Pearl Howie's Blog, page 19
July 24, 2014
Weekly Newsletter - All About Beto
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Monday 28th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Last class!
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Beto At Believe
Oh dear - I know I promised you some cute videos from the Believe event last Friday, but I am having a few technical issues – just head over to Facebook page to check them out! And I will hopefully include them next week!
I always learn so much every time I see him in action, but to be only feet from the stage with him teaching a fun, impromptu, solo class without special effects, back up dancers and all the whistles and bells make me appreciate the more natural, spontaneous side of being an instructor.
https://www.facebook.com/pearl.howie1
Hope
Recently there have been some local and global events that have been pretty challenging to handle, so I love it when hope arrives, quite literally in my email inbox.
Here are two wonderful ideas from Great Gifts which will allow anyone to make take positive action right now to help situations around the world
Peace Oil
http://www.peaceoil.org/?dm_i=DXG,2MVIF,7NGGFK,9OZHW,1
http://www.goodgifts.org/sponsor-a-one-day-work-camp.html?dm_i=DXG,2MVIF,7NGGFK,9MM5G,1
All change end August/beginning September
So, Steve and I have decided that my Zumba classes will no longer run at the Holistic Fitness studio from the 20th August. I will still use the studio for occasional parties and lunchtime classes.
I am just waiting for confirmation on a new studio where I am planning to hold classes on Mondays (lunchtime and evening) and Thursday (evening) – it’s in a slightly new but close area and there is parking available in the evenings. Stay tuned!
Back To The Old Skool Master Class – September
Also Featuring Mara Fekete!
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week. It’s been another busy one!
Eudeta completed 5 classes!
Emma completed 5 classes!
Leila completed 30 classes!
Rebecca completed 20 classes!
Jacqui completed 50 classes!
Jeanette completed 70 classes!
and Heather, drum roll please, hit the big 100!
Well done to all of you so excited to see you grab your goodies!
Diary Dates
Thursday 31st July - last evening class at Wimbledon Guild
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Wednesday 20th August - last class at Holistic Fitness
Tuesday 26th August - Pearl back from holiday.
Monday 1st September - classes start at new studio (hopefully!)
Saturday 13th September - Back To Old Skool master class
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 28th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Last class!
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Beto At Believe
Oh dear - I know I promised you some cute videos from the Believe event last Friday, but I am having a few technical issues – just head over to Facebook page to check them out! And I will hopefully include them next week!
I always learn so much every time I see him in action, but to be only feet from the stage with him teaching a fun, impromptu, solo class without special effects, back up dancers and all the whistles and bells make me appreciate the more natural, spontaneous side of being an instructor.
https://www.facebook.com/pearl.howie1
Hope
Recently there have been some local and global events that have been pretty challenging to handle, so I love it when hope arrives, quite literally in my email inbox.
Here are two wonderful ideas from Great Gifts which will allow anyone to make take positive action right now to help situations around the world
Peace Oil
http://www.peaceoil.org/?dm_i=DXG,2MVIF,7NGGFK,9OZHW,1
http://www.goodgifts.org/sponsor-a-one-day-work-camp.html?dm_i=DXG,2MVIF,7NGGFK,9MM5G,1
All change end August/beginning September
So, Steve and I have decided that my Zumba classes will no longer run at the Holistic Fitness studio from the 20th August. I will still use the studio for occasional parties and lunchtime classes.
I am just waiting for confirmation on a new studio where I am planning to hold classes on Mondays (lunchtime and evening) and Thursday (evening) – it’s in a slightly new but close area and there is parking available in the evenings. Stay tuned!
Back To The Old Skool Master Class – September
Also Featuring Mara Fekete!
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week. It’s been another busy one!
Eudeta completed 5 classes!
Emma completed 5 classes!
Leila completed 30 classes!
Rebecca completed 20 classes!
Jacqui completed 50 classes!
Jeanette completed 70 classes!
and Heather, drum roll please, hit the big 100!
Well done to all of you so excited to see you grab your goodies!
Diary Dates
Thursday 31st July - last evening class at Wimbledon Guild
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Wednesday 20th August - last class at Holistic Fitness
Tuesday 26th August - Pearl back from holiday.
Monday 1st September - classes start at new studio (hopefully!)
Saturday 13th September - Back To Old Skool master class
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
July 22, 2014
Bulletproof Coffee
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So, the next stop on the funky diet train is “Bulletproof Coffee” - all the rage with “healthy” AKA fad eaters.
The original Bulletproof coffee (TM) is a wonder blend of coffee... with a knob of butter stirred in. However many people are now adopting the idea and adding not just butter, but coconut oil (wonderful for triglycerides!) or other fats. The idea is that the fats keep you fuller for longer and prevent black coffee jitters.
It’s created the usual uproar of fads, with many doctors getting hot under the collar about it.
As I was reading an article about it all I could think was “Huh, we’ve been doing this for years, adding fat to black coffee - it’s called cream.” I personally prefer a large dollop of whole fat milk in my coffee, ho hum, ahead of the trend again.
Since reading “Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat” (find it on Amazon) my understanding of fats, cholesterol, carbs and hydrogenated fats has radically changed and I’ve been following this way of eating (or diet if you prefer) from about the same time I started Zumba - January 2010 and I believe it has definitely helped in many ways, not least maintaining energy levels when teaching and training. (I know I look tired but you should see some of the other instructors after half my schedule!)
This month, finally, TIME magazine’s cover story was about the redemption of fats and butter particularly in our diets (well, American diets really). After decades of fat-busting the establishment is now realising that this was a mistake, obesity, cancer, diabetes and generally feeling like cr*p has risen to epidemic proportions and now, the magic “bullet” is fat. Why? Because we artificially replaced it with “any old thing” in our foods, and the “any old thing” doesn’t do us any good.
This video, from TIME’s writer breaks it down.
In addition, in the case of margarine and many baked goods, natural fats were replaced with hydrogenated fats (oily fats made into solid fat through chemical processes) because as well as, supposedly being better for us, they last longer on the shelf (seriously, look at the best before date of a packet of biscuits) and these fats create massive problems in our bodies. For great explanations and illustrations by my sister! see “Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat”.
Much love, Pearl x
Follow me on Twitter
So, the next stop on the funky diet train is “Bulletproof Coffee” - all the rage with “healthy” AKA fad eaters.
