MARCH’ING THROUGH 2023 AT VALESCO
Hey Team and welcome to March’s newsletter for everything VFC.
So the Open…. what a blast that was for three weeks! We absolutely loved putting it on again this year and there is a bit of write up below about it so check it out. Well done to everyone who got involved in some way or another. Bring on 2024, we are ready for you.
Shout out to all of you have been busy taking part I other comps too and check out Competition Corner from Sarya for more information on what’s been happening.
Talking of competition our first home competition of the year – Scale It Up Triple Threat 2023 is now only a few weeks away. This is an entry-level competition made up of same sex teams of three hosted at your very own VFC St Philips and is open to EVERYONE.
We would love to have as many home teams as possible taking part so check it out here on FB or here to get signed up…again if you can do a class you can do this competition. It’s a lot of fun and a great all round experience. Sunday 23rd April, get it in your diaries and get signed up ASAP as only 5 team spots remain!
Final thing to mention is our first social of the year WALKIES! On Sunday March 26th a few of us and our pooches got together and went for a walk and a pub stop and although the sun wasn’t all the way out it was a lovely stomp about and the Pups had an even better time charging around together. We did the lovely Circular walk, which was a really scenic route and was less than 5 miles long and there was a pint or 2 before the final hill climb back to the car park. All the dogs where super well behaved (and the hooomans weren’t too bad either), although we aren’t sure that Ricardo’s Coconut will ever be the same shade of white again!
Lots of love and Spring it on its way vibes,
Amy, Ellie and Leila xx
MEMBER SHOUT OUTS
Welcome to the monthly Member Shout out section where we like to celebrate some of the good things we see in the gym day in and day out.
Shout out from Coach Sarya – V1 Joannie Nakakawa Hampson. ‘She’s run more than she’s ever run before and chose running during this block for metcon mayhem and she’s doing super well!’ and for V2 shout out to – Maria Tejero – her technique has improved so much and her lifts look beautiful. She’s super consistent and it’s really paying off’
Shout out from Coach Ella V1 – Tash Feher – ‘for smashing out her first bar muscle up like an absolute PRO DAWGG’ and V2 Zoe Cook – ‘she’s made huge improvements on her upper body strength and has been really consistent with her Tuesday Press sessions. Love to see it!’
Shout out from Coach Amy to Brandon Brookland at V2 ‘Brandon has really committed to his training since joining us and is an absolutely joy to have in classes and not only that he did that horrendous Wednesday workout last week…. what a hero’
Shout out from Coach Maddie – Matt Dominic – ‘consistently shows up with great energy and ready to work, plus his dance moves are always on point’
Shout out from Coach Will – Loretta Allen ‘all round legend and she’s putting a lot of effort into her squat depth!’ and Hoon Park ‘for always giving 110% in classes and pushing himself to achieve Rx in workouts.’
Shout out from Coach Leila – Shush Soni – ‘For being a general bad ass. Being super consistent, smashing workouts and taking on WOD’s on her own in open gym. Even when life is super busy she gets it done!’
Shout Out from Coach Ellie – ‘Huge shout out to Harry French who’s doing his first Strongman comp on the 8th April. Harry took a new challenge a few months ago and I’m super excited to see how the 110% he puts in every session pays off! Good luck Harry, we’re all rooting for you!’
GYM NOTICES
MEMBERS FACEBOOK GROUP:
DID YOU KNOW THAT EACH SITE HAS ITS OWN MEMBERS FB GROUP? They are awesome little places to ask questions, find out information or just share funny memes or moments from the gym. If you aren’t a member but would like to be please follow this link and request access.
Do you want to take part in Scale It Up Triple Threat but don’t know anyone to pull a team together?
Have no fear we have other people in that exact same boat.
So please let us know if you are in the same situation and we can collate teams and introduce you to each other.
So don’t be shy, reply to this email and say you want in and we can sort the rest.
Fortune Favours the Brave, Be the Brave!
Gym comms and contact
We love you guys and we are always more than happy to answer any questions you have but please keep all things gym related coming through gyms social media and gym forms of contact. You can message us on Instagram, Facebook or drop us an email (hi@valesco.fitness or stwerbs@valesco.fitness) and we will get back to you just as soon as we can.
We want to know what you think!
For 2 weeks, beginning Monday 3rd April, there will be a suggestion box at both sites. Your thoughts, ideas, wants and wishes are all welcome! We can’t promise we’ll be able to fulfil all requests but we will respond to all feedback publicly and will do what we can to improve Valesco even further!
Feedback suggestions can be anonymous or signed – its up to you and no we still won’t be getting hot tubs!!
BANK HOLIDAYS
We have a few Bank Holidays coming up! As always, we will be open! Our hours are shorter – we open 0700-1400 – and WODify & WODboard have been updated to reflect this. Please only book sessions you intend to use, BH can be very busy. Weekend hours around the BH remain unchanged.
THE OPEN 2023 RUNDOWN
THE OPEN 2023. What a ride it was! 3 workouts over 3 weeks designed to test mental & physical fitness. It is always a great opportunity to challenge yourself, find out just how much you are capable of and have a little fun with the leader board (if that’s your thing).
