NOVEMBERS NEWSLETTER FROM YOUR VFC
Hey Team and welcome to Novembers newsletter.
What a bumper of a month October was kicked off with our awesome Scale It Up Competition. I’m not sure how these months come round so quickly but here we are, another month gone and another jam-packed newsletter for you.
I’m going to lead with the amazing news of two weddings in the Valesco Camp. Massive congratulations to Coach Meg and husband Henry and member Mikhalia and new husband Kevin. Read all about it and check out the wonder pics in this months members shout outs.
In VERY close second is the massive shout out to these incredible members and coaches competing at this years Strength in Depth competition this week. This is a huge stage for the team and shows months of hard work, Sunday 8am and Thursday late night training sessions and we are so proud to have them on the floor representing us this weekend in Bath. Still time to get those spectator tickets if you would like to come along on Day 1 or 2 or both.
Also bursting out of this months newsletter is a great article from coach Stew on surviving the festive session in regards to training, a must read for those of us who like a tipple or two…..talking of tipple or two we can’t wait to see all those who have now signed up to the Christmas Party on 11th December but don’t worry if you can’t make the meal there is going to be an awesome Saturday team WOD where festive tunes and general silliness will be a plenty.
Oh and whilst we remember please cast your votes for the Valesco Fitness Collective Annual awards – here we need your votes! From Best Dressed to most improved and everything in-between, each one needs a winner and that’s up to you!
A few festive notes in this month’s newsletter so grab an eggnog (whooo?) and settle in for a good old read.
Lots of love and positive vibes as always xx
Member Shout Outs
Our first shout out this month has to go to two massive Wedding this month at Valesco.
Firstly Coach Meg and new husband Henry who got married this month on Friday 5th November. Massive congratulation to this wonderful pair and it’s Mrs Meg Winterton-Harrison from now on, if you don’t mind! Fantastic news you two, we couldn’t be more thrilled for you both.
Member Mikhalia and new husband Kevin got married at home in Bermuda this month also and there is a great story to go with the engagement / post wedding shoot (this ended up being after the wedding due to COVID restrictions getting home). Anyway at the start of the year Mikhalia starting training at Valesco with the goal to be able to lift Kevin (worth mentioning here Kevin is 6ft 4 inchs) by the time they got married. At the end of the shoot the photographer said ‘lets do a fun picture, Kevin pick her up!’ at which point Mikhalia jumped in and lets just say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Love this story and tribute to all your hard work over the last few months. You go girl!
Shout out from Coach Ellie – James Chester who works, trains consistently without over training and he is really lovely to have in classes. The progress he has made since joining is significant and he should really proud of what he has achieved so far. What fantastic feedback, great effort James.
Shout out from Coach Meg – Will Gibbs. He always works hard, asks good questions and actively seeks out advice from the Coach, and I see him in a whole variety as classes as well and some times open gym where he’s focussing on something specific. Top effort Will and well worth recognition.
Shout out from Coach Kat – Faye Cozens for always being a ray of sunshine in the 6am class, consistently working hard; especially to develop her TTB and always support through others through some spic metcons. Yasss Faye, what great and well-deserved praise.
Shout out from Coach Stew and Coach James – Lucy Ashworth the progress she is making is huge and shows what consistent hard work can achieve. She has kipping pull-ups for days and now TTB too. Lifting tekkers are also on point. Super smiley and always willing to learn. Lucy is so quiet and unassuming but is quickly becoming a beast! Very high praise indeed Lucy and what a role model you are to others.
PODCASTS
The latest one is out and today we will be talking winter and wellness with a focus on nutrition; basically deconstructing ‘Hands, Face, Space’ and talking turmeric, tongues and tummies, once again, joined by coach Viki!
We’ll figure out what we should be throwing in our slow cookers, understand the foods that will bullet-proof our immune system, figure what herbs and spices offer beyond their taste and top it all off with lots of questionable analogies from James. Strap in.
Take care, look after each other, stay well and have a lovely day!
Click here to listen to it – it’s a cracker of an episode.
And, upcoming podcasts include:
– All things Calisthenics with Sami Bousri
– Mindset for sports with Connor Grant
– A Christmas ‘anti’ room 101
and more! Keep your ears open!
A MASSIVE SHOUT OUT TO KIERAN ROSS
We wanted to give a special shout out to Kieran Ross for managing to complete the Spartan Trifecta this year. It involves completing 3 obstacle courses: 5km, 10km and 21km and his partner Dee has written this lovely piece for us we wanted to share.