The original Bulletproof coffee (TM) is a wonder blend of coffee... with a knob of butter stirred in. However many people are now adopting the idea and adding not just butter, but coconut oil (wonderful for triglycerides!) or other fats. The idea is that the fats keep you fuller for longer and prevent black coffee jitters.
It’s created the usual uproar of fads, with many doctors getting hot under the collar about it.
As I was reading an article about it all I could think was “Huh, we’ve been doing this for years, adding fat to black coffee - it’s called cream.” I personally prefer a large dollop of whole fat milk in my coffee, ho hum, ahead of the trend again.
Since reading “Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat” (find it on Amazon) my understanding of fats, cholesterol, carbs and hydrogenated fats has radically changed and I’ve been following this way of eating (or diet if you prefer) from about the same time I started Zumba - January 2010 and I believe it has definitely helped in many ways, not least maintaining energy levels when teaching and training. (I know I look tired but you should see some of the other instructors after half my schedule!)
This month, finally, TIME magazine’s cover story was about the redemption of fats and butter particularly in our diets (well, American diets really). After decades of fat-busting the establishment is now realising that this was a mistake, obesity, cancer, diabetes and generally feeling like cr*p has risen to epidemic proportions and now, the magic “bullet” is fat. Why? Because we artificially replaced it with “any old thing” in our foods, and the “any old thing” doesn’t do us any good.
This video, from TIME’s writer breaks it down.
In addition, in the case of margarine and many baked goods, natural fats were replaced with hydrogenated fats (oily fats made into solid fat through chemical processes) because as well as, supposedly being better for us, they last longer on the shelf (seriously, look at the best before date of a packet of biscuits) and these fats create massive problems in our bodies. For great explanations and illustrations by my sister! see “Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat”.
Much love, Pearl x
July 17, 2014
Weekly Newsletter - Swings And Roundabouts
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Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 21st July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(6 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Holistic Fitness Changes
So, I recently found out that as of September the downstairs studio at Holistic is being rented out, so all of the classes have to merge in the upstairs studio.
What does this mean for my Zumba Fitness classes?
Well, I know for sure that our regular slot on Wednesday evenings will no longer be available. As a number of other classes are having to "squeeze in" I don't know at the moment where or if my classes will squeeze.
But of course I still want to carry on teaching you all, so am putting my thinking cap on to find as many options as possible and will come back to you as soon as I have anything definite to tell you or run by you. Please do let me know if you attend classes at Holistic when would work for you and I'll do my best to make the "new" classes suit you!
Back To The Old Skool Master Class – September
Last week's salsa master class was incredible, the guest instructors could not believe that some of the people there were new – they thought you had been doing it for years!
It's reminded me what I love about master classes and I will definitely be doing more in the future!
As I am off on holiday in August I want to organise the next one before I leave, so here it is, the theme, as you already know from the title is "Back To The Old Skool" – 80s, 90s and Zumba retro with lots of neon thrown in. AND, to make sure as many people as possible can attend (it'll be at the Vestry Hall this time) I have penciled in 3 dates, so please, if you want to come along just let me know what date(s) suit you of these three:
Saturday 13th September 3 – 4:30pm
Sunday 14th September 6-7:30pm
Monday 15th September 7:30 – 9pm
We’ll book the date that has the most “votes”.
Tickets will be £10 as usual and will go on sale when I get back from hols (the date will be confirmed before then!)
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week. It’s been a busy one!
Sybil completed 30 classes!
Cynthia completed 50 classes!
Irene completed 50 classes!
Kura completed 70 classes!
Ilona completed 70 classes!
Marian completed 70 classes!
Angela completed a whopping 120 classes! AND
Margi completed a phenomenal 160 classes!
Well done to all of you and I look forward to seeing you in your cool new ZumbaWear!!
Diary Dates
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 21st July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(6 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Holistic Fitness Changes
So, I recently found out that as of September the downstairs studio at Holistic is being rented out, so all of the classes have to merge in the upstairs studio.
What does this mean for my Zumba Fitness classes?
Well, I know for sure that our regular slot on Wednesday evenings will no longer be available. As a number of other classes are having to "squeeze in" I don't know at the moment where or if my classes will squeeze.
But of course I still want to carry on teaching you all, so am putting my thinking cap on to find as many options as possible and will come back to you as soon as I have anything definite to tell you or run by you. Please do let me know if you attend classes at Holistic when would work for you and I'll do my best to make the "new" classes suit you!
Back To The Old Skool Master Class – September
Last week's salsa master class was incredible, the guest instructors could not believe that some of the people there were new – they thought you had been doing it for years!
It's reminded me what I love about master classes and I will definitely be doing more in the future!
As I am off on holiday in August I want to organise the next one before I leave, so here it is, the theme, as you already know from the title is "Back To The Old Skool" – 80s, 90s and Zumba retro with lots of neon thrown in. AND, to make sure as many people as possible can attend (it'll be at the Vestry Hall this time) I have penciled in 3 dates, so please, if you want to come along just let me know what date(s) suit you of these three:
Saturday 13th September 3 – 4:30pm
Sunday 14th September 6-7:30pm
Monday 15th September 7:30 – 9pm
We’ll book the date that has the most “votes”.
Tickets will be £10 as usual and will go on sale when I get back from hols (the date will be confirmed before then!)
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week. It’s been a busy one!
Sybil completed 30 classes!
Cynthia completed 50 classes!
Irene completed 50 classes!
Kura completed 70 classes!
Ilona completed 70 classes!
Marian completed 70 classes!
Angela completed a whopping 120 classes! AND
Margi completed a phenomenal 160 classes!
Well done to all of you and I look forward to seeing you in your cool new ZumbaWear!!
Diary Dates
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
July 11, 2014
Weekly Newsletter - One Door
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Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 14th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(5 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Goodbye to Thursdays
Sadly last week it was agreed that my Thursday night class at Wimbledon Guild will not carry on after the end of July. Although I believe very strongly in having a class for Zumba Gold participants that is accessible for those who work full time (or just a full life) we couldn’t get the numbers up to the point to keep this class going as it is quite an expensive venue to run.
I am looking around for other options and hope to be able to announce soon additions to my timetable.
There will also be some other changes coming before the beginning of September, as there are some major changes happening at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon, so please do make sure you keep checking newsletters for the latest information.
