Harrogate gym launches strength training for menopausal women

A Harrogate gym has launched strength training sessions for women over 40 in an bid to “change the narrative” around menopause.

The sessions will be held at Eleven Eleven Sports Performance, which launched a studio on Otley Road in May.

The programme will focus on heavy lifting and increasing strength training to stimulate and build muscles to make up for the decline in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. It will also include sprint interval training, plyometrics and stabilising exercises.

Information will also be given on how to lead a healthier lifestyle to help lower cortisol levels, which is known as the stress hormone.

The sessions will be led by coaches Mark Nel and Kelly Loe, who moved to Harrogate from South Africa a year ago.

The couple co-own Eleven Eleven with Liz and Dean Kemp.

Empowering women

Ms Kemp said:

“Lifting weights is going to be good for anyone over the age of 40, but for women specifically because of the imbalances in hormones and the massive impact it has. Estrogen is a muscle-building hormone, so if that’s dropping you need to replace it.

“It’s trying to empower women to say you can do something about it. You can lift heavy and you will get the same effect and you will be able to build that lean muscle mass. This is even more important when you get older.

“It’s turning something negative into something positive. It’s about getting the narrative out there that you can pick up a barbell at any age if you are coached in the right way.”

The semi-private classes are limited to four participants to allow them develop their technique and lift safely.

They are being held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes from 12-1pm and 1pm-2pm.

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New skills

It is hoped that under the guidance of Mr Nel and Ms Loe, who are both skilled weightlifters, the sessions will encourage women to try something new and gain new skills.

Ms Kemp said:

“I turned 50 this year and I’m a control freak. I didn’t like the changes going on in my life without knowing how I could help and take back control. I think that was where it started from.

“You can’t control what your hormone levels are doing, but there are so many ways you can improve your health and body composition.

“I was training with Mark and Kelly and I realised what they were doing is what the over 40s need in their life to create a healthier and fitter lifestyle going forward.

“It’s about changing the conversation and mindset around it and focussing on the positive.

“It’s being in the right environment to be able to train safely and do what we need to do to replace what our hormones used to with nutrition, healthy living, sprint training and jumping and not being scared of doing it.”

Age is just a number

Mr Nel, who has 24 years experience in the fitness industry, said no matter what age you are, you should still be able to achieve the same ability as someone who is younger if you are taught correctly.

He said:

“You might not lift the same weight or speed, but you are not restricted to ‘you can’t do that because you are this age’. To me it doesn’t matter if you take the right approach. There are athletes doing it at 70.”

Mr Nel, who has a string of accolades under his belt in both CrossFit and weightlifting, added that programmes can be modified for individuals depending on their ability.

He said:

“If your ability is just a barbell, you have that option to go through. If you are someone who is a fit 67-year-old and you want a little bit more intensity that option is there as well.”

Foundations

There will be a focus on mastering three basic foundations of bench, squats and deadlifts before advancing further.

Ms Kemp said:

“The other thing that makes it unique is you are benchmarked. So you have your set standard and until you reach the next level you don’t progress. It allows you to understand what your weaknesses are and what you need to work on.”

Ms Loe, who has been coaching since 2015 and specialises in CrossFit, added:

“I think we have created an environment where we respect more of the technique side of it than lifting heavy. We cheer on the person who is coming last and trying the hardest, as opposed to the person coming first. We do not tolerate massive egos.”

Ms Kemp said there was so much information out there about menopause that it could be overwhelming.

She added:

“That’s what we want to strip back to the bare functions of what you can do to take control and turn the difficult transition into something positive.”

‘More needs to be done’ on food education, says Harrogate nutrition coach

A Harrogate personal trainer and nutrition coach says there isn’t a right or wrong answer when it comes to calories being listed on menus.

Lyndsay Wells said one of the benefits of the new regulations was that people might actually change their order to something they would enjoy more.

However, she said it would be more beneficial for people to understand their own needs and the nutritional content of what they ordered, rather than a simple calorie count.

She said:

“There are occasions where someone might assume a dish is low calorie because it’s a salad or fish dish for example. However, by the time you’ve added in oil, butter, cheese or dressings, you might find that a burger is around the same energy value.

“This is where it might help people move away from demonising certain foods and choosing something that they would enjoy more.

“This is again dependent on whether the focus of an individual is to create a calorie deficit or just be more mindful of consumption.

“The other thing to note is that lower calorie doesn’t equal more healthy.

