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Member of the Month
Congratulations to the winners at each of our 55 Clubs – every success story represents a life changed for the better through the benefits of exercise!
The National Winner for this month is Abbi Melrose - Esporta Brighton
Our first Member of the Month for 2010 is an incredibly inspiring and extremely hard-working young lady, who has played tennis at Esporta Brighton since she was 10 years old. Abbi began in a development group on a Friday, quickly moving onto individual lessons. By the age of 13 she was playing in (and winning) County tournaments, and moved into Esporta Brighton’s Performance Programme, managed by Rhys Hanger. Abbi is now 16, and she and Rhys have worked hard on her game, playing up to 4 days a week and sometimes up to 23 hours a week on the courts. Abbi also puts a great deal of effort into her fitness training in the Gym with Brendan Hayes our Strength & Conditioning Coach.
We are delighted and very proud that Abbi finished 2009 as No.1 Under 18 in the UK. Furthermore, she has just taken part in the Masters at Roehampton and won.
Abbi has just received her first wild card into an adult tournament, and is well on her way to becoming a Touring Pro!
2010 promises to be an exciting year for Abbi, and we all wish her the very best of luck.
Previous winner - Caroline Ferris - Esporta Glamorgan
The management team have nominated Caroline as Glamorgan’s December Member of the Month. She has been nominated for her dedication to her fitness regime. Caroline has been a member for nearly 2 years, and has lost 5 stone and dropped 6 dress sizes in only 18 months. She is an inspiration to both members and staff. Well done and keep up the good work!
Caroline Says “I joined the Glamorgan New years eve 2007 wanting to make major lifestyle changes. I had a back injury in 2002 which was a low period in my life. I put a look of weight on during this period , where as previously I was fit and very active. My sister had enlisted the help of Gemma Petty, Personal Trainer, and I could see the results in her so I decided I would have a 3 months session with Gemma myself. Gemma has a no nonsense attitude and gets results! I enjoy lots of classes including spin and boxer size plus I also use the gym. I have lost over 5 stone and 6 dress sizes. Esporta you have changed my life!!”
Previous winner - Ned McDonnell - Esporta Brighton
Ned’s story starts back in January when he signed up for personal training at Esporta Brighton. He required motivational, efficient and effective training that would not only assist him in achieving his goals but drive him both physically and mentally in times of hardship. This was the start of a journey that has seen Ned overcome many challenges.
Ned Says: “My intensive training programme was great, I lowered my BMI and Body Fat and started to become more lean. It made a dramatic difference in helping me achieve every goal I set my sights on, such as Swiss Alpine marathon in Davos, the London to Brighton bike ride, various 10k runs across the county and fundraisers / charity walks. However nothing could have prepared me for the level of difficulty for my next big achievement, which I can honestly say has seen me end this year on a real high. My climb up Mount Kilimanjaro!”
On Friday 6th November at 07:59am Ned was one of 28 climbers that included MBE Steve Cram, former Olympic swimmer Karen Pickering and good friends Danny and Kenny Ives who all started the trek. The group set off on Sunday 1st November and followed the Machame route. Only 21 climbers actually made it to the summit battling through extreme temperatures, a snow storm, long hours of walking and real lack of sleep.
“I can honestly say that this was the toughest week of my life, and when we reached the top we were all overwhelmed with emotion. I would like to thank everyone at Esporta for their support and I hope that I will do something just as big next year, watch this space!”
Previous winner - Jess Jones - Esporta Wearside
Jess has been a member of Esporta for two years and decided to take on a fresh challenge of setting a new World Record for Female Parallel Bar Dips as she enjoys the exercise and wanted to set a standard for others to attempt and feels it is a good compromise between body weight and lifting.
Jess has always enjoyed a challenge and has had previous experience of achieving records as part of the British Power Lifting Team. Jess was the British Power Lifting Record holder for 8 years. Other achievements involve British title holder (1994) as well as being ranked 2nd in the world for Deadlifting.