Inspiration from the Tour de France
I’ve been very inspired this week by the Tour de France (see my last two blogs!) and love this clip from superstar Mark Cavendish. Sadly (it really has been one of those weeks!) he crashed out of the Tour only yards from the finish on Day 1 and now it seems as though British hope is gone but he has already achieved so much in the sport. To have a banner in Trafalgar Square proclaiming “Allez Cav” must be a bitter sweet moment for him but I am sure we haven’t seen the last of Cav.
N.B. Cav is reckoned to be the fastest road cyclist in the world currently, has won 25 stages of the Tour de France (third most of all-time) and to understand why he hasn’t won the yellow jersey you’ll have to understand the team cycling dynamic, or ask my mum.
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Kathleen completed 5 classes!
Beverly completed 20 classes!!
...and Tracy completed a staggering 70 classes and got her much deserved T-shirt!
Well done everyone!
I’ve also just gone crazy in the Zumba Shop sale - so have some new goodies (and more socks) for anyone completing their Reward Card in the next few weeks!
It’s Tonight!!! Ulp!
Can’t wait!
We sold out tickets but I have a couple of last minute cancellations so please do call or text me on 07770 846 284 if you do want to join us.
Diary Dates
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 14th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(5 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Goodbye to Thursdays
Sadly last week it was agreed that my Thursday night class at Wimbledon Guild will not carry on after the end of July. Although I believe very strongly in having a class for Zumba Gold participants that is accessible for those who work full time (or just a full life) we couldn’t get the numbers up to the point to keep this class going as it is quite an expensive venue to run.
I am looking around for other options and hope to be able to announce soon additions to my timetable.
There will also be some other changes coming before the beginning of September, as there are some major changes happening at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon, so please do make sure you keep checking newsletters for the latest information.
Inspiration from the Tour de France
I’ve been very inspired this week by the Tour de France (see my last two blogs!) and love this clip from superstar Mark Cavendish. Sadly (it really has been one of those weeks!) he crashed out of the Tour only yards from the finish on Day 1 and now it seems as though British hope is gone but he has already achieved so much in the sport. To have a banner in Trafalgar Square proclaiming “Allez Cav” must be a bitter sweet moment for him but I am sure we haven’t seen the last of Cav.
N.B. Cav is reckoned to be the fastest road cyclist in the world currently, has won 25 stages of the Tour de France (third most of all-time) and to understand why he hasn’t won the yellow jersey you’ll have to understand the team cycling dynamic, or ask my mum.
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Kathleen completed 5 classes!
Beverly completed 20 classes!!
...and Tracy completed a staggering 70 classes and got her much deserved T-shirt!
Well done everyone!
I’ve also just gone crazy in the Zumba Shop sale - so have some new goodies (and more socks) for anyone completing their Reward Card in the next few weeks!
It’s Tonight!!! Ulp!
Can’t wait!
We sold out tickets but I have a couple of last minute cancellations so please do call or text me on 07770 846 284 if you do want to join us.
Diary Dates
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Friday 8th August - Pearl goes on holiday!!! (All classes planned to continue as normal)
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
July 9, 2014
When First We Practice To Deceive, Or How Not To Win
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So having seen a very interesting trailer for a film about Lance Armstrong, the disgraced former Tour de France champion, I sat down to watch the film on BBC iplayer, before realising that I had actually watched the wrong programme and the one I wanted to watch was on Channel 4 at exactly the same time!
Ultimately I ended up watching both two hour films because I became fascinated by the whole story.
Lance Armstrong was never one of my heroes, I was never drawn to his story although I knew about Live Strong and occasionally read articles on his website so it didn’t shatter my world when it was revealed that he was more of a doping champion than a cycling champion. I took a distanced, pragmatic view; there will always be sportspeople who break the rules.
At first I looked at the whole story as a morality tale, how the truth will out, anytime we act without integrity, in any business or in life it can and usually will come back and bite us in the bottom. And how once we “practice to deceive”, as Shakespeare put it, we weave a tangled web around us that traps us and forces us to lie again and again to protect not only the lie but everything built and bought with the lie; business, charity, family, reputation, friends, home and even our children’s respect. It was hard not to feel sorry for him, except that the films also showed the people who had suffered as a result of his lies; others who had lost jobs, reputations, huge amounts of money in damages because they had dared to suspect or testify against him.
And then I saw a sadder truth in Lance’s own interview about his Tour de France wins (all now stripped from him by the governing body). As he reflected on one of the races he told how, because of the heavier security they could only risk one blood transfusion during the race (one of the ways that they cheated). As he told the story I saw a different person as he recounted the process and almost incredulously admitted to the camera and to himself, “we had already won the race in the early stages” before the blood transfusion. There was absolutely no reason for them to cheat. They were already winning.
Of all the things Lance lost from cheating perhaps the biggest was the clean win, the honest win that he could have had. How many of the other races could he have won, perhaps with a slimmer margin, by only a wheel rim perhaps, but honestly, decently. That makes me feel sorry for him, that he just didn’t have the guts to try it without cheating.
If a survivor of such a lethal form of cancer had come 3rd in the Tour de France it would have made headlines. If he had won it just once, instead of 7 times it would still have been an iconic victory.
Much of the defence for the cyclists’ actions (and, at the time, it is reputed that ALL of the cyclists competing at this level were doping) is that everyone else was doing it. Well, as my mother asked me, “what would you do if everyone else jumped off a cliff?” The only person who was involved who was dead set against the doping was Betsy Andreu, wife of Frankie, one of Lance’s team mates who tried to prevent her husband from doping and came down on him pretty hard when she saw him cycling too well on the Tour. Ultimately Frankie was dropped for not “getting on board” and they both testified against Lance, and were both accused of lying about Lance and lost friends, reputation, jobs and so on as a result.
Perhaps Lance was desperate, or greedy, but of all the people I think Betsy was truly brave, to tell her husband that his life and his health were more important than joining the doping train, and to have the courage to tell the truth.
I admire her fortitude and guts for following the course not just for 21 days but for 7 years until Lance finally admitted the truth. Maybe someone should give her a couple of yellow jerseys.
Much love, Pearl x
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So having seen a very interesting trailer for a film about Lance Armstrong, the disgraced former Tour de France champion, I sat down to watch the film on BBC iplayer, before realising that I had actually watched the wrong programme and the one I wanted to watch was on Channel 4 at exactly the same time!
Ultimately I ended up watching both two hour films because I became fascinated by the whole story.