We said, waaaaay back in February, that the Open is about bringing people together across both pour sites and supporting your tribe… and come together you sure did! We absolutely loved having so many of you down at V1 to take part on a Friday night and smashing it out at V2 on the Sunday, rise to the challenge and cheer each other on you did!
Huge thanks to coach James who took on another huge chunk of organising and supporting the Open again this year! Thank you James, we appreciate it more than you know.
And, of course, a special thank you to Paul Van, who every single year produces the most incredible videos of Valesco athletes giving the workouts their all. The videos capture the atmosphere of the Open and the essence of Valesco perfectly and if you haven’t seen them yet head over to the insta page and check them out.
Last but not least, we always like to celebrate the person who we feel represents ‘the spirit of the Open’. And this year it was awarded to Steph Ewers! Steph was 110% up for the challenge from the get go, gave her all to every single workout, smiling the whole way through, celebrating the success of others, sometimes more than her own and being everyone’s hype crew.
Well done to all of our award winners and we hope you enjoyed a few little treats on us.
What comes after the Open…the quarterfinals! This is where the top 10% across the world competes again to see who goes on to the semi finals and ultimately, The Games!
And we have a few boys and girls who qualified for the quarterfinals! Ella Rothwell, Mitch Salisbury, Jonny Crease, Glen Stokes and Harry-Joe Gallimore all qualified! Massive congratulations you ridiculously fit lot!
Until 2024….
COMPETITION CORNER WITH COACH SARYA
It’s already the end of March and we’ve been busy busy with all the great comps.
SiD started the year off with a band and we also had lots of pairs competing down at the Goat Shed in Bridgewater the weekend before.
Post SiD, we all came together to enjoy the Open (what vibes from everyone and what amazing support, I want to redo it all again with everyone!!)
And last weekend we had another busy one competing down at Southern Rivals in Southampton. Three teams of six went and absolutely smashed some tough workouts (including paddle boarding and a 4-mile sandbag run)
Teenage Mutant Ginger Turtles:
Sarya, Gem, Emma Clapp, Dan, Harry Bullmore and Greg
The Tia-Clare Shroomy’s:
Jonny, Harry French, Tom (Jonny’s brother), Tor, Beccy and Lexie
Portokettlebellos:
Ross, Simone, Will, Emma HB, Amie and Tash
You all did everyone so so proud!
Coming up…
April – our very own Scale It Up; it’s looking to be another great one (23rd April at V1). I’ve already heard of some awesome teams of people coming together and am so excited to see you all kill it.
Qualifiers for the Southwest Regionals are starting this first weekend of April. We have some pairs and some solo athletes ready to take these on to qualify for the finals in August.
May – we have a few people doing the Bristol Half Marathon and 10k – let us know if you’re doing this too!
If you’ve got a comp coming up – let us know so that we can add it to our calendar.
And as ever, if you like the sound of competing but are unsure where to begin or what to go for, catch me in the gym or slide into my DMs, I’ll happily point you in the right direction or give advice.
EATING DISORDER AWARENESS EVENT THIS WEEKEND
V2 member Christa Kaizer approached us recently as she wanted to run an event, with our help, to raise awareness of eating disorders and of course with a cause so close to all our hearts we were only too happy to help.
Here is what Christa has to say ‘Eating disorders can affect anyone, and their effects on daily life can be far-reaching; unfortunately, those that play sport or train at the gym are over-exposed to the potentially negative narrative pushed out by many individuals and organisations. Behaviours and body images falsely advertised as “healthy” clutter all of our media, social and news feeds; those that want to promote the health and wellbeing of themselves and others, trainees and coaches, tend to be more susceptible to the associated behaviours driven by these external pressures to look or act a certain way.
Training at Valesco has been a breath of fresh air with the focus placed on improving skills and increasing the body’s strength, mobility and resilience, while creating an environment with the freedom to train and know that one’s ability isn’t dictated by their body shape and size. This environment, along with the programming, coaching and its community, are valuable coping tools for those that do, or have, suffered with an eating disorder.
The first week of March marks Eating Disorder Awareness Week and in support of this Valesco will be hosting a skill-based workshop followed by a metcon putting those new skills to the test and would love as many of you as possible to come along to learn, take part or support. This event is for everyone, whether you’ve been directly affected by an eating disorder or not – the Valesco community is part of what makes it so special.
Sunday’s event will start with two workshops, an intermediate and beginners, where handstand superstar, and V1 member, Thea Hill, will be taking everyone out of their comfort zones to build strength and confidence upside down, learning skills that could be put to use in other parts of your training.
Before the challenge there will be a short break where public speaker Leah Newton will be talking about her experience with an eating disorder and how support can be provided to loved ones that are experiencing, or showing signs of, unhealthy eating and exercise habits. There will also be the opportunity within a safe space to speak to those that have experienced living with an eating disorder if you are seeking help and guidance.