On the 26th August 2009 succeeded in setting a new World Record for Female Parallel Bar Dips with Weight in one minute within Wearside’s free weight area. The new record now stands at 15 in one minute. This involved Jess performing Parallel Bar Tricep Dips with 20 kg weight attached to her waist using a belt. She made this hard task look easy to the amazement of the fitness team. Jess’ family and friends provided support as her husband recorded the event as it would later have to be confirmed as an official world record by Record Holders Republic.
Looking to the future Jess would like to attempt to set a world record for loaded pull ups, we would like to wish Jess the best of luck in achieving this goal. We are sure that with Jess will achieve this with her dedicated, positive and inspiring attitude.
Previous winner - Jessica Piper - Esporta Oxfordshire
Jessica started out at Esporta in March this year, and wanted to achieve the following goals:
To improve her general fitness and increase energy levels, to feel leaner and to have more definition in certain areas of her body. This was due to the fact that she was getting married in July. Jessica said “My wedding was looming ahead so I really wanted to achieve these goals before the most important day of my life. Since I've been attending the gym I have seen a real change in my fitness and physique. I achieved it through focused sessions with a personal trainer”
"Esporta has been a great environment in which to develop myself in. I have now had 10 personal training sessions with Kim and she has been absolutely excellent. It really has exceeded my expectations. I never would have thought about personal training but found the hour taster session with Kim so beneficial that I booked a block of 10. I feel great and have really started to feel so motivated to keep up the hard work I put in. To carry on the enthusiasm I have booked more sessions and look forward to many more. Having the guidance of a professional has really helped me stay committed to my goals, and also to enjoy the process of working out.”
Kim says “Jessica really has shown great commitment in the sessions and comes in full of dedication to achieve. She has trained hard and reaped the rewards. She has shown fantastic commitment in training 3 times a week, and has made substantial gains in all areas of fitness.”
Previous winner - Cecily McKay - Esporta Sheffield
Like the majority of women in their 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s Cecily found that she had no time for any fitness regime due to commitments at work, home and raising three children.
In her mid 40’s having been diagnosed with osteoporosis like both her mother and sister, she decided to put some effort into finding time to keep fit, and so reduce the spread of osteoporosis.
Having taken early retirement two and a half years ago, both Cecily and her husband joined Esporta.
Cecily said, “We enjoy the club and find that we get plenty of advice and encouragement from the instructors.
When I turned 61 this year, I decided to challenge myself with the goal of running the Sheffield Half Marathon. To my surprise I came first in the female over 60 age group I finished the race in 1hour 48 minutes!
Esporta has certainly given me the incentive to keep pounding the pavement in preparation for next year!”
Previous winner - Andrew Hackett - Esporta Northampton
For the majority of his life Andrew has been fit, but travelling extensively through his work he found his lifestyle had become unhealthy and he was struggling to fit into his trousers.
He started running 5 kilometres on a regular basis and adjusted his eating habits. In January he decided to sign up for a triathlon and began training. His exercise plan is broken up into 3 days on and 1 day off, with varying intensity.
Andrew said, “Esporta has been instrumental in this training as I use the swimming pool for the swim sessions and often attend spin classes to add variation to the training. Staff like Lois have been great by sharing her experiences of triathlons and listing out reading materials (most important of which has been a check list which I would have been lost without).
The exercise and the healthy eating has helped me lose around 15kg. The original goal was to lose some weight and reinvigorate my fitness however the benefits have exceeded all expectations an spurred me on. “
Andrew has completed 2 triathlons finishing the first 1 hour 30 min and the second in 1 hour 26 min.
WELL DONE ANDREW!
Previous winner - Maz Lockett - Esporta Stoke
Three years ago Maz woke up to find that she was paralysed and couldn’t move at all. Three days later she went blind. She was diagnosed as having a serious neurological condition with little prospect of a good recovery.
She had managed to make inroads into recovery and was able to walk with crutches when, in October 2008 Maz decided to visit Esporta with her husband Dean and their son DJ. Having used a gym before when in full health Maz says “coming through the front doors was like my worst nightmare”. After assurances she would be in good hands, Maz, Dean and DJ decided to join.
