IFS Blackpool Rocked
It WAS that good. But I can’t work out what made this weekend so special. Maybe because it didn’t snow this year & it wasn’t like teaching in Antarctica?
Maybe it was the overall vibe which was positive, smiley & very happy?
All the wonderful sessions and everyone I chatted to were having the best time.
It was a really cool atmosphere and I met some fantastic people and absolutely
loved presenting my sessions. I am still buzzing and excited by the whole weekend and feeling inspired and enthused about the future of the fitness industry. It really is exciting times.
Jayne and I arrived on Thursday to present our Nova programme to the Virgin Active Conference. We taught NOVA after the beautiful Piloxing girls, whose programme couldn’t be any further away from our NOVA class, which is a hybrid class mixing Fitness Pilates, Freestyle Fitness Yoga, Functional Training & Creative Conditioning routines and sequences. We talked about how Nova came about and our combined experiences in the industry, it was great to see all of the Virgin management team join in and embrace NOVA…very cool indeed.
Virgin loved it & I’m overjoyed to tell you that Nova will be featuring on Virgin Active timetables by the Summer. It’s all about the hybrid class in 2014. To have our own little programme featuring on the timetable of the most successful global brand is quite unbelievable and we are both so proud. We will be rolling out the in-house training for VA in April/ May so look forward to seeing some of you there.
On the IFS Timetable all the bigger fitness brands featured in the line-up including Fitsteps, Zumba, Metabolic Effect, Michael King Pilates, Antigravity Yoga, Tabata Training and so many more making it a great mix of new presenters and concepts with industry favourites. All the sessions were buzzing and busy with a good mix of lectures, dance, nutrition, functional, HIIT, Pilates, Mind/Body and Freestyle. Steve Watson and I taught Freestyle HILO and I couldn’t have been happier -I just love freestyle so much. The KSFL Workout was also rammed and the group all went for it, I pushed them hard and we all stepped up the pace.
The one and only music company to have a stand and support the event was our very own Pure Energy who sold record numbers of our HIIT Workout CDs, all 3 volumes sold out, and my Mash Up Series could be heard playing in loads of presenters sessions.
Pure Energy has established themselves as the leaders in fitness music and with the development of the new PROMIX License free series, are blazing a trail of innovative original artist music. Pure Energy provided me with an uber cool bespoke mash up mix for Chair Dance that consisted of Snoop, Prince, Gwen Steffani, Britney & Justin T which went down a storm in the session.
Thank you to all the C2GO members, readers of this newsletter, KSFL clients and my daily motivational subscribers who came up for a chat. I just LOVED seeing you all and catching up with Instructor friends from around the UK. I was honored!
The annual Gala Diner was an absolute show-stopper and C2GO guest contributor Charlotte Ord won Personal Trainer of the Year award. You can see all the pictures of the event on my Facebook and Instagram account RachelLHolmes, pop over there and have a look.
The next big fitness event on the calendar is my Make it Happen Day on May 10th swiftly followed by the KSFL LIfestyle Day in June. I hope to see you there.
C2GO DOWNLOADS
Thank you to everyone who emailed us letting us know of any older downloads that have not been working. We are going through all of them and many should now be operational so do check your old downloads and notify us of any that you are unable to play as we can now rectify this pretty easily.
The BIG BURN London 2014
Great News
I’ll be hosting the huge BIG BURN London 2014 Fitness Event at Alexandra Palace on 31st May with Darcey Bussell & celebrities, at the biggest fitness event in the UK. Over 7500 people are expected to attend the day and I’D LOVE IT if you could come on down. Darcey will be launching her brand new workout the DD MIX, Fitsteps will be teaching, as is Josie Gibson, Ministry of Sound Fitness Party and I’ll be on stage all day hosting the entire event. It’s a really big gig for me and the first time I’m hosting, so it’s super exciting.
Why don’t you come along? There is tons of free car parking at Ally Pally, & lots of celebrities attending plus an Expo area.
It will be a cool, fun day.
