPR equipment in Loughborough so if anyone reading this is interested please get in touch.

On Thursday myself and Natalie Monk, owner of Saints & Sinners healthy eating cafe on Market Street in Loughborough, occupied a stall on the market handing out promotional flyers for our 'Have your cupcake and eat it too!' campaign. The flyers allow each person to get a free yummy cupcake at Saints & Sinners and then a free bounce fitness class with me to help them bounce off the treat! I came up with the idea after being introduced to Saints & Sinners and Natalie by a Business Link advisor this summer. I have eaten there lots of times now and I love the concept and agree with Natalie on many different things when it comes to food. That's why we are also going to link up in the new year with our top secret food project - I am designing a new food information pack and Natalie, with her life coach friend Heidi, is going to deliver the information to people in Loughborough. The project is in its early stages but I'm looking forward to spending the rest of this year getting it ready to launch in January for when everyone wants to lose weight, detox and start a healthier lifestyle. I am also looking for other potential group leaders who would be interested in delivering my information to people in different areas around the country. Please get in touch if you would be interested.

The day of promotional work went really well and everyone enjoyed their free cupcakes and watching me bounce on my trampoline for 3 hours, so now they just need to come and bounce the treat off at a Becky Says Bounce fitness class and be a part of my Fitness 10,000 challenge.

Thursday was also my day for appearing in the Loughborough Echo. The paper has kindly agreed to publicise the Loughborough Half Marathon each week leading up to the race in March next year, starting with an article about each of the sponsors. The article is a great piece about the services onesixeight: fitness has to offer in the build up to the event. It isn't yet up on the internet so I can't post a link but by next week I will have either written it up myself or have found a link. Alternatively you can buy the paper and read all about it yourself!

On the subject of the Loughborough Half Marathon, my quest to find 25 keen individuals who want to run as part of Team 168 is nearly complete as there is just 1 place left on Team 168!! All Team 168 runners get reduced price entry, a free training t-shirt, lots of support and motivation along the way plus special offers on training programmes and training sessions. If you would like to be a part of Team 168 you can find out more here. Remember there's only 1 place left to take up the challenge with onesixeight: fitness...

Next week I will be training more people, leading more classes and making more plans for New Year fitness packages - including some special wedding fitness packages for all you brides-to-be! Enjoy bonfire night and use the time watching fireworks to stretch the legs with an evening walk or maybe even a jog.

Until next week - keep bouncing!
BB :-)

Only 7464 more people to go!

2011-10-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today I have totalled up how far along the Fitness 10,000 challenge I have got to and I am pleased to announce that I am over 25% of the way there with a total of 2536 people! Yesterday was exactly 9 months until the start of the 2012 Olympic Games so if my calculations are correct I need to find 830 people each month in order to reach my target… Bring it on!

Yesterday, I met with the Loughborough Echo to discuss an article about the new Loughborough Half Marathon taking place next March. The Loughborough Echo are also sponsoring the event and have agreed to publicise the race every week up until race day and then to report on the success of the race prior to the event. I am working on recruiting Loughborough Echo Editor Andy Rush for the race. We all agree that he should do it – naturally, all the sponsors should take part – however, he has two young children to take care of and is a little conscious of the time commitment involved in training for a half marathon. I explained to him that by following the onesixeight: fitness half marathon training programmes he can be fit for the race by training 3 times per week and building up gradually. I am hoping that with all the hype surrounding the race and also pressure from myself and Michele from the main race charity LWA, he will take on the challenge wearing number 120 to mark the 120-year anniversary of the Loughborough Echo. I shall report back when I’ve managed to convince Andy to become part of my Fitness 10,000 challenge!

Other updates this week… I found out that my dad reads this blog so Dad if you’re reading this you need to become part of my Fitness 10,000 challenge – Mum too so I shall be bringing a rebounder home this weekend to make that happen!

I have also agreed to lead a new fitness class in Blaby in the New Year. This class will be an afternoon class so I suspect the Active Together team shall be targeting part-time workers and elderly people. I always look forward to working with new audiences so this will be a great start to the New Year.