Lance Armstrong was never one of my heroes, I was never drawn to his story although I knew about Live Strong and occasionally read articles on his website so it didn’t shatter my world when it was revealed that he was more of a doping champion than a cycling champion. I took a distanced, pragmatic view; there will always be sportspeople who break the rules.
At first I looked at the whole story as a morality tale, how the truth will out, anytime we act without integrity, in any business or in life it can and usually will come back and bite us in the bottom. And how once we “practice to deceive”, as Shakespeare put it, we weave a tangled web around us that traps us and forces us to lie again and again to protect not only the lie but everything built and bought with the lie; business, charity, family, reputation, friends, home and even our children’s respect. It was hard not to feel sorry for him, except that the films also showed the people who had suffered as a result of his lies; others who had lost jobs, reputations, huge amounts of money in damages because they had dared to suspect or testify against him.
And then I saw a sadder truth in Lance’s own interview about his Tour de France wins (all now stripped from him by the governing body). As he reflected on one of the races he told how, because of the heavier security they could only risk one blood transfusion during the race (one of the ways that they cheated). As he told the story I saw a different person as he recounted the process and almost incredulously admitted to the camera and to himself, “we had already won the race in the early stages” before the blood transfusion. There was absolutely no reason for them to cheat. They were already winning.
Of all the things Lance lost from cheating perhaps the biggest was the clean win, the honest win that he could have had. How many of the other races could he have won, perhaps with a slimmer margin, by only a wheel rim perhaps, but honestly, decently. That makes me feel sorry for him, that he just didn’t have the guts to try it without cheating.
If a survivor of such a lethal form of cancer had come 3rd in the Tour de France it would have made headlines. If he had won it just once, instead of 7 times it would still have been an iconic victory.
Much of the defence for the cyclists’ actions (and, at the time, it is reputed that ALL of the cyclists competing at this level were doping) is that everyone else was doing it. Well, as my mother asked me, “what would you do if everyone else jumped off a cliff?” The only person who was involved who was dead set against the doping was Betsy Andreu, wife of Frankie, one of Lance’s team mates who tried to prevent her husband from doping and came down on him pretty hard when she saw him cycling too well on the Tour. Ultimately Frankie was dropped for not “getting on board” and they both testified against Lance, and were both accused of lying about Lance and lost friends, reputation, jobs and so on as a result.
Perhaps Lance was desperate, or greedy, but of all the people I think Betsy was truly brave, to tell her husband that his life and his health were more important than joining the doping train, and to have the courage to tell the truth.
I admire her fortitude and guts for following the course not just for 21 days but for 7 years until Lance finally admitted the truth. Maybe someone should give her a couple of yellow jerseys.
Much love, Pearl x
Extra Workout - Tour de France Style
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I was lucky enough to see the Tour de France peloton whizz by in London on Monday (and was so proud of our incredible London crowds who seemed to save their best cheers for those riders struggling a few minutes after the rest of the pack).
I’ve also been watching and reading about the Tour de France and I was reminded that although, like Zumba, it often looks as though we are a group of individuals, we are in fact a team.
Although we have no wind resistance or hills to battle (most of the time!) I have still noticed that standing at the front of the class means you have to work harder. In the Tour de France the lead rider can be working 30% harder than the guys behind and so, if you want a little extra va va va voom (the Tour de France cheered Va Va Froome!) pick a spot that challenges you.
Personally I find whoever stands right in front of me gets the most challenging workout (this was my “spot” before I became an Instructor), whereas the back corners are the easiest spots.
Some of the people in my class knew exactly what I was talking about - others tilted their heads, but don’t take my word for it. Move around, try a different spot and see if you find it harder or easier. I always say there are no spots in my class so don’t be afraid to go wherever there is space... you can even do as the peloton does and move forward or back depending on your energy level, how high the “hill” is, and vary your workout to your own pace.
And if I see you all heading for the back corner I’ll know it’s time for a slightly easier track!
Much love, Pearl x
Follow me on Twitter
I was lucky enough to see the Tour de France peloton whizz by in London on Monday (and was so proud of our incredible London crowds who seemed to save their best cheers for those riders struggling a few minutes after the rest of the pack).
I’ve also been watching and reading about the Tour de France and I was reminded that although, like Zumba, it often looks as though we are a group of individuals, we are in fact a team.
Although we have no wind resistance or hills to battle (most of the time!) I have still noticed that standing at the front of the class means you have to work harder. In the Tour de France the lead rider can be working 30% harder than the guys behind and so, if you want a little extra va va va voom (the Tour de France cheered Va Va Froome!) pick a spot that challenges you.
Personally I find whoever stands right in front of me gets the most challenging workout (this was my “spot” before I became an Instructor), whereas the back corners are the easiest spots.
Some of the people in my class knew exactly what I was talking about - others tilted their heads, but don’t take my word for it. Move around, try a different spot and see if you find it harder or easier. I always say there are no spots in my class so don’t be afraid to go wherever there is space... you can even do as the peloton does and move forward or back depending on your energy level, how high the “hill” is, and vary your workout to your own pace.
And if I see you all heading for the back corner I’ll know it’s time for a slightly easier track!
Much love, Pearl x
July 3, 2014
Weekly Newsletter - Shoulders of Giants
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Monday 7th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(6 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Friday 11th July
Salsa master class
7:30 – 9pm One off master class Holistic Fitness £10
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Cha Cha Swing
Check out the fab video from Zumba Fitness for one of our new songs Cha Cha Swing.
This made me LOL
Funnily enough after my comments last week about Usain Bolt I got "sent this in the mail" – although it's very cheesy at the beginning about 2 minutes in it gets interesting and Beto's comments about getting a break made me LOL.
The funny thing is that because of Zumba I definitely had a much easier time getting started teaching – so it reminds me that, as much as we ever think we are doing things by ourselves, we are all "standing on the shoulders of giants".
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Tracy completed 5 classes!
Qui, Bernice and Eleanor all completed 20 classes in the same class!!
...and a whopping 50 classes completed Chris - fantastic job!
Well done everyone!
Salsa Master Class This Week!!
Don’t forget it’s the very first master class at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon on Friday 11th July, 7:30-9pm.
The night will run like our usual Zumba Fitness classes but with a little more pizazz, giving everyone the chance to indulge in a lot of salsa from the simplest moves to something a little more tasty!
Feel free to wear your regular class gear or dress up to the nines (no heels please), partners are welcome but this is not a partner type class.
