Geelong's Gym

My bank wants to do what??!!

There’s no point trying to guess, because you never will… my bank actually wants to help promote Geelong’s Gym in their local branches as part of their community outreach and support for their clients… how good is that?

So I guess this blog is a little bit of a plug for The Westpac Bank.

As you can see in the photo, they allowed us to deck out their community board for the whole month of March and because we extended the campaign, they carried it through until mid-April!

Not only that, the bank tellers wore our Gym T-shirts for a day and they’re now wearing them again as I write this.

They have climbed up the rank of banks for me, just by being real and helping the little guy, instead of just being a big corporate without heart.

Thank you Westpac!

For all those who haven’t caught up on the news, we’d like to say a huge congratulations to our Centre Manager, Adam Ryan, on the result of his very first Empire State Building Run Up.

Adam came an impressive 19th overall out of a field of 250 men (and 6th in his age group).  This great result eventuated despite him being pinned against the wall at the start of the race and losing a good minute and a half, not to mention having to endure his fair share of jabbing elbows and shirt pulling!

Well done on a fantastic race even with all the hurdles… you’re our champion!

Oh and welcome home to the land downunder – it’s great to have you back.

Have you tried one of our TRX Suspension Training classes at Geelong’s Gym.  It’s a whole lot of fun and an incredible total body workout.  We thought you’d like to have a brief look at what it’s all about, so we’ve included a video at the bottom of the post.

This particular class in the video is run by one of our experienced personal trainers, Annie Cramp, and the participants love it so much that this is actually the second round of classes they’ve signed up for! 

At Geelong’s Gym we strongly believe in the importance of adding some personal training into your exercise routine, because it’s the best way to achieve fantastic results FAST.  That’s why we opened Zone 10, our Personal Training Studio, which is where this TRX class is taking place.

We have lots of different classes on offer in the studio and our members who take part in them are delighted with the results they’re getting – because these types of functional exercises really work!  But not only that, it’s also much more motivating to work out with other like-minded people, not to mention a great way to get to know other members of the gym.

So, if you need some extra motivation to improve your fitness and/or body shape… or want to work out with someone else… or just want to try out the TRXs and the other great functional training equipment in Zone 10, sign up for the next round of Small Group Personal Training… there are lots of different classes available (like Ultimate Fitness Circuit, Summer Fit or Cardio Express to name but a few), specifically designed to work out all your muscle groups in a full-on, action packed half hour session.

Don’t forget to check out the video below to get a taste of what we’re talking about…

Have you ever really thought about what it would be like to be homeless at Christmas time?

Homeless people don’t have a Christmas Tree, they don’t wake up to gifts on Christmas morning and they can’t cook a hot Christmas lunch… not to mention, they don’t have a home overflowing with family, friends and Christmas cheer.

That’s why what the Salvation Army does is so important… they not only provide a wonderful Christmas dinner for those in need, but they also provide a place for families to share time together.

This year, many homeless people in Geelong also received a small Christmas gift, which was donated by the generous members at Geelong’s Gym.  In the video below Lisa Dalla-Zuanna from the Salvation Army shares how these gifts will help people very much in need of them.

So we’d just like to say we hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a huge thank you to the Salvation Army and all our fantastic members at Geelong’s Gym.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Annie Cramp, one of our Personal Trainers here at Geelong’s Gym, has just been awarded the 2010 Sustagen Sport Community Sports Trainer of the Year!

Annie, with a member of the St Joseph's Football Club, on game day.

Here’s just part of the reason why Annie, an Australian Sports Medicine accredited Personal Trainer, won this award:  “Annie, trainer at the St Joseph’s Football and Netball Club in Geelong, Victoria, understands that appropriate hydration and nutrition are not just an issue on game day, but something that needs to be constantly addressed, managed and encouraged at every training and recovery session.  She understands the importance in having up to date and accurate advice from industry professionals such as dieticians, physios and medicos to ensure that all players at the club are prepared for game day.”

Wow!  What an achievement.  We are so proud of her and wanted to acknowledge what a fantastic trainer she is and the awesome contribution she has made (and continues to make) here at the gym and out in the community, to help people have lives overflowing with health and fitness.

We are delighted to have her as such an integral part of our team (and one of our Team Leaders to boot!) – this award only acknowledges what we’ve known for a long time… her care and concern for her community is reflected in her every action and word.

Well done, Annie!