On Wednesday I had a meeting with the Loughborough University RAG chair to discuss a Children in Need Bounce-athon. We have set the date for Wednesday 16^th November and hope that hundreds of students and staff will support the event by bouncing non-stop from 2pm-4pm. Weather permitting, we shall be making use of the university grounds outside the Rutland Building. Students and staff will take part in teams to ensure each trampoline is occupied for the full 2 hours, competing against other Halls and departments to generate the most donations for their efforts. I am already really looking forward to leading this event and hope to be able to add at least 100 people to my Fitness 10,000 count and raise lots of money for Children in Need as a result.

This week 2 clients and myself have taken part in my ‘triceps challenge’... I do like to set personal training clients homework to keep them motivated between sessions and this was something that I thought would be perfect for targeting the bingo wings! (Not that either of them have bingo wings!!) Anyway, we started by counting how many tricep dips they could do on day 1 – working until fatigue. I then set them the task of increasing the number of tricep dips they can do by 2 each day. For example, day 1 I could do 38, day 2 I had to do 40, day 3 42 and so on… for a week. My week is almost done and I can now do 52 tricep dips comfortably. Client number 1 has extended her challenge to 10 days so she will see her results next week and client number 2 will be tested later today. My reason for telling you this is to inspire you to take part too. You don’t have to do tricep dips, you can do the plank (next week’s challenge) adding on 10 seconds each day or squats or press-ups or any exercise. It is simple and very effective and each and every person who takes part will become part of my Fitness 10,000 challenge so please do let me know that you’re on board.

I hope you have enjoyed my update. I’ve finished my cup of tea and ready to get back out there helping the people of Loughborough to get fit. Mathew is also doing a fabulous job leading the Becky Says Bounce fitness classes at Charnwood Golf Range – with lots of new people starting over the next couple of weeks he has his work cut out to teach them the art of bouncing. Apparently next Tuesday is a special Halloween themed class and I can’t wait to hear all about it and see the photos! We have also added a new class on Mondays at 6.30pm – click here to book your trampoline or here to find out more about the classes.

Happy bouncing!

BB :-)

Feeling the winter chill already? Exercise to keep warm and become part of the Fitness 10,000 challenge

2011-10-21T03:29:00.000-07:00

This week I started delivering corporate fitness classes for Walkers Crisps employees in Leicester. The classes are designed to help employees find time to fit exercise in to their day. I am confident that these classes will boost productivity as employees find themselves more energised and focused during the working day as well as improving their health and wellbeing.

My most exciting news this week came yesterday when the Loughborough Half Marathon (sponsored by onesixeight: fitness!) featured on the front page of the Loughborough Echo. The Loughborough Echo have decided to sponsor the Loughborough Half which means that the race is sure to get lots of publicity in the 5 months leading up to race day. Along with Bonfields Estate Agents, onesixeight: fitness and The Loughborouigh Echo are the 3 main sponsors of the event taking place on March 25th next year. I am really excited to be involved with the organisation and preparations and also to be running the race myself next year. I already have my number - can anyone guess what it is?? :-)
If anyone would like to Join Team 168 please visit www.onesixeightfitness.com/Team168 for more info. You will receive a free t-shirt, guaranteed entry and most importantly expert knowledge and advice to ensure you are in the best possible shape come race day next year. I have reserved only 50 places out of a maximum of 500 places for the entire race so be sure to register your interest asap!