The challenge will see everyone put their newly learnt skills to the test as we collectively walk the distance from V2 to V1 on our hands! Scales will be made available so all abilities can take part in this really fun group event
The limited spaces on the workshops have almost all been snapped up but let us know if you want to join the waitlist and do not have access to WODboard by emailing stwerbs@valesco.fitness. There are still plenty of spaces on the challenge. Please let us know if you would like to take part either by booking in on WODboard (it will not count as one of your sessions if you are on a limited membership) and it is open to everyone, regardless of membership type or location or for V1 members pop us an email at stwerbs@valesco.fitness so we know to expect you.
There is a £5 donation (please bring cash) for taking part, which will be going to BEAT who are a UK wide charity and provide a 24/7 online and by phone for anyone affected by an eating disorder, or those that are supporting someone who is suffering.
PUP CORNER
Hey Pup Fans,
It’s Finn and Harley here and we wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our Walkies with some of the members, and their furry friends, and getting out into some stunning Countryside last weekend. So this month we wanted to write about how nature can benefit all of our mental health especially as we have a mental health focussed event coming up this weekend at V2.
Spending time in green space or bring nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical well-being. For example doing things like growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors or being around us animals can have lots of positive effects….and we are always up for an cuddle or head scratch.
We have listed some of our pawsonal favourites below;
- Improve mood
- Reduce feelings of stress or frustration
- Help you take time out and feel more relaxed
- Improve your physical health
- Help you be more active
- Help you meet and get to know people (and pups of course)
- Connect with your local community
- Reduce loneliness
- Help you feel more connected to nature
- Provide peer support
We love getting outside and going on great adventures with our hoooomans! We are also keen on a spot of gardening…..not that Mum was best pleased when we tried to ‘help’ her with her raspberry plants (and by help we mean dug them up!)
Anyway we hope, like us, you enjoy getting out in nature more now the weather is improving to really boost those summer vibes and Vit D levels.
Anyway G2G, trouble to cause, gardens to ruin!!
Love & Licks,
Finn and Harley xx
COACHES CORNER
This months Coaches Corner is written by Coach Amy and it’s all Habits.
So its March and this is often a time of year when I look back at some of the New Years hopes that I have set for myself and evaluate how things are going now we are already ¼ of the way through 2023…. scary hey?
Motivation carries us through the first few months, with high hopes that motivation alone will keep us going through the rest of the year but suddenly when the shine fades off the 6am alarm and daily chocolate and weekend alcohol has crept back in we need to find a better strategy than hope to keep us working towards the person we want to be.
For me motivation is like lust. All easy, giddy and fun at the start but want comes have lust (or in this case motivation) has left us high and dry??
Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviours. It is what causes you to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.
Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behaviour. In everyday usage, the term “motivation” is frequently used to describe why a person does something. It is the driving force behind actions.
So that’s all very well and good, and the reason you have had driving you on to make some positive changes. The common mistake we all make is that we think motivation will last but sadly it doesn’t.
You won’t always feel like training, making healthy choices or stretching before bed. You will often want to coast a workout instead of pushing hard, choose the burger instead of the salad and watch one more episode on Netflix instead of getting an early night and yes occasionally these things are okay but without motivation occasionally becomes often.
So after the shine of motivation has left us what are we left with?
For me this is discipline and habit. Those who succeed in their goals know that discipline and habit are much stronger than motivation. Creating strong habits and sticking to them whether you want to or not, in that moment, is what helps those who succeed or fail in hitting their goals. Becoming that person that the initial motivations lead them to wanting to be.
Think about training or first joining Valesco. It was motivation that got you through that big roller shutter door and now its habit and discipline that make you keep coming back session after session.
Lust turns into Love. Motivation turns into Habit and Discipline.
If you are trying to implement new habits and / or get rid of some bad ones I would highly recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I finally got round to reading in this holiday and such an easy read I finished it in 2 days…. and I’m a slow reader!
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Fancy bring a whole load of spring into your weekend brunches then how about trying out this colourful beauty? This dish turns the classic shakshuka into more of a sharing main course by adding seasonal spring vegetables like peas, board beans and asparagus and it looks cracking!!
Eggs, cracking……..just me?
Until Next Time, Big Love Team Valesco xxx
Save The Date
Eating Disorder Awareness Event – Sunday 2nd April
Scale It Up Triple Threat – Sunday 23rd April
24 hour WOD – Saturday 13th May
Mental Health Awareness Week – Monday 15th to Friday 19th May
Scale It Up Teams of 4 – Sunday 11th June (please note date change)
PRIDE WOD – Saturday 8th July
Valesco Fitness Collective 8th Birthday – Saturday 16th September
Christmas at VFC – Saturday 9th December
Who Wore It Best
Check out this month ‘Who Wore It Best’ from Lucy and Laura in a Friday Power Clean workout at V1…both wearing their Bath Half marathon tops with Pride. Well done you two, twinning at its finest!!
Have you turned up looking the same as another Valesco member? Then we want to see. Send your snaps to hi@valesco.fitness to be in the next newsletter. We love seeing them!