3rd October 2017 | Nottingham

Manager’s Message

Welcome to October and the start of shorter days. Just a gentle reminder that as we reach this time of year, the outdoor pool will be wrapped up for the winter from Tuesday October 31st. We hope you’ve enjoyed using it this summer.

This month we’re supporting a charity close to the heart of one of our members whose family has been affected by the hurricane that has devastated the island of Dominica. We are collecting items that are urgently needed by Dominica’s citizens and are grateful of any of the following; tinned foods, tarpaulin, nappies, rice, pasta, sleeping bags, porridge oats, deodorant, shaving items, baby supplies, and nails/roof screws. For more information please contact Lenny Prince on 07488240373. Thank you for your support.

We also ask once again that those of you using the car park please respect our new rules regarding the first section being reserved for high sided vehicles. A lot of our members who arrive at the club in high sided vehicles have had to leave without using the club for a workout because they have been unable to park. The barriers have been erected for the safety and peace of mind of all members so please be considerate when parking your car. After all, you’re visiting the gym for health and fitness, parking a little further away can be part of your warm up.  

Have a great October - and special congratulations and cheers if you are challenging yourself with Stoptober or Go Sober For October! Don't forget that exercise is fantastic for both of these challenges because it releases feel good endorphins and can stave off the craving for nicotine and/or alcohol.

Julie Bowley and your Roko Nottingham Team

Member Referral Offer

Introduce a friend to Roko and if they decide to join then we'll give you both a Roko voucher pack worth over £100. There's no limit to the number of friends you can refer and receive rewards for and we hope you can really benefit from this voucher pack.

Simply click here to refer your friends on-line and we'll contact them to arrange their personalised tour

Fitness News

LES MILLS LAUNCHES
The next round of Les Mills releases are here and will be launched on the following days and times:
Body Balance           Wednesday 4th October @ 09.35am
Body Combat           Saturday 7th October @ 08.30am
Body Attack             Saturday 7th October @ 09.30am
Body Jam                Saturday 7th October @ 10.30am
Body Pump              Saturday 7th October @ 11.30am

Be sure to book your place to guarantee entry to the classes!

NEW EARLY MORNING CLASSES AND TIMES
We’re adding to our timetable and giving you even more options to choose from before you head off to work. These changes and new classes take effect from Monday 30th October:
MONDAY
06.45 – 07.30                    BODY PUMP                       NEW TIME
07.00 – 07.30                    CIRC-X                             NEW CLASS
TUESDAY
06.45 – 07.30                    CYCLONE                          NEW TIME
07.30 – 08.00                    CORE-X                            NEW CLASS
WEDNESDAY
07.00 – 07.30                    STRENGTH-X                      NEW CLASS
THURSDAY
07.45 – 08.15                    CORE-X                            NEW CLASS
FRIDAY
06.45 – 07.30                    BODY PUMP                       NEW TIME
07.00 – 07.30                    BODY-X                            NEW CLASS

Zzzzzzzzzzzz
Most of us experience it at some time in our lives...lying awake worrying about being awake to the point where we can’t actually get back to sleep. But are we thinking about sleep in the wrong ways? The evidence suggests we are… It’s now increasingly evident that our modern ideas about sleep were not shared by our ancestors. Fretting about getting the requisite eight hours may well be a symptom of the technological age in which we live, not something our bodies naturally demand or crave.

This was recently highlighted by the historian Roger Ekirch whose research uncovered hundreds of historical references to segmented sleeping patterns, in diaries, court records, medical books and literature. He argued that before cheap electricity, people would commonly go to bed early and get up in the middle of the night, do a few chores, then go back to sleep.

Might we be worrying too much about how much sleep we don’t get? Here’s some common questions answered…

Is the idea of a solid eight-hour sleep a thoroughly modern invention?
This makes sense. The nights were long before we had reliable cheap lighting sources and what else were you going to do but go to sleep? It would have also been a way to conserve heat. That would have had a lot to do with the social constraints of the time, but what’s nice about that particular narrative for us is that it helps people to understand that it’s alright to wake up in the middle of the night. There is this idea that we should go to sleep, and shouldn’t have any conscious knowledge of being awake through the night, but we generally do wake up periodically. If you’re lucky you can roll over and go straight back to sleep, and for others it might take a little bit longer. Often that’s age related – unfortunately the older you are the more difficult it is getting back to sleep.

So we don’t need to panic so much about waking up in the middle of the night?  
Exactly, and not panicking means it’s easier to get back to sleep. So is understanding that while feeling a bit sleepy the next day might not be ideal, it’s not catastrophic. For most of the time it’s okay.

Is there any consensus on how much sleep we need?
There have been some consensus statements put out by the National Sleep Foundation in the US, and how that changes across a lifespan. But as it’s a consensus statement those numbers are really broad. Some teens may only need seven hours, but others need nine or ten. For adults, somewhere between seven to eight is probably ideal, but some can get away with six hours and some might need up to nine.

You want to aim for consistent sleep – if you’re on the seven or six hour end, it’s probably okay as long as it’s consistent. It’s when you’re dropping down to four or five hours on a regular basis that it might not be enough. And what people then tend to do is catch up by sleeping in, but missing that morning signal of bright light can throw out your whole circadian rhythm.

When does a bad sleeper become an insomniac?
There are specific definitions about different types of insomnia, and there are many different types, but the short answer is that it’s more than a transitory problem. People often develop a period of insomnia, which might be associated with a life crisis, or a death in the family, but that will often resolve itself. It’s more a problem if people are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep and feeling very anxious about it, and that goes on for a long period of time.

