Summer’s here, as are countless campaigns and articles telling you how to be beach body ready and how to look good. At Newport Live we do things a little differently; our aim is to inspire you to be happier and healthier, and our campaign this summer is all about helping you to feel great.

How many times have you taken up a new fitness regime and not received the results you wanted? I’m here to offer some real advice in order to get you started, put things into perspective and gain some easy wins.

1. Think about your goal
What goals do you want to achieve? Ask yourself a few questions...What are the benefits of you achieving these goals? How will you feel when you do?Will it have a positive impact on your life? It is these values which will motivate you to keep going.

Speak to a fitness instructor – at Newport Live our staff are fully qualified and can provide bespoke fitness programmes, nutrition advice and give ongoing support every step of the way.

2. Under promise – over achieve
Over promising can often be one of the fatal flaws for not achieving long term results. When somebody says: “As of Monday I am going to start exercising every day!” with the best of intentions, this is an over promise.
Not only will this result in a likelihood of injury, it might be asking too much in one go, resulting in de-motivation and feelings of failure and giving up. Take the pressure off yourself a little; choose times to exercis ewhich work around
you. Do something you enjoy – if you don’t fancy the gym, go for a swim, have a game of tennis or try an exercise class. We have more than 120 each week across Newport Live, so there’s something for everyone.Our members get unlimited gym access, classes, public swimming and racket sports included in their membership,which they can use across all Newport Live centres.

3. Lose the idea of ‘all or nothing’
Don’t let a bad day turn into a badweek, or a bad week turn into a bad month. Don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go to plan. When things do go wrong, what are the triggers? Is it stress? Lack of preparation? Lack of sleep? Keep monitoring your progress and identifying what changes you can make to succeed.

4. Bin the calorie counting
Calories are only half of the battle, as they are not all created equal – 400 calories of crisps does not affect your body in the same way as 400 calories of high-quality vegetables and protein will. Fortunately, if you can expand your horizons and make smart changes to your diet and eating habits, you can stop worrying about counting calories forever.

5. Embrace the day the right way
We meet so many people who think starvation is the way forward to loseweight, but a good diet will boost your metabolism and your health. It’s no myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it can help to break the cycle of binge eating, trips to the vending machine and rebalance your blood sugar in the morning. Try a hard boiled egg with spinach and peppers, asparagus and poached egg, or natural yoghurt, granola, blueberries, and linseed.

Don’t forget, the fitness team at Newport Live will always be able to support you with your goals – it’s what we’re here for.

Visit newportlive.co.uk for more details about how we can help you feel great this summer.

By Bryony Gurmin, health, fitness and wellbeing
manager, at Newport Live


BRING YOUR COPY OF VOICE TO ANY NEWPORT LIVE CENTRE IN JUNE AND WE’LL GIVE YOU A FREE FIVE-DAY PASS FOR GYM, GROUP EXERCISE, POOLS AND COURTS*

*Terms and conditions:One pass per person for single use across five consecutive days. Cannot be exchanged for any other activity or cash value.