Check out the website for more details and add the Big Burn Twitter @BIGBURNFitness http://www.bigburn.co.uk/ for up to the minute details.
KSFL UPDATES
KSFL is expanding again and I’m looking for more Franchisees/Business Owners and also sub contractor Instructors who may not be able to take on a full KSFL Business but still want to get involved. I met with some very enthusiast prospective KSFL Business Owners at IFS and I’m looking forward to working, coaching and mentoring with more fitness entrepreneurs who are looking for a business opportunity. I have had a huge amount of interest since the weekend from Instructors so if you have emailed me and didnt hear from me I may have missed you. Email me on a new address Rachel@KickStartFatLoss.net and I’ll get right back to you.
My next rollout for KSFL will be The KS Xtreme Programme which will be a SUPER Intense Workout and Super Shred Detox Plan. This is coming out on DVD and in various locations throughout the UK after a summer launch. KSFL is always moving forward, aiming at different demographics and markets with my sole goal of becoming the UK’s number one Lifestyle & Wellness brand.
Hairy Armpits
By Jo De Rosa
My three week Buddhist meditation retreat was never meant to be easy. Only one meal every 48 hours, silence every other day, and on the alternate fasting days we were not even permitted any water meaning a full 34 hours without a drink every other day.
Each day started at 6am in the temple taking full monastic vows for the forthcoming 24 hours, followed by four meditation sessions of around three hours each….hardcore.com.
?
Developing Compassion
The point of creating so much discomfort: hunger; thirst; pain etc… is to align oneself with those experiencing such things who have no choice in the matter. There are many people who do not know where their next meal is coming from, and CHOOSING to go hungry can be a humbling experience.
Many of us felt very emotional just before we ate/drank for the first time after a period of abstinence, in that moment having an understanding of the plight of so many on our planet.
How can your heart not be opened with the experience, and for love and compassion to start flowing to souls you will never meet, but have some insight into.
Additionally the pain of ‘sitting’ for so many hours per day was at times excruciating, and without a good stretching session beforehand was near enough impossible for this seasoned yogi. We were asked to take off all of our jewellery and to wear no make-up throughout the retreat, the idea being to remove vanity.
My Attachments
For me it was the everyday comforts that I missed:
Power shower -I had to make do with a dribble, which was used by around 6 of us
Comfortable bed with 5* hotel sheets -for three weeks I slept in a single bed with a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs duvet cover
Huge range of herbal teas -we were not allowed to get our own drinks, only able to accept what was given to us at the allotted times
Healthy food –when you only have one meal every 48 hours you are not too choosy about what you get! It was healthy-ish vegetarian food, but not what I would choose to eat.
Brushing my teeth –on fasting days we were not permitted to even have any water in our mouths so no teeth brushing every other day! (but we were also not talking on these days so didn’t have to worry too much about our smelly breath!)
Time To Reflect
I loved the silent days as there were no distractions. They were very internal days, with all the time in the world to look inwards and watch what came up. Firstly I went through “What the hell am I doing here?”, “I miss my husband”, “I should be at my fabulous business, why have I left it?”, “Will my husband be ok on his own?”, “I want to go home!”.
I’d left behind my picture perfect life that I have created for myself. I love my life. Why had I turned my back on it and chosen a tiny cell-like room with a shared bathroom with none of the comforts I had become accustomed to. I’d almost talked myself into leaving on day 4 when:
I SUDDENLY GOT IT
What was coming up was exactly WHY I needed to be there! I was seeing all of my attachments. The things that I thought I NEEDED and WANTED, but are actually just luxuries and comforts that in themselves do not bring happiness.???
Hairy Armpits
I started shaving when I was in my early teens and for the past 30 years have never gone for longer than 2 days without shaving. Imagine my interest in underarm and leg hair as three weeks of growth was allowed to flourish!
What are you attached to?
Is there anything that you couldn’t live without? Family? Food? Make-up?! Shaving? Juicing? Exercise?
I realised I had to move beyond my attachments and experience the discomfort, so that I could come out the other side.