A while back, I blogged about one of our Group Class Instructors, Joe Tutone, who was heading off on a short-term mission trip to Uganda.  I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to report back with some of the fantastic things Joe was involved with in this poverty stricken nation.

Joe was largely based in the small town of Jinja at the ISA Children’s Home, Care 4 Kids, where he was involved in building a proper kitchen with four walls and a roof, bringing in water tanks and First Aid training for the base workers.

Despite the poverty they live in, the kids can't stop smiling!

Soccer balls and skipping ropes were purchased for the kids and, of course, Joe managed to take some aerobics classes!

Another part of the trip was spent in a village on the outskirts of Bweyale, where there was no sewerage or water and power was off for most of the week.  Joe’s time in this village was spent building a new water pump for the village and carrying out hygiene and sanitation training.

I feel completely safe in saying that we take our living conditions and modern facilities for granted.  Hearing Joe’s story, I realise how lucky we are.  For example, a medical centre Joe visited hadn’t had power for two years… TWO YEARS!!!

A huge thank you to Joe for sharing some of his experiences on this incredible trip with us.  The time he spent over there had such an impact on Joe that he’ll be returning to Uganda in April 2011.

I have a number of core values at Geelong’s Gym and two of them are Care and Community, so it’s wonderful that I have team members who live their lives epitomising these values.

Once again I’m both excited and privileged to be able to offer you the services of an EXTREMELY talented friend of mine, photographer Phil Nitchie, from Nitchie Photography.

Phil takes all our photos down at Geelong’s Gym and I think he’s brilliant… a very gifted professional.

Phil has kindly made available a special for our clients of a Free $95 Print to anyone who makes a booking or buys a voucher for this Fathers’ Day.

So why not make this Fathers’ Day one to remember and organize Phil to capture some beautiful memories. I completely endorse Phil and I know you won’t be disappointed.

Paris, Georgia and Paula Kontelj from Bay FM with the massive 6 kg Easter Egg they bought in the fundraising auction!

Wow!  What a fantastic way to spend Good Friday morning!  Geelong’s Gym is usually closed on Good Friday, but this year we opened our doors for three hours in the morning to raise funds for The Geelong Hospital.

Two special classes were put on – Spin and Pump – with multiple Instructors to create a fun, celebratory atmosphere.  The Instructors generously donated their time to the cause and we asked all our members and their guests to simply bring along a gold coin (or more) donation for the Appeal.  And as a result, $900 was raised for The Geelong Hospital!  So a big thank you, to all the Instructors and members who supported the Appeal – we look forward to doing another one!

As well as a raffle to win a number of Easter Hampers donated by Cadbury, we also had an Auction to take home a massive 6 kilo Cadbury Egg!  The lucky highest bidder, at $210, was Paula Kontelj, Bay FM radio personality and Geelong’s Gym Group Class Coordinator, pictured here with the egg and her two daughters, Georgia and Paris.  We’re sure they all had a fantastic Easter and we look forward to seeing them back in the gym working off that huge egg!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that you’ll come and join us next Good Friday.

Geelong’s Own Joe Tutone, who works here for us at Geelong’s Gym as a Group Fitness Instructor as well as helping out around the Gym when events are happening, is headed to Ginja in Uganda on Monday, 12^th April. 

Joe goes in conjunction with ISA (International Support Aid Charitable Trust), which primarily focusses on poverty stricken and orphaned children who need support and help to rebuild their lives.  Many of these children are suffering the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and are too young to care for themselves.

He is going to help provide some much needed assistance at a medical centre connected to three orphanages in the area.  Joe will also be helping to finish off a recently constructed children’s home on a large acreage of land, which can be utilised for agricultural and animal husbandry income-generating projects.  Funds need to be raised to plough the land and prepare it for crop cultivation.

Getting active in Joe's 80s Disco Themed Fundraising Class at Geelong's Gym

To help support Joe, we’ve had fundraising within the Gym and raised over $3000, so Joe can take over medical supplies and provide assistance in the implementation of the medical side of things.

Some facts about Uganda:

Some crazy 80s Aerobics Outfits!

• 36% of the population live below the national poverty line
• 33% of those over the age of 15 are illiterate
• 23% of children under the age of 5 are under weight for their age
• 19% of the population are undernourished
• Average life expectancy is 51 years

All the best on your trip Joe.  We look forward to hearing about all the wonderful experiences you have and the inspiring people you will no doubt meet.