6 months later and with the help of a Personal Trainer, Maz has made significant progress but the going hasn’t been easy.
With a mix of regular and specially developed exercises we have challenged her muscle strength and stability. As a result Maz’s leg, core and upper body strength have improved and she has lost 1 ½ stone.
Maz still uses her crutches because of motor control but we are working on that! Maz now firmly believes that exercise has helped not only with her strength and stability but has played a major part in her healing process. Her worst nightmare became “one of the best things I have ever done”
Maz has created a big impact on those who train around her and has made a lot of friends in the process. What an inspiration - well done!
Previous Winner - Alison Robinson - Esporta Harlow
Alison's reason for joining Esporta Harlow was to lose weight and get fit. When Alison initially joined us she weighed 14 stone and 9 pounds and was a size 18. After completing her On-Track sessions she saw some results but was determined to achieve much more. She then embarked on personal training sessions alongside her exercise programme and group exercise classes such as body combat and urban rebound. She was averaging four to five visits a week in the gym and on good weeks she would have six sessions. A year later Alison has dropped four dress sizes and lost 3 stones and 8 pounds. She now feels she is not only much fitter but deals much better with day-to-day stress. She is still working towards her goal - her current weight is 11 stone, but she is looking to getting down to 10. Well done Alison!
Previous winner - Arlette Correia - Esporta Wimbledon
Congratulations to Esporta’s Member of the Month, Arlette Correia who is 17kgs lighter than 5 months ago, has lost 10% body fat and who has toned her muscles to look, as she says, “tiny and in shape”.
Having joined Esporta Wimbledon about two years ago, she took the odd class and occasionally did cardio. She confesses: “I was overweight, out of shape and remained so for a while”.
Being made redundant nine months ago, she decided to spend more time on herself. “I started going to the gym three to four times a week to do cardio. I was becoming fit but it was not enough” says Arlette. So she started personal training sessions with Matt to lose body fat, develop muscle and overcome her fear of free weights.
4 months into the training, she was feeling great which encouraged her to seriously lose the weight by combining exercise and an improved diet. She started a ‘medical diet’ while training. She says “although I was eating less than I was used to, the exercise helped to keep me going. Results were showing faster but my muscle tone remained - nothing was hanging!”
Since then she has toned up even more, reduced her body fat and lost weight. Plus, Arlette says ‘I enjoy going to the gym and now I love free weights!’ What a result - congratulations Arlette!
Previous winner - Mark Ellison - Esporta Sheffield
Mark Joined Esporta Sheffield in September 08. The fitness team nominated Mark as Member of The Month for losing 6 Stone 3 pounds (87 pounds) in just 14 weeks, 74% of which was pure fat.
Mark improved his health so much that a battery of tests by his medical Doctor confirmed that his health had been “optimised” in every area. His Doctor said the impact on his health is “fantastic!” In fact, the improvement in the 14 weeks was so significant that his Biological Age dropped by 8 years, and many people have told him that he now looks 10 years younger. In addition to losing all of that weight Mark maintained his muscle mass and strength and he has no sagging skin at all.
Mark says: “The support I have received from the staff and trainers at Esporta Sheffield to bring about this incredible transformation has been fantastic! I have previously been a member at other gyms and in every way Esporta is in a league of its own. Thank you so much Esporta”
Previous winner - Louise Kenny - Esporta Repton Park
Congratulations to Louise Kenny, our National Member of the Month in December. Louise has lost 1 stone in weight and has shown total dedication to her fitness training. Louise says: “I have been training regularly for the last year. My job can sometimes be very demanding so I use exercise as a form of stress release and a bit of ‘me time’.” Louise is a singer and travels around England doing a tribute to Dirty Dancing, so training has helped immensely with her breath control while performing. She loves coming to the gym and finds it very therapeutic.
Having initially joined Romford Esporta she transferred to Repton Park in February 2007 which she now visits 6 times a week. She says “Repton Park is a great club. The staff are very friendly.” Her routine ranges from studio classes to gym workouts and swimming, and she takes also part in studio classes, especially Body Pump and Boxercise.