‘’His first race was the 10km in July in the Midlands which I drove him too. I was running on very little sleep so I set up a picnic with a clear view of the finish line… and promptly fell asleep. I woke up to a muddy bloke standing over me shouting “wake up!”. I had completely missed watching him finish and doing the final leap over the flames. Oops. He took around two and a half hours to complete it.
The second race was the 5km in the beginning of October in East Sussex which I also did with him. It was hard (for me) but brilliantly satisfying! Took us just over one and a half hours to complete – there was a lot of mud!
The third race was the 21km (definitely did not join him on this one! Only drove him there) and was at the end of October in Wales. Apparently it was the hardest course out of all the UK races this year – he managed it in just under six hours. I chilled out on a bean bag with a good book, timed it to grab a coffee and wait for him at the finish line. I did start to worry if he’d wandered off course but eventually spotted him – I managed to stay awake and watch him finish with the fire leap!
It’s a massive achievement and now I kinda wanna try the Trifecta myself next year… eeek!’’
EXBAND
HAVE YOU JOINED THE EXBAND GAINZ TRAIN YET?
These are 15 minutes fully coached pre recorded sessions that you can do anywhere at any time so what’s not to love? You even get to see some familiar Valesco faces!!
If you are looking to build endurance in your muscle, prevent injury or generally just look and feel better THIS IS FOR YOU and with only 15 minutes of your day? You’re getting a huge bag for your buck.
With a two-week FREE trial and only £7.99 per month after that it’s a bit of a steal.
EXBAND.fitness to get signed up or https://www.instagram.com/exband.fitness/ to see what all the fuss is about – go on, give us a follow…….please!
PUP CORNER
Hey Pup Fans,
This month we wanted to do a little piece on SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder as these dark nights and winter days can interrupt the mood in some of us and make us, well a little bit SAD.
SAD can make you feel low on energy, or lead to a persistent low mood and it can also make you lose interest in everyday activities (like our daily walks), make us a bit more grumpy and growly and want to stay in our warm cosy beds even longer than normal!
So here are a few things that can lighten that winter mood and have us kicking through those autumn leaves again with pup like joy!
- Get plenty of natural light and try to spend as little time indoors as possible
- If you are working indoors try and open all the curtains or work close to a window
- Get regular exercise – so come on and book that class and see all the friendly faces down at VFC
- Talk to people about how you are feeling. We love nothing more than a good tail wag and sniff with our mates down the park
- Practice some stress relief techniques. Deep breathing (more commonly snoring) is a great one for us or practice some mindful exercises.
- Make sure you are eating well and check out all the amazing Nutritional PODCAST’s by VFC expert Viki Nunn
Last and most importantly dog therapy – if you’re ever feeling a bit sad come and see us in the office, we love a lap and we love a cuddle and guarantee to make you feel better….and a bit hairier!
Lots of love and licks, Leo, Harley and Finn xx
COACHES CORNER
This months Coaches Corner is written by Coach Stew and it’s all about surviving the Festive period.
Unless you are a hermit, it is that time of year again…when everyone wants to ‘do drinks’ or celebrate – better known as the festive period, or bulking season.
Personally, I am fully booked until Christmas, and I don’t really like going out!
You have worked hard on your fitness and strength over the last year and understandably, you don’t want it all to go to shit within a month. We have all been there – had a bit of time off, come back to the gym and thought “What have I done?!“ “Why does it hurt so much?”
So, how do you train around this?
- Give yourself a break. Everyone deserves a bit of down time. A few nights out will not demolish all your hard work.
- Be realistic. If you are going out with your Xmas jumper on, with the intention of getting smashed up, don’t book the 6am class the following day. You will unnecessarily make yourself feel bad for cancelling.
- If you have a night out planned, get an extra session in the day of, or the day before.
- Give yourself a day to recover and come back to training hydrated and rested.
- If your best made plans don’t work, who cares? Nothing happens in January, so you can catch up then.
Give yourself a pat on the back for all of the hard work you’ve put in this year. Think how far you’ve come. Be kind to yourself, and enjoy some downtime!
Pomegranate Chicken and Almond Couscous
Pomegranate Chicken and Almond Couscous
Looking for a quick and easy meal and a great pick me up from any over indulgence this December? Then check out this super taste and super healthy Chicken Salad for some all-round goodness. Replacing the chicken with Tofu or beans could be a great veggie alternative.
Until Next Time, Big Love Team Valesco xxx
Save The Date
Strength in Depth Final – 27th & 28th November
2021 Valesco Christmas Party – 11th December
Who Wore It Best
We couldn’t help but rollout this gorgeous winter feeling picture of Ellie, Barb and Leo. It makes us feel or warm and fussy inside….like mulled wine in a photo!
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!