Tickets are £10 and there is limited space so please do let me know as soon as you can if you would like a ticket. Refundable up until 4th July (week beforehand).
Diary Dates
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 7th July 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(6 spaces left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Friday 11th July
Salsa master class
7:30 – 9pm One off master class Holistic Fitness £10
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Cha Cha Swing
Check out the fab video from Zumba Fitness for one of our new songs Cha Cha Swing.
This made me LOL
Funnily enough after my comments last week about Usain Bolt I got "sent this in the mail" – although it's very cheesy at the beginning about 2 minutes in it gets interesting and Beto's comments about getting a break made me LOL.
The funny thing is that because of Zumba I definitely had a much easier time getting started teaching – so it reminds me that, as much as we ever think we are doing things by ourselves, we are all "standing on the shoulders of giants".
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Tracy completed 5 classes!
Qui, Bernice and Eleanor all completed 20 classes in the same class!!
...and a whopping 50 classes completed Chris - fantastic job!
Well done everyone!
Salsa Master Class This Week!!
Don’t forget it’s the very first master class at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon on Friday 11th July, 7:30-9pm.
The night will run like our usual Zumba Fitness classes but with a little more pizazz, giving everyone the chance to indulge in a lot of salsa from the simplest moves to something a little more tasty!
Feel free to wear your regular class gear or dress up to the nines (no heels please), partners are welcome but this is not a partner type class.
Tickets are £10 and there is limited space so please do let me know as soon as you can if you would like a ticket. Refundable up until 4th July (week beforehand).
Diary Dates
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
July 2, 2014
Travel Happy
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So, I’m writing this after yet another screaming altercation with a driver, after promising myself I was going to “Travel Happy”, do everything I could to stay safe and keep coming back to that place of peace within myself. Ho hum, that didn’t work today. I’m struggling with my anger and negativity and just replaying it thinking about how I could have handled it differently, but honestly, after a near miss when a driver tried to overtake when he could already see the oncoming traffic, swerved back and then beeped ME because I shouted “too close” it’s hard to think how I could possibly have resisted speaking to him when I overtook him at the lights (about 3 seconds later). Sadly his aggression towards me; “you shouldn’t be on the road” “you should be on the cycle path” (there is NO cycle path there) etc. infuriated me and he got several Tier 2 swear words, not Tier 1 although in fairness they would have been justified. He told me off for swearing. Yes, endangering my life, the lives of the people in the oncoming car and his own life far more morally superior than a few f****ing swear words.
Huge row, reporting him to the police and an attempt to report him to his employer (Merton Council) all for what? So he could get to the queue at the red lights a few seconds faster. Seriously.
In every single incident when a driver endangers me to go faster and overtake they end up sitting in traffic behind exactly the same vehicle they would have been behind if they had just waited until it was safe to overtake. The idea that somehow cyclists are slowing down traffic is completely bogus.
So... let’s Travel Happy. Take a deep breath with me. Then another, and another.
Okay.
So, remember driving along a country lane with the smell of summer and the wind in your hair, let’s drive like that.
Remember strolling down the road, pausing to look in a shop window or call out “Good morning” to a friend, let’s walk like that.
Remember cycling along feeling the freedom of the wind in your face and the sun on your skin, let’s cycle like that.
The idea of rushing, having to be somewhere fast is bogus. What’s the rush? As the old saying goes “Less haste, more speed.” When we rush we still end up having to wait at the lights, or sitting waiting for a friend or a colleague. Those few seconds we are so desperate to save on the road are worth spending to enjoy a relaxed and happy journey.
It’s about the journey people.
Let’s work together, not separate ourselves out into drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, we are all people and we all need each other. We need HGVs, buses, taxis, rubbish trucks, we also need ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles and more for our day to day needs. Somebody has to deliver the bread. We need people to get about - whether they are our customers, colleagues, doctors, dentists - so we need people to walk and cycle because there are not enough resources for us all to drive and park, even if we wanted to.
(And I’ll let you into a little secret, since I’ve been more focused on drivers’ behaviour I will tell you that the vast majority are sensible, safe and considerate - it’s just the others you get to hear about!)
So, first of all, let’s remember, “Better Late Than Never” - it is never worth that dangerous manoeuvre. If you need a little danger in your life I recommend starting your own business or try dancing or speaking in front of others.
Next, let’s all do a few little things to make life better for all.
Put Down The Mobile Phone - we all need to do this, even pedestrians. One of the most common accidents is trips and falls while texting or messing about with the phone. Even hands free means that you are not paying full attention to the road.
Turn Down The Music - especially cyclists as we rely so much on our hearing, but pedestrians too and drivers. So often when I am on the road I am the first to pull over because I can hear a siren before the drivers.
Look Twice - especially cyclists and pedestrians - because we rely more on our hearing we are the most guilty of walking out into the road, or swerving without checking our “mirrors”. Just because you didn’t hear a vehicle doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Give Fair Warning - let’s indicate, use a bell, anything to give others a bit of notice of what we’re about to do.
Be Considerate - if we think of each driver, cyclist, pedestrian as someone we love as opposed to a random stranger how would we do it differently? Would the cyclist pull in between parked cars to allow the driver behind to overtake if it was his or her brother? Would the driver park more considerately and not block the pavement if the person in a mobility vehicle was his or her mother? Would the pedestrian walk across the lights even though it was green for traffic if his or her grandmother was driving? Would I still have screamed at the driver? (To be honest if it was a member of my family who behaved so dangerously I probably would have shouted at them more for putting themselves in danger.)
Ultimately we are one.
I’ve tried over the last few weeks to figure out this whole “commuter argument”, tried to decide whether to join cycling groups (they all want money though!) but it didn’t seem right to me.
Ultimately it reminds me of the struggle for sexual equality. Men and women are different and need different things in order to have equal opportunities but I don’t believe the struggle is helped when we turn on each other. A sexist joke is a sexist joke whether it’s at the expense of men or women, men should have the right to do any job they choose as much as women, my classes will always welcome men as well as women.
But you know, that helps me to put this morning’s altercation into perspective. I believe in equality for all commuters and I will treat drivers and pedestrians with as much respect as I can but if anyone, be they pedestrian, cyclist or driver puts me in danger or harasses me I will not hold back, just as I would never hold back if I was sexually harassed, paid less than my male colleagues or otherwise discriminated against.
