Beauty Evening a Great Success

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The bar was buzzing last Thursday evening as 20 ladies gathered for the launch of the CACI Ultimate and a preview of the fabulous Collin High Definition facial.

CACI is The UK’s best selling anti-ageing facial treatment system and the results are remarkable.  The CACI treatment lifts the face by toning facial muscles smoothing away fine wrinkles and sagging skin. Leanna from CACI treated a few lucky ladies to a taster treatment and even after a few minutes we could see a visible difference!

For the next four weeks we have a special ‘CACI Launch Offer’ at CHF. Ten treatments for £450 (normally £500).  Why not give it a try and amaze your guests at Christmas with your new fresh faced look!

Have you ever bought beauty products only to find that they sat on the shelf as they didn’t really suit your skin? With the Collin Skin Scope computerised skin analysis you get an accurate measure of your skin’s hydration, oil level, pore size and elasticity amongst other things which enables your beautician to select the Collin products that are right for you.  This isn’t available at CHF just yet but we do offer a  free skincare consultation with one of our beauticians.

Rachel from Collin demonstrated the new High Definition facial on a very willing volunteer.  The hydrating facial treatment is suitable for most skin types and is great at this time of year as many people’s skin is dehydrated at the end of the summer.  One of the highlights for me was the peel off mask which can be analysed to see which areas of the skin are dry, where the pores are enlarged and whereabouts the wrinkles are lurking!

High Definition FacialIf you are tempted the High Definition facial is now available at CHF with Amy and Lisa and costs £45 for 60 minutes.

Many thanks to the ladies who attended, Leanne from CACI, Rachel from Collin and to beauticians Lisa, Ari and Amy for organising  a great evening.  For more photos please check out the album on our Facebook page.

Sally Albin, Marketing

To book a treatment or for further information please call 0118 948 4849 or call in to Caversham Health and Fitness.

Rome to Reading 2012

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Members at Caversham Health & Fitness constantly  inspire us with their success and achievements  whether it is weight loss, fitness or accomplishing a challenge which they have set themselves and trained hard for.

One such member is Barabara Frost, 61, who is planning a solo cycle ride from Rome to Reading next year to raise money for Buscot Babies, special care baby unit, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. In 2010 Barbara cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats and raised £6772 for Homestart Reading but this time her target is £10,000.

Barbara works with personal trainer Steve Whiteside at Caversham Health & Fitness.  At the moment they are working on Barbara’s strength and endurance but after Christmas they’ll be gearing up to what Barbara describes as ‘boot camp’ to get her to peak fitness for the gruelling 1500 mile cycle.  For building core strength to help with all the hours leaning over the bike Barabara does a weekly ‘Pilates’ class and for flexibility ‘ Stretch and Tone’.

Barbara is holding a fundraising Quiz Night on Thursday 10th November 2011. The entry fee of £10 includes a Bar Copa curry.  All funds raised go to the Buscot babies (www.justgiving.com/barbara-frost).  Please do get a team together and support this event.

Rome to Reading 2012 Fundraising Quiz Night
Bar Copa, 76 Kings Road, Reading (next to Zizzi’s)
Tickets £10 including a curry
Food from 6.30pm, Quiz 8.00pm

Contact Antony Frost to reserve your tickets:  0118 926 2858 or 07977 415201 or email a_j_frost@yahoo.com.

To find out more about the Buscot Babies Fund please download Barbara’s fundraising leaflet Barbara Frost – Buscot Babies Fund

Have you set yourself a challenge or achieved a personal goal?  We would love to hear from you if you have.

Sally Albin, Marketing

Early Bird Classes

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Do you lack energy and motivation during your working day? CHF fitness instructor Caroline has just the answer for you…

Exercise at 6:15 in the morning…..really????

If like me you are not a morning person and the thought of getting out of bed at silly o’clock to exercise fills you with dread, read on to uncover why I am now actually an advocate of early morning activity!

For most people the idea of exercising first thing in the morning is not something you would happily chose, however studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity! This is  a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends; therefore exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.

We all know that after a workout you feel energised and full of oomph so why not make the most of that feeling first thing in the morning?! Leave that sluggish start to the day behind you and reap the benefits of increased energy levels during the day.

Invariably people work harder when in a class; you get caught up in the atmosphere and feed off other people’s energy, so effectively you are getting more from your workout.

Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment, particularly if you have a hectic work or family life. It’s so easy to get home at the end of a long day and wimp out of getting yourself down to the gym, especially if you’re tired or faced with the tasks of making dinner, helping with homework etc.

Make the decision to join in one of our ‘Early Bird’ classes and end your working day knowing that you can get home and stay there and not face that internal battle of ‘shall I go to the gym or shall I stay right here and relax?’

Early Bird Classes at CHF
Monday – 06.30 to 07.15 – Early Bird Spin
Tuesday – 06.15 to 07.00 – Early Bird Spin
Wednesday – 06.15 to 07.00 – Early Bird Killer Circuits
Thursday – 06.15 to 07.15 – Early Bird Pump
Friday – 06.15 to 07.00 – Early Bird Box Fit

Exercise of the Month – Press Up

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Why do press ups?
The press up isn’t just a chest, shoulders and triceps exercise, it’s a whole lot more. It’s quite possibly one of the most undervalued exercises that you’re ever likely to come across. Literally every muscle in your body, from your toes to your upper back is activated to stabilise your whole body. In principle, the press up is a simple movement; lie on the floor and push yourself up off it! In practise, there are so many variations that make it the most diverse upper body exercise that you’re ever likely to encounter. Whether you’re looking to build muscle mass, increase posture, improve endurance, core strength or just looking for a party trick (Nothing impresses a crowd more than doing press ups with a friend on your back!), there’s a press up variation for you.