Self Responsibility
What do we really need? What makes you happy?
Ultimately we need to find happiness within ourselves, and it is our responsibility to do so. We are never ever going to find lasting happiness from anything that is outside of us. Of course material possessions are nice, but they do not on their own bring genuine contentment -that can only come from a connection to your source.
Perspective
I am a girl of extremes, always have been, and know that this retreat is not for everyone. There were just 35 people from all around the globe in attendance, and for us we were right where we needed to be to get the clarity and perspective needed to return to our ‘normal’ lives with a healthier outlook. My job is to create a bridge of understanding and share my findings with all who wish to cross to a life of genuine happiness and peace. And we cannot teach something that we first have not deciphered, so the discomfort experienced for just three weeks was well worth it if I can translate my discoveries and spread a feeling of connection and contentment to my tribe.
Emerging
And so out I pop from this extraordinary experience, slowly unfolding like the spring flowers all around me.
I’ve been back nearly a week now and luckily we’ve had no guests in the hotel so I’ve had a chance to catch up online, get into my new and extended meditation routine and spend time with my fabulous husband -who did survive without me funnily enough!
So Far So Good
The commitment I made to myself as I left the monastery last week was to relinquish control and surrender to the flow of life. I have my intentions in place so there really is no reason to chase after anything, instead it’s time to sit back and trust that everything is taken care of and will unfold as it’s supposed to.
So far nothing has rattled me and knocked me out of my blissful state, all is good, and I’m intending on maintaining this steady acceptance of all that life has in store for me.….
I’d love to hear your thoughts on all this, and if you’ve ever done something similar or are planning to in the future x
If you’d like to see photos of the retreat, then check out my newsletter going out on Monday.
Web: www.innerguidance.co.uk
Email: jo@innerguidance.co.uk
Facebook: InnerGuidance
Twitter: @Inner_Guidance
Copyright: Jo De Rosa 2014
Charlotte Ord
In the past few weeks I’ve had a number of fit pros tell me that they sometimes feel a bit inauthentic, two-faced, and even fraudulent in their jobs.
Not a cool way to feel about your work, right?
Now the reason they feel this way is because something in one, or possibly more, of their clients has been reflected in them.
It might be a struggle with depression, drug abuse, over-eating, under-eating, purging, over-exercising, drinking, being aggressive, or pretty much anything else that might trigger someone to feel a bit ashamed.
It conjures up all sorts of feelings and questions of morality.
After all, we’re meant to be paragons of health, fitness and positivity virtue, right?
Now I am by no means the one to tell anyone what is the right thing to do, because I truly believe that every instance, and every coaching relationship, is different. (Although first and foremost, do no harm, to yourself or others).
What I can tell you though, from my own experience, is that sometimes people become outstanding coaches because they’ve struggled. Not in spite of it.
Why?
Because one of the greatest skills any coach can possess is empathy.
Not sympathy,
Empathy.
Real understanding.
And it takes a bit of courage to be empathetic because somewhere inside you have to allow someone else’s struggle to connect with you, and your own.
As I said in my email yesterday, it’s important that you fit your own mask first and look after yourself.
But don’t shame yourself into thinking that just because you’re not perfect you can’t be awesome at what you do. Or that you can’t make a positive contribution to someone else’s life. On the contrary, your imperfection could be exactly what sets you apart from the rest.
You can follow Charlotte on Twitter @Charlotteord & on her personal blog. charlotteord.com
The Fasting Prayer from Charlotte
Someone asked me my thoughts on intermittent fasting this week and it reminded me of this prayer a friend sent me a couple of years ago. I think this is the kind of fasting we should perhaps all aspire to..
Fast from judging others; feast on Christ in them.
Fast from wanting more; feast on being thankful.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on enjoyment.
Fast from negatives; feast on positives.
Fast from stress; feast on prayer.
Fast from anger; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from fear; feast on truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from gossip; feast on silence.
Fast from fighting; feast on peace.
Amen
William Arthur Ward.
Justice
By Andrew Crawford
Listen up……
A guy gets stop driving through red lights.