...and you know I may well use my fine and colourful vocabulary in the process!
Much love, Pearl x
Follow me on Twitter
So, I’m writing this after yet another screaming altercation with a driver, after promising myself I was going to “Travel Happy”, do everything I could to stay safe and keep coming back to that place of peace within myself. Ho hum, that didn’t work today. I’m struggling with my anger and negativity and just replaying it thinking about how I could have handled it differently, but honestly, after a near miss when a driver tried to overtake when he could already see the oncoming traffic, swerved back and then beeped ME because I shouted “too close” it’s hard to think how I could possibly have resisted speaking to him when I overtook him at the lights (about 3 seconds later). Sadly his aggression towards me; “you shouldn’t be on the road” “you should be on the cycle path” (there is NO cycle path there) etc. infuriated me and he got several Tier 2 swear words, not Tier 1 although in fairness they would have been justified. He told me off for swearing. Yes, endangering my life, the lives of the people in the oncoming car and his own life far more morally superior than a few f****ing swear words.
Huge row, reporting him to the police and an attempt to report him to his employer (Merton Council) all for what? So he could get to the queue at the red lights a few seconds faster. Seriously.
In every single incident when a driver endangers me to go faster and overtake they end up sitting in traffic behind exactly the same vehicle they would have been behind if they had just waited until it was safe to overtake. The idea that somehow cyclists are slowing down traffic is completely bogus.
So... let’s Travel Happy. Take a deep breath with me. Then another, and another.
Okay.
So, remember driving along a country lane with the smell of summer and the wind in your hair, let’s drive like that.
Remember strolling down the road, pausing to look in a shop window or call out “Good morning” to a friend, let’s walk like that.
Remember cycling along feeling the freedom of the wind in your face and the sun on your skin, let’s cycle like that.
The idea of rushing, having to be somewhere fast is bogus. What’s the rush? As the old saying goes “Less haste, more speed.” When we rush we still end up having to wait at the lights, or sitting waiting for a friend or a colleague. Those few seconds we are so desperate to save on the road are worth spending to enjoy a relaxed and happy journey.
It’s about the journey people.
Let’s work together, not separate ourselves out into drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, we are all people and we all need each other. We need HGVs, buses, taxis, rubbish trucks, we also need ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles and more for our day to day needs. Somebody has to deliver the bread. We need people to get about - whether they are our customers, colleagues, doctors, dentists - so we need people to walk and cycle because there are not enough resources for us all to drive and park, even if we wanted to.
(And I’ll let you into a little secret, since I’ve been more focused on drivers’ behaviour I will tell you that the vast majority are sensible, safe and considerate - it’s just the others you get to hear about!)
So, first of all, let’s remember, “Better Late Than Never” - it is never worth that dangerous manoeuvre. If you need a little danger in your life I recommend starting your own business or try dancing or speaking in front of others.
Next, let’s all do a few little things to make life better for all.
Put Down The Mobile Phone - we all need to do this, even pedestrians. One of the most common accidents is trips and falls while texting or messing about with the phone. Even hands free means that you are not paying full attention to the road.
Turn Down The Music - especially cyclists as we rely so much on our hearing, but pedestrians too and drivers. So often when I am on the road I am the first to pull over because I can hear a siren before the drivers.
Look Twice - especially cyclists and pedestrians - because we rely more on our hearing we are the most guilty of walking out into the road, or swerving without checking our “mirrors”. Just because you didn’t hear a vehicle doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Give Fair Warning - let’s indicate, use a bell, anything to give others a bit of notice of what we’re about to do.
Be Considerate - if we think of each driver, cyclist, pedestrian as someone we love as opposed to a random stranger how would we do it differently? Would the cyclist pull in between parked cars to allow the driver behind to overtake if it was his or her brother? Would the driver park more considerately and not block the pavement if the person in a mobility vehicle was his or her mother? Would the pedestrian walk across the lights even though it was green for traffic if his or her grandmother was driving? Would I still have screamed at the driver? (To be honest if it was a member of my family who behaved so dangerously I probably would have shouted at them more for putting themselves in danger.)
Ultimately we are one.
I’ve tried over the last few weeks to figure out this whole “commuter argument”, tried to decide whether to join cycling groups (they all want money though!) but it didn’t seem right to me.
Ultimately it reminds me of the struggle for sexual equality. Men and women are different and need different things in order to have equal opportunities but I don’t believe the struggle is helped when we turn on each other. A sexist joke is a sexist joke whether it’s at the expense of men or women, men should have the right to do any job they choose as much as women, my classes will always welcome men as well as women.
But you know, that helps me to put this morning’s altercation into perspective. I believe in equality for all commuters and I will treat drivers and pedestrians with as much respect as I can but if anyone, be they pedestrian, cyclist or driver puts me in danger or harasses me I will not hold back, just as I would never hold back if I was sexually harassed, paid less than my male colleagues or otherwise discriminated against.
...and you know I may well use my fine and colourful vocabulary in the process!
Much love, Pearl x
June 26, 2014
Weekly Newsletter - Not Being Perefect
Find me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 30th June 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(1 space left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Off to the Carer's Group at Vestry Hall for a book reading!
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Not Being Perefect
Sometimes I wonder if I am cut out to be a fitness instructor, I’m not 19, have zero Latin heritage, have a body that puts on weight in all the curviest places (not that I’m really complaining about that!) so I loved reading Usain Bolt’s autobiography in which he talks about all the work that went into getting him onto the starting line in Beijing. For 6 years he was competitively running the 200m, even pitching up at the Olympics, albeit on the sidelines, without anyone suggesting he attempt 100m because he was so tall.
They discovered he had scoliosis, curvature of the spine, which made it much harder to run 200m, but he had already broken junior records so no one questioned whether he should run that distance.
As well as his usual training he has to do extensive rehab work to make his body strong enough to withstand the impact this type of running has on his body. I bet it all felt worthwhile when he crossed the finish line.
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Maureen and Hazel both completed 30 classes.
Well done!
Salsa Master Class
Don’t forget it’s the very first master class at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon on Friday 11th July, 7:30-9pm.
The night will run like our usual Zumba Fitness classes but with a little more pizazz, giving everyone the chance to indulge in a lot of salsa from the simplest moves to something a little more tasty!
Feel free to wear your regular class gear or dress up to the nines (no heels please), partners are welcome but this is not a partner type class.