Last night I also received a funny request from a client of mine who I have been training since the start of the year. When we started in January we began with some light intensity toning and bouncing exercises and have since built up her stamina to be able to go out running twice a week. For a while now she has been reporting how much fitter she feels and the noticeable differences in her fitness levels especially in comparison to her husband... Finally, her husband has given in and has realised that he too needs my help (probably because she's showing him up whilst on their skiing holiday!) and we start next week. If you and/or your partner could do with losing weight or improving fitness - why not do it together? I charge for my time, not the number of people in a session so you could even make it a family session! To find out more about the services I offer visit www.onesixeightfitness.com/personalfitness

Finally, this week saw the launch of my long awaited Groupon promotion. The offer went live on Tuesday and sold 28 vouchers in total. which is potentially 50 new people to add to my Fitness 10,000 target. As far as I know the offer is still live and can be accessed via the link on the email sent out on Tuesday. I am looking forward to new bouncing peeps coming to the classes and I'm sure Mathew will put them through their paces! If you have purchased a Groupon voucher please see www.onesixeightfitness.com/fitnessclasses to see when the classes are and call 07999338825 to book.

I think that's about it for this week. Next week I shall be launching a design a t-shirt competition for the Loughborough Half, discussing a photo shoot involving lots of bouncing university students, meeting potential new clients, starting new classes and with new clients and also running the new Poppy Run in Ashby with Team 168 - email me if you would like to take part as it's not too late.

Keep bouncing!! :-)

The sun is just setting on what has been a fantastic week!

2011-10-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

Monday started with a morning of personal training followed by an afternoon of promoting future corporate fitness classes to Walkers Crisps employees in Leicester and then on to my evening classes at Sport Park on the Loughborough University campus and an Active Together class for Oadby & Wigston council.

Tuesday, I launched a new Zumba circuits class for Loughborough University’s student Active Lifestyles programme. This is something new for me and I hope it will be a great success following on from very popular traditional Zumba classes on campus. Also on Tuesday I had a top-secret meeting to discuss a new ‘healthy living’ group to be launched in Loughborough in the new year. The group will combine my knowledge of fitness and healthy eating with help from Saints & Sinners healthy eating café owner Natalie Monk and life coaching from Heidi Eastell and is aimed at no only ladies who have tried countless diets and weight-loss programmes and not seen the long-term results they wish for, but also those looking to educate themselves on how to make the right food, exercise and lifestyle choices. Plans are being made on this new concept and I shall keep you updated with further progress and most importantly how it will add to my Fitness 10,000 target.

A couple of weeks a go I approached Outwoods Edge Primary School in Loughborough to ask if they would like to take part in a ‘bounce-athon’ for Children in Need. The P.E teacher, Mr Baker, was very keen on the idea and asked if I would be interested in getting involved with their Olympic themed activity weeks each term leading up to the 2012 Games. I bounced at the chance to work with 350 pupils at the school doing 5-hours of continuous bouncing with them (not all in one go of course!) The event took place yesterday and was a huge bouncing success! Not only did the kids get a great 15-minute workout each, they also had lots of fun, which I think is the main thing. I shall be working again with the school after half term organising another bounce-athon and also I hope to start an evening class for the school mums in the near future.

In other exciting news this week, I am pleased to announce that not only am I working towards helping 10,000 people get fit before the start of the Olympics next year, I now have another instructor to help me! Mathew Kirkland, a qualified Level 2 exercise to music instructor from South Africa, is a great addition to the onesixeight: fitness team and is also very enthusiastic about achieving the Fitness 10,000 challenge with me. Mathew will now lead the Loughborough Golf Range classes which means that I can go elsewhere and help more people get fit at the same time!

This week has been a very busy week and I have approximately 400 people to add to my Fitness 10,000 target – taking me up to the 2,500 mark and a quarter of the way there! Starting next week and continuing over the next few months I shall be working with Walkers Crisps delivering fitness sessions to their employees. I’m really excited about this new contract as it will allow me to reach out to 1,500 members of staff at the site! Here’s to a great week ahead – keep bouncing peeps! :-)

The sunshine may have ended but the bouncing continues...

2011-10-07T04:10:00.000-07:00

This week has been a fantastic week for onesixeight: fitness! Firstly, I am excited to announce that onesixeight: fitness has a new group fitness class instructor for the Loughborough bounce fitness classes at the Charnwood Golf Range. Mathew is a qualified level 2 gym instructor and exercise to music specialist with experience in all types of group fitness classes. I am very excited to have him on board and think that he is a great addition to Team 168 - plus he will now be helping me in my quest to get 10,000 people fit before the start of the Olympics next year.