Officers pulled him over and found that he was disqualified from driving, had no insurance and he was in possession of a class A drug… cocaine…!!!
What should be his sentence?
Whatever you answer you came out with, this is what happened….
He got issued £200 fines for each driving offence, disqualified from driving for eight weeks, and ordered to pay a £40 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.
…..and the drugs??
?
Nada, zilch, nichts, nuffink….!!
“…..His father owns private equity firm Rhone Group and is the 416th richest man in the US, according to Forbes……”
Billionaire…!!
Justice?
Has the Jimmy So Vile case been closed yet??
It seems to dragging on and on and getting more and more expensive with no arrests….time to close this case which is going nowhere.
Justice?
Teachers were on strike today….why?? Pay and conditions……!!!
Governments stance……..they should be happy with what they are getting…just below inflation…!!!
Cast your mind back a few months when the MP’s were discussing their salaries…..the cabinet room was FULL to the brim and a ‘healthy’ addition to their pay was concluded….
Justice??
So Andrew……..
You’ve mentioned Justice…what’s Justice got to do with Accountancy & Tax??
Well …some of the changes in the budget had to occur because of the up and coming elections. People had to BEND towards giving the taxpayer a better tax relief structure……. For instance……
The New Tax-Free Childcare scheme
The relief will be 20% of the costs of childcare up to a total of childcare costs of £10,000 per child per year. The scheme will therefore be worth a maximum of £2,000 per child. The original proposal had a cap of 20% of £6,000 per child.
The scheme will be launched in autumn 2015. All children under 12 within the first year of the scheme will be eligible. Under the original proposal only children under five would have been eligible in the first year of the scheme.
Important……..
To qualify for Tax-Free Childcare all parents in the household must:
meet a minimum income level based on working eight hours per week at the National Minimum Wage (around £50 a week at current rates)
each earn less than £150,000 a year, and
not already be receiving support through Tax Credits or Universal Credit.
The current system of employer supported childcare will continue to be available for current members if they wish to remain in it or they can switch to the new scheme. Employer supported childcare will continue to be open to new joiners until the new scheme is available.
It is proposed that parents register with the Government and open an online account. The scheme will be delivered by HMRC in partnership with National Savings and Investments, the scheme’s account provider. The Government will then ‘top up’ payments into this account at a rate of 20p for every 80p that families pay in.
The New personal allowance for 2014/15
For those born after 5 April 1948 the personal allowance will be increased from £9,440 to £10,000.
£10,000 tax free is not bad…I want to see if they will increase it again next year…!!!!
The increase of the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA)
The AIA provides a 100% deduction for the cost of most plant and machinery (not cars) purchased by a business up to an annual limit and is available to most businesses. Where businesses spend more than the annual limit, any additional qualifying expenditure generally attracts an annual writing down allowance of only 18% or 8% depending on the type of asset.
The maximum amount of the AIA was increased to £250,000 from £25,000 for the period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014. The amount of the AIA is further increased to £500,000 from 1 April 2014 for companies or 6 April 2014 for unincorporated businesses until 31 December 2015. The AIA will return to £25,000 after this date.
If you have a studio and thinking of equipping it……..Now is the time and claim 100% deduction…!!
The Business Premises Renovation Allowance (BPRA)
BPRA provides for 100% tax relief on expenditure in bringing business premises in disadvantaged areas back into business use. Following a review of BPRA, the Government will make changes to clarify the type of expenditure which qualifies and other modifications to make it more certain in its application. The changes are to take effect from April 2014.
See more budget changes at.
http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/ard/documents.asp?AID=1987&SID=11&FID=37249
Shame they STILL haven’t moved on the mileage allowance……..!!!!
Finally
As I prepare to go to a fellow Fitpros’s funeral…….
No one knows what lies around the next corner…………so to all those who know me….
I Love You….mwah mwah…and a BIG Mr C squeeze…!! xx
Andrew James Crawford
www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness
HAVE a wonderful Thursday
Love Always Rachel xx
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