Tickets are £10 and there is limited space so please do let me know as soon as you can if you would like a ticket. Refundable up until 4th July (week beforehand).
Diary Dates
Thursday 3rd July - Carers Group
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
Follow me on Twitter
Click to subscribe to my weekly class newsletter http://eepurl.com/U3C3T
Monday 30th June 2014 - Timetable Updates
This Week - All classes running as normal
Monday
10 – 10:45am Zumba Gold® Holistic Fitness, Broadway Court, off The Broadway, SW19 1RG - behind Clarks £6
Tuesday
5:45 – 6:30pm Zumba Gold® Vestry Hall, London Rd, Mitcham, CR4 3UD £5
7:15 – 8:15pm Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Wednesday
10:10 – 10:55am Zumba Gold® Acacia IGC, 230 Grove Road, Mitcham, CR4 1SD £5
(1 space left for this week)
11:30 – 12 noon Zumba Gold® chair Acacia IGC £2
6 – 7pm Zumba® Fitness Holistic Fitness £6
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Thursday
12 – 12:45pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild, Drake House, 44 St. George's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4ED £3
(Due to this class becoming ever busier you will now be able to book your next week's class by paying in advance. You can cancel up until the end of Monday, but after that only emergency cancellations please.)
Off to the Carer's Group at Vestry Hall for a book reading!
6:30 – 7:15pm Zumba Gold® Wimbledon Guild £5
Saturday
10 – 11am Zumba® Fitness Vestry Hall £5
Call me on 07770 846 284 for more details or to book.
Next Week - All classes run as normal
Not Being Perefect
Sometimes I wonder if I am cut out to be a fitness instructor, I’m not 19, have zero Latin heritage, have a body that puts on weight in all the curviest places (not that I’m really complaining about that!) so I loved reading Usain Bolt’s autobiography in which he talks about all the work that went into getting him onto the starting line in Beijing. For 6 years he was competitively running the 200m, even pitching up at the Olympics, albeit on the sidelines, without anyone suggesting he attempt 100m because he was so tall.
They discovered he had scoliosis, curvature of the spine, which made it much harder to run 200m, but he had already broken junior records so no one questioned whether he should run that distance.
As well as his usual training he has to do extensive rehab work to make his body strong enough to withstand the impact this type of running has on his body. I bet it all felt worthwhile when he crossed the finish line.
Congratulations!
To the guys who completed their reward cards this week:
Maureen and Hazel both completed 30 classes.
Well done!
Salsa Master Class
Don’t forget it’s the very first master class at Holistic Fitness in Wimbledon on Friday 11th July, 7:30-9pm.
The night will run like our usual Zumba Fitness classes but with a little more pizazz, giving everyone the chance to indulge in a lot of salsa from the simplest moves to something a little more tasty!
Feel free to wear your regular class gear or dress up to the nines (no heels please), partners are welcome but this is not a partner type class.
Tickets are £10 and there is limited space so please do let me know as soon as you can if you would like a ticket. Refundable up until 4th July (week beforehand).
Diary Dates
Thursday 3rd July - Carers Group
Friday 11th July - Salsa masterclass - Holistic Fitness
Friday 18th July - BELIEVE - Central/East London
Thank You...
...as always for being wonderful - and please do let me know any requests, suggestions or questions you have, for classes, my website or this newsletter.
Much love, Pearl
June 23, 2014
Playing It Safe Is Just About The Most Dangerous Thing You Can Do
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Hello there,
So it’s been quite a crazy few weeks, I’ve been studying for my fitness exams (passed with 92% and 94% first time, hoorah!) teaching extra classes to children as young as 4, to older people of up to 94 and everything was thrown around a bit when I had a bike accident and ended up lying in the middle of the road, thankfully yards in front of a car and not underneath a lorry (that alternate ending is still playing in the back of my mind).
It’s all made me think a lot about safety, especially as one of my participants recently had an injury in my class (only the second in my time teaching).
When things go wrong you go over them in your head, how could I have done it differently? In both of these recent accidents the answer is that we were doing everything right, but sometimes accidents happen. (I say we were doing everything right, I don’t include the driver that swerved in front of me, but that’s another blog.)
There is no such thing as 100% safe fitness, there is no such thing as 100% safe travel, because there is no such thing as 100% safe life.
In fitness we strengthen bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves, brain, senses, lungs, skin, blood and our ability to recover by working them; putting them under stress, pushing beyond our comfort zone. If we don’t use it, we lose it.
This is even more crucial for small children and older people, even though we have to be more careful to avoid accidents. The sad statistics are that this generation of children is now estimated to have a life span 5 years shorter than their parents due to over consumption and inactivity. Even taking into consideration advances in medicine, very little can compensate for poor diet and lack of exercise.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Because it’s “safe”. A child at home, watching television or playing a computer game is safer than outside playing football, even if supervised. They might trip and fall, they might get upset when they lose...
Why eat junk food? Funnily enough I was reading Usain Bolt’s autobiography in which he talks about his famous winning of two gold medals on a diet of 100 chicken nuggets a day. Why was he eating chicken nuggets? Because he was scared of the food in Beijing, he was worried about getting a stomach bug before the race, so chicken nuggets were safe. But that’s 10 days. In his normal training regime Usain doesn’t go near junk food - he loves it, but he cuts it out when he’s getting in shape. You do not build a body like that on chicken nuggets.
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about dementia and one of the areas of research into dementia is neurobics - continually trying new things; new foods, new sounds, new scents, new visuals, new activities, because these all help create new neural pathways in the brain. Staying safe, living the same routine can make our brains weaker. Taking chances, trying new things is central to staying vibrant for as long as we can.
We go for the safe option because we’re scared, but if we keep choosing the safe option our ability to step out of our comfort zone gets weaker, our instincts become dull because we’re nervous about everything new, and our lives get smaller and smaller.
We want to be safe, so we buy massive cars with side bars to protect us from impact, we buy great computer games so our kids don’t have to go outside, but all this safety is killing us.
80% of adults do not take enough exercise to get basic health benefits.
Let’s put this into context, that’s 5 or more sessions a week of 30 minutes at about a third of our maximum, it’s walking or cycling to work, the shops or even the pub. Just this little bit of exercise will cut massively risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, depression, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, falling, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and overall mortality. The cost of driving is far too high - not just petrol but the cost to our health and on a societal level the NHS.