“There are plenty of low calorie, but highly processed, carbohydrate snack foods with little benefit to our body, where avocado or nuts, for example, would be much more nutritious but also much higher in calories.”

Lyndsay’s comments follow a Stray Ferret report yesterday on a top Harrogate hotelier’s views on new rules that mean the calorie count of dishes must be published on some restaurant menus.

Under new regulations, restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff must print how many calories are in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms.

The new rule, which was brought in at the start of the month, is part of Government plans to tackle obesity by helping people to make healthier choices.

Mrs Wells said she could see it could be problematic in some instances, such as for people with eating disorders.

She also said there was no evidence that it will improve people’s choices when eating out.

She said:

“For this to truly work, an individual would firstly need to know their daily energy needs and be motivated to stay within these parameters, either for overall health and weight maintenance or with a deficit for fat loss.”

Even if people know their energy needs, Mrs Wells said values on menus could be inaccurate and should only be used as a guide.

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She said calorie counts should only form part of the decision, with individual needs and overall nutrition also to be considered.

She added:

“I might still have something with a higher calorie value because I’m focused on eating for health and strength.

“I totally appreciate that my goals are completely individual and we are all different, this is why I feel there’s no right answer.

“But we have to make some changes to encourage restaurants to improve the way they prepare foods and reduce portion sizes, which are often far bigger than they need to be. This is often more problematic.

“We live in an increasingly obesogenic environment. I do think more needs to be done to update education on nutrition guidance and the ‘whys’ of moderation and the benefits of eating more whole foods, protein and vegetables.”

Home training, wearable tech and the great outdoors: Fitness trends for 2022

When it comes to fitness, it’s time to ditch those over-ambitious New Year’s resolutions, because at the end of the day it’s all about doing what you enjoy and staying consistent if you want to hit those goals.

However, there will always be fads – remember those trainers that claimed to give you Kim Kardashian glutes and those belts that gave you an electric shock?

But what have we got in store for 2022?

Two Harrogate personal trainers give their views on what fitness trends we will see in the New Year.

Lauren Randall 

PT Lauren Randall

Home training

You can see great results from callisthenic (body weight) training and using simple exercise kit at home. To see good results, you want to follow a plan that progressively overloads you. Doing random High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts will help your cardio to a certain level, but if your aim is long-term home training and progression, get yourself a structured plan.

3 Simple Home Kit Essentials:

Fitbit fanatic

Wearable fitness trackers have been huge for a while and they are great for getting people moving and increasing that daily step count. Incredible upgrades can now help track heart rates, split times, sleep, health markers and recovery like never before!

However, focusing on how many calories are burnt in a session is an ineffective method of progressing your strength and fitness. Not only can these trackers be inaccurate, exercise is about so much more than a number on a watch.

Mental and physical health, energy, confidence, performance and getting out of a chair at 99-years-old are all far more motivating long-term.

The great outdoors

Research shows that fresh air, sunlight and being surrounded by green nature has incredible benefits to our health such as lowered blood pressure, reduced stress, improved mood and healthier nervous systems. Working out in the fresh air leaves you feeling invigorated and energised. Yes even in the rain! Cold water exposure is extremely popular, with outdoor swimming and paddle boarding groups popping up in every town. Check out Wim Hof if you want to learn the crazy effects cold water can have on us.

Now more than ever people are conscious of their health and fitness. There is incredible access to all types of gyms, outdoor training centres, great home kit and technology that can help anyone, anywhere.

My top tip for anyone looking to improve their health this year: Do what you enjoy! It is the best way to remain consistent and have a good time while exercising – even if it is weighted hula hooping, which by the way won’t give you toned abs.

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Louise Roberts 

PT Louise Roberts

What does fitness have in store for us in 2022?

Much as I would love an aerobics revival (who didn’t love that in the 90s?!), I doubt that will happen any time soon.

2020 and 2021 were both equally bleak, yet innovative, years for the fitness industry.

I’ve lost clients to Peleton and other app-based classes and trainers, yet gained Zoom clients elsewhere in the country.

The best thing going forward is that people are now prioritising their health.

In my opinion fitness is not something you can churn out in an app like a sausage factory, people appreciate the personalised customised face-to-face approach.

I’m hoping for no more lockdowns or outdoor workouts. It’s too damned cold.

The main trend for 2022 should be finding the thing you love doing the most, as well as the person to train you that you trust and who motivates you. The stronger you can make yourself by training the right way, the better you can fight and recover from illness.