Insomnia often goes hand in hand with anxiety and depression, so helping with insomnia will sometimes help with depression and vice versa. Those are problems that people will often have clustered together, and psychologists will try to address them together. 

All those headlines about how lack of sleep is making us fat, and possibly killing us, can get in the way of a good night’s sleep.
These might be compelling for getting sleep research funding, but terrible for people who suffer anxiety around sleep. But it is true that a long-term lack of sleep sets you up biologically for weight gain. Your hormones are disrupted, and you’re not metabolizing glucose as efficiently as you might or your meals as efficiently as you might. On top of that if you’re sleep deprived you’re more inclined to crave sugary fatty foods – almost as a comfort. But in general, at least for adults, it’s only after many years of sleep deprivation that we’ll start seeing chronic effects.

Is napping a good idea or not?
It really depends on what stage of life you’re at, and how sleep-deprived you are. If you’re an older person, who isn’t too worried about sleeping through the night, then having a sleep in the afternoon is kind of like splitting your sleep. But if you’re talking about teens, naps are not ideal, because a nap can keep them up at night and then they won’t be able to get up when they need to.

Are we getting carried away, in our concerns about whether we are/aren’t getting enough sleep?
It’s good that we’re beginning to understand more about sleep, and there’s a lot we don’t know. But people can become obsessed about sleep and they don’t need to be that anxious about it. Sometimes, getting the eight hours in just isn’t possible, after you’ve had kids for example. You’ll be okay. You might not be as on the ball as you were five years ago, but you manage.

Are apps that monitor sleep useful?
Technology will be used in labs to keep track of sleep/wake behaviour, but that technology has been validated, by research. Technologies that you can just download onto your phone haven’t undergone the same validation; they could be over-estimating your sleep, or underestimating it, we just don’t know. They’re perhaps something that you can have fun with, rather than as a true indicator of your sleep.

It perhaps isn’t useful to monitor your sleep anyway. It’s only going to make you more anxious and it’s sometimes better not to know. Sometimes you might have had only five hours sleep and wake up feeling fine and another day you’ll have seven hours and wake up feeling drained. The last thing you want to do, if you’re not sleeping well, is to add an extra layer of anxiety by monitoring your sleep.

Why, if you do wake in the middle of the night, do we end up ruminating on, say, how you haven’t saved for your retirement or something embarrassing that happened ten years ago?
Often the reason those thoughts come into you in the middle of the night is because you’re not doing anything else – there is nothing else to occupy your mind. So thoughts might come momentarily into your brain during the day, but as if you’ve got other things to and think about you don’t think about them for long. Sleep psychologists have techniques on how to deal with all of those, often involving things like meditation and other techniques.

Best recommendations for a good night’s sleep?
Give yourself time to wind down – we give kids signals so they know it’s time to go to bed and as adults, we need to do the same. Give yourself time to get ready for bed, maybe read a bit. If you’re someone who is having trouble sleeping, don’t have coffee or any caffeine after lunch. Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark and quiet. Don’t drink too much. Alcohol does help with going to sleep, but the problem is that when the alcohol is being metabolized it raises your body temperature, which interrupts with the natural sleep process and part of a hangover is sleep deprivation.

Swimming News

How to spot good swimming lessons
Good swimming lessons are made up of five key elements that parents need to look out for. They will let you know whether your child is getting the right provision.

They are:
1. The Swim England Learn to Swim Programme – this ensures your children are receiving the best possible instruction with qualified teachers. Learn more about the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme here.
2. Qualified knowledgeable teachers – Swim England recommends no more than 12 learners to one teacher during a lesson. Often good swimming lessons are run with two teachers, one in the pool and one out of the pool. Ask about the Swim England qualifications your child’s teacher holds.
3. The seven Learn to Swim Stages Awards – good swimming lessons will use the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme, including the seven Learn to Swim Stage Awards. Each stage carefully takes your child from learner to competent swimmer by Key Stage 2.
4. Fun and games – a good swimming lesson will take a games-based approach. If it is not enjoyable your child is less likely to learn.
5. Water skills and awareness – teachers should be aware of your child developing water skills such as buoyancy, and moving around in the water. They should also stress the need to understand swimming as fitness and a way to keep fit. Swimming for swimming’s sake does not make for good swimming lessons.

More information about good swimming lessons
As a parent you’ll want as much information as possible to ensure your swimming lessons provider is good. So, as well as the five elements here are a few more basic facts about good swimming lessons:
Most lessons last around 30 minutes and children should be as active as possible throughout the lesson. All children should be having fun.
Swimming strokes should be introduced gradually once your child has acquired the basic skills. These should not be introduced immediately.
Under no circumstances should teachers force children into activities. Children have to understand why they are doing it to be able to consistently carry out the skill.

Children's Activity News

We’re working hard to bring you lots of new activities for your little ones. We’ve still got some actions up our sleeve but for now we’re bringing you the following from Monday 9th October:
Monday
16.30 – 17.15          Actif Circuit for 5 – 11 yrs                       Studio 2
Friday
16.00 – 16.45          Actif Circuit for 5 – 11 yrs                       Studio 2

Look out in club later in the month for our half term activities which will run from 23rd – 27th October.

Children’s Birthday Parties Are Back
If you’re looking for a birthday party venue, look no further!  Here at Roko we have 2 large studios and a splash pool to host your little ones parties.
Dance, football and pool activities along with set party menus are available.
For further details please contact hcooke@nottingham.roko.co.uk