But... safety is just an illusion. According to The Guardian, of the 134 people killed on Greater London's roads in 2012, 14 were cyclists, 27 were riding a "powered two-wheeler" (motorbikes, moped, scooters), 19 were in cars, 5 were in a taxi, bus or coach, or heavy goods vehicle, 69 were pedestrians.
Sadly the pedestrian, Liam Roche, who was killed in the centre of Wimbledon in April will be part of 2014’s total.
Last week a lot of people questioned whether I was going to carry on cycling and it has been in my mind, especially when I had another near miss, this time with a bus that tried to overtake and then we both got stuck, not able to move forward or back. But as the statistic above, and the statistic that far more pedestrians than cyclists are injured by buses show, I may be safer on the bike. In fact just last week I was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in the centre of Wimbledon and, even though the green man was telling me to cross, a bus sped through the crossing closely followed by a white van. This was maybe a hundred yards from the fading flowers in the centre of town where Liam Roche was killed.
I’ve researched online the best tactics for avoiding danger on the road. It seems cycling further out from the curb, not closer, is the way to prevent dangerous overtaking according to experts. As much as my instincts (and the occasional car beep) may urge me to the curb, leaving a good margin on the inside gives me more chance of avoiding hazards like pedestrians stepping into the road, debris (including several hub caps this week) and somewhere to go when a large vehicle does get too close. And, of course, leaving plenty of time so I have the option of pulling over or hanging back when I see a potentially dangerous situation.
We all need to think twice about just what is safe, because those new experiences, like that walk or cycle to work, the new foods you try, the new Zumba Fitness class you take with me(!), the new path you try, might just save your life.
I love this advert from Channel Four because it puts all this into just over a minute.
Much love, Pearl x
Follow me on Twitter
Hello there,
So it’s been quite a crazy few weeks, I’ve been studying for my fitness exams (passed with 92% and 94% first time, hoorah!) teaching extra classes to children as young as 4, to older people of up to 94 and everything was thrown around a bit when I had a bike accident and ended up lying in the middle of the road, thankfully yards in front of a car and not underneath a lorry (that alternate ending is still playing in the back of my mind).
It’s all made me think a lot about safety, especially as one of my participants recently had an injury in my class (only the second in my time teaching).
When things go wrong you go over them in your head, how could I have done it differently? In both of these recent accidents the answer is that we were doing everything right, but sometimes accidents happen. (I say we were doing everything right, I don’t include the driver that swerved in front of me, but that’s another blog.)
There is no such thing as 100% safe fitness, there is no such thing as 100% safe travel, because there is no such thing as 100% safe life.
In fitness we strengthen bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves, brain, senses, lungs, skin, blood and our ability to recover by working them; putting them under stress, pushing beyond our comfort zone. If we don’t use it, we lose it.
This is even more crucial for small children and older people, even though we have to be more careful to avoid accidents. The sad statistics are that this generation of children is now estimated to have a life span 5 years shorter than their parents due to over consumption and inactivity. Even taking into consideration advances in medicine, very little can compensate for poor diet and lack of exercise.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Because it’s “safe”. A child at home, watching television or playing a computer game is safer than outside playing football, even if supervised. They might trip and fall, they might get upset when they lose...
Why eat junk food? Funnily enough I was reading Usain Bolt’s autobiography in which he talks about his famous winning of two gold medals on a diet of 100 chicken nuggets a day. Why was he eating chicken nuggets? Because he was scared of the food in Beijing, he was worried about getting a stomach bug before the race, so chicken nuggets were safe. But that’s 10 days. In his normal training regime Usain doesn’t go near junk food - he loves it, but he cuts it out when he’s getting in shape. You do not build a body like that on chicken nuggets.
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about dementia and one of the areas of research into dementia is neurobics - continually trying new things; new foods, new sounds, new scents, new visuals, new activities, because these all help create new neural pathways in the brain. Staying safe, living the same routine can make our brains weaker. Taking chances, trying new things is central to staying vibrant for as long as we can.
We go for the safe option because we’re scared, but if we keep choosing the safe option our ability to step out of our comfort zone gets weaker, our instincts become dull because we’re nervous about everything new, and our lives get smaller and smaller.
We want to be safe, so we buy massive cars with side bars to protect us from impact, we buy great computer games so our kids don’t have to go outside, but all this safety is killing us.
80% of adults do not take enough exercise to get basic health benefits.
Let’s put this into context, that’s 5 or more sessions a week of 30 minutes at about a third of our maximum, it’s walking or cycling to work, the shops or even the pub. Just this little bit of exercise will cut massively risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, depression, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, falling, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and overall mortality. The cost of driving is far too high - not just petrol but the cost to our health and on a societal level the NHS.
But... safety is just an illusion. According to The Guardian, of the 134 people killed on Greater London's roads in 2012, 14 were cyclists, 27 were riding a "powered two-wheeler" (motorbikes, moped, scooters), 19 were in cars, 5 were in a taxi, bus or coach, or heavy goods vehicle, 69 were pedestrians.
Sadly the pedestrian, Liam Roche, who was killed in the centre of Wimbledon in April will be part of 2014’s total.
Last week a lot of people questioned whether I was going to carry on cycling and it has been in my mind, especially when I had another near miss, this time with a bus that tried to overtake and then we both got stuck, not able to move forward or back. But as the statistic above, and the statistic that far more pedestrians than cyclists are injured by buses show, I may be safer on the bike. In fact just last week I was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in the centre of Wimbledon and, even though the green man was telling me to cross, a bus sped through the crossing closely followed by a white van. This was maybe a hundred yards from the fading flowers in the centre of town where Liam Roche was killed.
I’ve researched online the best tactics for avoiding danger on the road. It seems cycling further out from the curb, not closer, is the way to prevent dangerous overtaking according to experts. As much as my instincts (and the occasional car beep) may urge me to the curb, leaving a good margin on the inside gives me more chance of avoiding hazards like pedestrians stepping into the road, debris (including several hub caps this week) and somewhere to go when a large vehicle does get too close. And, of course, leaving plenty of time so I have the option of pulling over or hanging back when I see a potentially dangerous situation.
We all need to think twice about just what is safe, because those new experiences, like that walk or cycle to work, the new foods you try, the new Zumba Fitness class you take with me(!), the new path you try, might just save your life.
I love this advert from Channel Four because it puts all this into just over a minute.
Much love, Pearl x