So how do you do them?
As above, there are hundreds of press up variations (Ask a member of the gym team for information), but I’ll start with explaining how to do basic, bread and butter press ups:

  • Start the movement by getting into a prone position with your hands underneath your shoulders, legs straight, bracing the abs and squeezing the glutes as if you’re trying to crush an apple between your buttocks.
  • Under control, breathe in, lower your chest to the floor and squeeze the upper back muscles as you go down.
  • Pause briefly and push the floor away from you, breathing out as you push.
  • Reset back to the first step and repeat.

If you’d like any advice on how to include the ‘exercise of the month’ into your workout routine just ask a member of the Club CHF fitness team.

Don’t forget to check out our fantastic offers on personal training with our in-house personal trainers. ‘Fast Track Your Fitness’  – 1 hour sessions from as little as £20!

Squash Weekend at Club CHF

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We are happy to report that the tournament went very well!  A few surprise results and many great quality matches at all stages of the competition.

Well done to the Winners:

Main Draw Winner: Jack Turnell

Club CHF Squash Competition Winners

Main Competition Runner Up (Eric Garson) & Winner (Jack Turnell)

Runner Up: Eric Garson

Plate Winner: Sarah Parr

Runner Up: Rak Bhandari

More photos on Facebook.

A special thanks to our tireless organisation team & staff at the Club for working together to make the event run so smoothly.

Thanks to Luc Gojnic for the coaching taster sessions provided for many grateful players.

Thanks to Rick Weatherall & Stuart Milton for showcasing their talents & expertise in a hard fought exhibition match enjoyed by many.

In case you missed the final or exhibition matches you can see some of the action on You Tube.

Look out for the next competition – pencilled in for the end of January 2012.  Get your match practice by registering on the in-house leagues if you haven’t already!

We have a Club Team Squad training match organised on Thursday 15th September from 7.30pm till late – in preparation for the winter season starting on the 22nd.  Good luck to our four Club Teams.  All are welcome to come along and support.

The squash court refurbishment will be completed on Thursday 15th September so all booking will be back to normal.  Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Social Squash will be running from 2.30PM every Sunday so if you fancy a hit then come on down!

See you at the club.

Daniel Newman

 

Junior Pilates Classes

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From the beginning of September Pilates instructor Julie will be introducing a Junior Pilates class to Club CHF for 11 – 16 year olds. Pilates classes for teens are becoming increasingly popular as teens are more aware than ever before about keeping fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Pilates can help increase strength and flexibility in core muscles and teach young people how the body works and feels, helping to build confidence and body awareness.

Junior Pilates is a great way to maintain over all fitness into adulthood by helping to improve:

Posture

Pilates helps to improve posture and strengthen surrounding muscles. Correct posture will reduce the likelihood of suffering in later life from problems in the back, knees, and neck and shoulders.

Co ordination & Breathing

Pilates focuses on the breathing, helping to keep the core muscles pulled in when performing the exercises. Focused breathing will make you more bodily aware so the movements are fluid and controlled and whilst some movements can be difficult a strong centre helps to perform the exercises correctly.

With practice this internal focus becomes second nature and can be applied in every day life not just in the class situation. The class can help to relax participants giving way to the overall sense of well-being regular sessions bring about.

Core Strength

The internal effort used to engage the core muscles of the pelvis, abdominal and back is used to create the flat stomach, defined waist and to aid correct posture.

Junior Pilates starts from 6th September for 11-16 year olds.

Tuesday evenings 5pm to 6pm – £7.50 per person

To book a place please call us 0118 948 48 49

Fun and friendships at CHF Kids

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We’ve had an excellent past month in the soft play & crèche….Bob the builder and his friends Laura and Tina have been busy with their tools… a new bumpy entrance has been added providing an excellent way up for the dinky ones, generous grey grandads and expectant mums.  In addition soft cubes under our soft ball guns give a boost to those who need it as well as extra steps making life a little easier.

Face painting has remained popular with our regulars and some lucky wanders in.  You may have seen snow and heart princesses tip toeing along the corridor and even beautiful butterflies fluttering around celebrating the sun shine. Its been (nice) to see our little dribblers, a few who have been away with bugs, back on form and giggling away…and there’s nothing quite as heart-warming as seeing their little gummy smiles appear when they recognise you or when two baby buddies hold hands…aaaawwwww.

Hopefully we will be able to put a few pictures up soon. Sharing is very important in CHF soft play and creche especially when we have so many exciting toys like cars, trains, buggies, and shopping to play with. Laura and I are very proud of our little creche cubs who have been practicing the art of sharing and it has now lead to beautiful friendships.  At CHF kids we really enjoy and value talking to the mums and dads that come in for soft play.  Not only is it great for the children to socialise with other children, we often find our confident creche cubs guiding the newcomers round the soft play off on their own little adventures. Many parents are surprised at how self-assured their little ones become when they take a back seat to our preschool tour guides.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind parents that our creche caters for non-members as well as our treasured members. For those who like to come in and explore as much as their little ones we have water dispensers to quench your thirst along with a variety of hot and cold drinks (including freshly ground coffee), soft sofas for when your body finally gives in, along with magazines/ newspapers and FREE WI-FI for you techno dads. If anyone is unsure of our opening times or access during public holidays we encourage you to ring in on 0118 948 4849 and book or check www.clubchf.co.uk for updates.

Bye for now

Tina (Creche Manager)