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I’m just too excited that my favourite time of year is coming around…
 
WE ARE MOVING OUTSIDE!!!
 
I know that to some of our newer clients, the idea of working out while being exposed to the elements and in plain sight of the general public, is probably going to cause some kind of feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach.
 
The buzzword right now is ‘Bootcamp’ – it seems like everyone is doing it right now and maybe in some cases to a point where the word has lost all meaning.
 
Our large group training sessions have adopted this nickname; I often hear people talking about ‘Going To Bootcamp Tonight’. But really a ‘Bootcamp’ is used in Military training, usually over a period of 6-10 weeks, to prepare soldiers physically and mentally for the job they are committed to.
 
Please don’t get me wrong. Bootcamp training is an awesome form of training, but it isn’t a full health & fitness programme. For the clients that we are working with every day, endless amounts of burpees and sprints are going to do nothing to help them to (a) recover from injury and (b) improve their day-to-day functionality.
 
These are normal, everyday people who are working in an office in the City all day, or a stay at home mum of four children under five that wants to shift the baby weight and stop her lower back pain.
 
When Potential Personal Training started this time three years ago, I was simply training friends out on Lindfield Common. People started to see us out there, normal looking girls who were working bloody hard and were inspiring to see, especially out in public. My sudden arrival on Lindfield Common seemed to get people talking and my classes grew quickly.
 
By the end of the summer I had four packed-out sessions per week, and many of those clients are still with Potential Personal Training today.
 
When I took my classes inside for the first time, I really noticed how caged my old clients felt – although some things were a lot easier to get used to, less mud, snow, rain and dog mess.
 
The following April all of my original clients were busting to get out, but interestingly many of the people who had signed up in the six months we were indoors felt some anxiety towards the move outside.
 
I can totally relate to their worries; I’ve been there and even the thought puts many people off. But I always remind people that within seconds of arriving it’s as if everything around you disappears, it’s just you and your fellow members working hard to achieve incredible things.
 
We get to know loads of local residents who pass by our sessions; we even get to know the kids and dogs pretty well! One little rascal in particular (whose ‘mum’ may even be reading this right now) is a dog called William. He is well known for his mischievous ways and has even been known to sit on our clients when they plank and cause all kinds of chaos for his owner! He became a bit of a legend a few years back and now our members love to see him on his evening stroll…tightly on his lead!
 
These random distractions help to make the sessions fly by and will always guarantee a laugh at some point…even if it’s counting the beeps we receive from passing builders, fire engines and even ice cream vans! (And yes, he played his Ice Cream tune for us).
 
You may wonder (just like many of our members) why, if we have a brand new studio and a second indoor Group Training venue, that we would choose to take our sessions outside.
 
Well, the list is endless. Outdoor training offers HUGE physical and mental benefits in comparison to training indoors (and obviously not training at all!)
 
Natural Habitat: The great outdoors is where we’re intended to be; it’s what our bodies have evolved and adapted to over time. So Get Out There!
 
Changing Terrain: Training with grass underfoot is a lot easier on the joints because of reduced impact plus it forces us to exert far more energy compared to training indoors. Your body is constantly working to adapt to the changing terrain outside, this results in a greater use of energy and the strengthening of muscles that help us to balance and stabilise at a faster rate.
 
The Health Demon: You may have heard us talk about Cortisol before; it’s a stress hormone and a lot of the time we don’t like it very much. High levels of Cortisol in the body can have all kinds of effects on our health. These are the most common that we come across with our clients: lowered immune function, increased weight gain (especially around the middle), high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, heart disease & cardiac related issues, chronic stress, fatigue, depression, addiction, anxiety….The List Is Endless.  The GOOD NEWS however is that regular exercise outdoors significantly reduces Cortisol levels in the body!!!!!
 
Life Expectancy & Health In Old Age: A Study carried out by the USDC looked at adults in their 60s who took part in the same amount of exercise over a period of time at regular intervals. Results from the study showed that the participants who exercised outdoors had a far greater level of fitness and all round health and well-being.
 
If I haven’t convinced you yet I would like you to close your eyes for a second (well not quite yet) and imagine two scenarios.
 
Scenario 1: You are working out on a hot summer’s evening in a busy gym; you are working out on a treadmill that you queued for 10 minutes to use. The treadmill is pushed up against a brick wall. To your left there is a row of perfectly made-up ladies on a high incline power walk, all holding onto the handles and marching in time while chatting away about God knows what. Not a bead of sweat has broken out on one of them (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but you get my gist). To your right you can see people outside, enjoying the sunshine and having fun.
 
Scenario 2: Lindfield Common, Sunset Bootcamp. 12 like-minded people who share the same insecurities and goals as you do, working out and having fun as the sun goes down on a beautiful summer’s evening. You have fun. You laugh. There isn’t an ego in sight.
 
And you feel bloody good about yourself when you walk away from EVERY SINGLE session.
 
Potential Large Group Training will commence outside on SATURDAY 4TH APRIL and I can’t wait to see you all there!!
 
I’ve got a feeling you will be seeing even more outdoor sessions appearing on our ever-expanding timetable, these will include:
#NEMESIS ELEMENTS: If it’s possible, this session promises to be the new contender as our toughest workout yet!
#Outdoor Yoga: Experience a yoga class that is beyond comparison. The practise of yoga outside (weather permitting) will maximise the benefits you gain from each session. Think about what I said earlier about the Cortisol demon!
 
I hope you can now understand why this time of year is such a great time of year for me. What is now ‘PPT Large Group Training’ I have to thank for everything the company is today.
 
If you are feeling hesitant about training outside then I strongly recommend that you get in touch with me or one of my team. Speaking to existing members that have experienced the benefits may also help build your confidence.
 
But I promise, once you get out there you will fall in love with it. I would imagine I could even be dragging you back indoors when it gets around to that time!
 
Now I know what you’re thinking… “Come on Maxine, What about the Monthly Challenge??”
Well some of you may feel that February was a reasonably ‘easy’ challenge – to meditate for 10 minutes every single day.
 
But I struggled. A lot…
 
However, I succeeded and 100% feel better for doing so. But there were definitely (quite) a few days where I felt that there were more important, pressing things to deal with; and that my 10 minutes could’ve been put to better use.
 
But the results were simple; I slept better, my stress levels were lower and I think it gave me a much happier approach and outlook on the month! So I would encourage you all to try and take on this challenge if you, like me, struggle at times to maintain a bit of calm in your lives!!
 
Now on to March… (And I have to thank a ‘particular’ client for this one!!!)
 
At the beginning of February a box arrived at the studio, with the label ‘Beast The Boss Headquarters’. The dread filled me if I’m honest – I know what you lot can be like!
 
In the box was a skipping rope – and instructions to Google ‘Buddy Lee – Double Under’.
 
And there we have March’s Challenge… I will leave each of you to search this for yourselves (or just wait for the video attempt at the end of the month)
 
Thanks Lee… I can honestly say this will be HARD!
 
If you would like some more information on our programmes, in particular our Outdoor Large Group Training, please Click Here or call us on 01444 484129.

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