This week I have had several meetings with potential strategic partners to work on new projects. Things to look forward to include a new health and wellbeing group in Loughborough - more information coming soon! I am also linking up with other health and wellbeing professionals to deliver a new corporate wellbeing workshop to local businesses. We are hoping to roll this out in November so watch this space. And finally, I have been getting more requests for group fitness classes in other areas of the East Midlands. Areas that I am looking to expand into are Derby, Ashby de la Zouch and Newtown Linford. If you live in any of those areas and would like to find out more about the classes to be held there please email me. I am still also looking for a suitable venue for Ashby so any suggestions would be gratefully received.

On the subject of additional classes, this week I launched a third class at the Charnwood Golf Range in Loughborough. This Wednesday night class called Intro to Rebounding is suitable for beginners and also those more advanced participants and combines conditioning exercises with rebounding. The class is at 6.30pm and is included in the special offer of unlimited classes for £30 per month. To find out more or to book your trampoline in the class click here.

As usual, this week I have trained personal clients, lead a new class for Oadby & Wigston Borough Council's Active Together programme in Wigston and also presented a fitness quiz at my weekly networking group called Loughborough Network. The participants involved all count towards my Fitness 10,000 challenge so I shall update the total at the ned of this month.

This weekend I shall be spreading the word about new Urban Rebounding classes at Loughborough University starting next week and also handing out flyers about the Loughborough Half Marathon at the Leicester Marathon. I am hopeful that both promotional activities will help promote onesixeight: fitness and ultimately lead to more people getting involved and adding to the Fitness 10,000 total.

One last group session to report - Soar Valley Press invited me to their office in Billesdon to lead a session for their 5 team members. The 45-minute bounce session was great fun and they all said how energised they felt and how much of a good workout it was but most importantly how FUN it was! Since then, I have had several enquiries from other small businesses who would like a similar session in their workplace. If you think that your business could benefit from being energised and boosting morale feel free to contact me here to discuss arrangements.

I hope everyone has had a great week and that you are all keeping active! Keep bouncing!

The Challenge Ahead...

2011-09-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last year, I set myself this huge goal of helping 10,000 people to get fit in time for the London 2012 Olympics. People laughed at me, my parents asked if I'd lost the plot and no one even considered I would seriously attempt the challenge. But here we are, months later and I'm now seriously about to start achieving this goal!

Today it is exactly 10 months until the start of the Olympics and I can tell you that I have so far reached out to 2002 people!! Which means that I have achieved over 20% of my target without really even trying. There's still another 8,000 people out there for me to help (and many more I'm sure!) so there's still plenty of hard work to do.

Each week I shall give you an insight as to how I am getting on, who I have helped in that week and my plans for reaching the 10,000 mark – any suggestions would be gratefully received!

So, the journey so far… I’ve reached out to people via Twitter with useful facts and tips about fitness, food and fun. I’ve also interacted with people via Facebook and LinkedIn, plus my YouTube videos have been a great resource for showing people new workouts and exercises to do on their mini-trampolines at home. Alongside that, I have sold hundreds of my Bounce-Back into Shape DVD, which has received great reviews from customers all around the world!

Over the past few weeks alone I have seen personal training clients in Loughborough and Leicester, bounced with ladies at my mini-trampoline fitness classes in Loughborough and I have also promoted my exercise podcasts available to download for free from www.onesixeightfitness.com/training-podcasts

Next week, the onesixeight: fitness monthly newsletter is sent out to the opt-in mailing list (you can sign up via www.onesixeightfitness.com) and I shall be starting some new group fitness classes in and around Loughborough very soon!

I’m hoping that each and every person who reads this blog will eventually count towards my 10,000 recruits and that I will have inspired you to get active in a fun and energizing way. If you need any support, advice or motivational tips feel free to email me via info@onesixeightfitness.com or tweet me @onesixeightfit

Keep in touch and let's get bouncing!

:-)