For her gym workouts Louise trains with one of our Personal Trainers, Steve Lombard twice a week – “ Since having a personal trainer I understand the importance of dedication to achieve results” she says. Louise’s training sessions include outdoor and indoor running, free/fixed weights and a variety of boxing routines. She sometimes swims a mile in the pool for her cardio session to give herself a break from running. She says “the swimming pool is beautiful.” Louise is really pleased with the improvement in her muscle tone since she has been training on a regular basis.
One of the goals Louise had was to be able to do full press ups by the end of the year…She can now do 20 repetitions – how fantastic. Well done Louise!
Previous winner - Paul Winter - Esporta Brighton
Paul is a founder member of the Esporta Brighton, joining way back in 1997 so his fitness has always been important to him. Paul says “Last year I was tricked into running a 10 mile race by Tony the Maintenance Manager – who told me it was 10km!”
He modestly says he did ‘quite well’ in that race, and went on to compete in the club triathlon. He didn’t have a bike but Tony found him one.
Bitten by the bug, Paul decided to take things more seriously in 2008 and entered the National Triathlon Championships. He’s now ranked number one in his age group for Great Britain and will be representing the country in the European and World Championships in 2009.
Well done Paul – we’ll be rooting for you in the Championships! Each month we recognise the achievements of our members – read more of their inspiring stories on our website www.esporta.com.
Previous winner - Catherine Lambert – Esporta Chiswick Riverside
Catherine has been a member for about 5 years, going to one or two studio classes a week enjoying body pump and urban rebounding in particular.
She recently decided to apply for a place in next year’s marathon and with that in mind she now has more focus. She started attending our gym classes (a combination of treadmill ignite and glow classes & express circuits) which she says she really enjoys and have helped with her motivation - pushing her to work a little harder than she would do on her own.
At the same time Catherine started to have 45min -1hr training sessions with 2 of our personal trainers (Jack & Etelka) two or three times per week and as a result she has learned a lot about ensuring correct technique - which has then helped when she then has been training on her own.
In 3 months Catherine has gone down 1 dress size, lost a few inches from her waist and also lost 5lbs in weight, apart from feeling so much better she has more energy which helps her deal with the hard job of looking after 2 young children both under the age of 5.
Good luck on getting your place in the marathon Catherine and congratulations to you for being a National Member of the Month.
Previous winner - Clare Weeks - Esporta Rustington
When she joined in June, in her first On-Track session with fitness instructor Dottie, Clare explained that her goal was to lose weight (as with many of our members) and also control her asthma.
With the support of the fitness team in our Rustington club, Clare soon developed the habit of attending regularly – exercising around 4 times per week mainly in the gym and also in the pool.
“I don’t feel that the staff are just ‘trainers doing a job’ – I always have a laugh and a chat with them and see I them as friends.” She also admits “Everyone thinks I’m a nutter for being so committed to my exercise programme!”
Well ‘being a nutter’ has its rewards: Clare has lost 4 inches off her waist and lost 10 pounds in 8 weeks. Congratulations on becoming a National Member of the Month - you are a great inspiration to others and a superb example of what can be achieved.
Previous winner - Tina Nicholson - Esporta Taunton
Tina’s success is remarkable; after struggling with her weight for the last 15 years she embarked on an exercise programme. Through effort, determination and supported by the fitness team and personal trainers she managed to lose 7 stone in a year.
“I thought I was going to be the ‘big jolly fat girl’ for the rest of my life. The Esporta team have been fantastic. I may not always feel like putting my trainers on but the buzz I now get afterwards is something I never believed I would feel.”
Well done for all of your hard work Tina – you are looking great and are a worthy winner of the National Member of the Month Award!
How can you celebrate your achievements and become our Member of the Month?
The General Manager of each Club selects a winner that they feel embodies our goal of helping our members to look and feel great. If you think Esporta has helped you, we want to hear about it!
Fill out the below form which goes directly to your Club General Manager, or speak to member of the team for more information.