Staff Gym

How Do I Join?

Please contact the Staff Gym Manager on 01274 364270/365336 or e-mail claire.hartley@bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk to request an information pack, or to book your induction.

Who Can Join?

All NHS staff are welcome to join the gym. NHS staff are also allowed to bring one family member once they are gym members (subject to certain conditions).

Opening Times and Costs

St Lukes gym and the BRI gym opening times are 6.00 am to 9.00 pm Monday to Sunday.

How Much Does It Cost?

The monthly cost of membership to the gyms is £10.00 for all NHS staff and £12.50 for family members.

Equipment

The staff gyms boast a wide variety of equipment - mostly 'Life Fitness'. There are treadmills, cross trainers, steppers, Concept II rowers, recline and upright bikes as well as various resistance equipment, weight benches and free weights

Classes

We currently run the following classes in the BRI staff gym:

Pilates	Mondays	12:00pm - 1:00pm
		5:00pm - 6:00pm
		6:15pm - 7:15pm
Core Conditioning	Wednesdays	12:00pm - 12:45pm
Circuit Training	Wednesdays	5:30pm - 6:30pm
Fighting Fit	Thursdays	12:15pm - 1:00pm
Ab Blast	Thursdays	1:00pm - 145pm
Pilates	Thursdays	5:00pm - 6:00pm

In addition there is a Ladies Only Fat Burn class which is held in the Workplace Health & Well Being Centre, Field House, BRI. This is held on Wednesdays at 5.00 pm - 5.45 pm and is led by a female instructor.

All classes cost £2.50 for gym members and £4.00 for all other NHS staff.

Personal Training Programmes

On joining either one of the gyms, you will be given a full fitness assessment and health screening. This allows the instructor a greater insight into what you want to get out of the gym, and also allows any minor health concerns (such as old injuries etc.) to be taken into consideration.

The instructor is then able to design a personal exercise programme that is suited to your individual needs.

The instructor is also available to give advice on any aspect of fitness, diet and health in general. All employees are welcomed and encouraged to join the staff gym - from total beginners right through to the advanced athlete (of which the Trust has a few!).

Where Can I Find the Gyms?

There is a gym on both hospital sites. The one at SLH is located on the ground floor of the extension block and the one at the BRI is in Squirrel Lodge, which is gate 4, from Duckworth Lane.

What Does Membership Include?

An initial fitness appraisal and screening, introduction to the facility, programme design, continuous re-assessments and programme reviews, unlimited use of both the gyms within the opening hours.

Why Should I Exercise?

The hospital working environment is a very busy and hectic one, which is often incredibly stressful and time consuming. This normally means that something has to give.

Generally, what gets pushed aside is our personal health and fitness - we don't have any time for ourselves. Ask anybody if they would like to feel fitter, or if they would like to lose (or gain) weight and the answer will usually be yes. Most people want to exercise but don't seem able to find the time - or the money.

Only 10% of the population currently take regular exercise. Apart form the usual 'no time, no money' reasons for not exercising, there is also the "I don't need to exercise" factor. Many people genuinely believe that they do enough exercise in their day to day lives. Slim people also often feel that they do not need to exercise. Rarely is either case true.

There are hundreds of different reasons as to why individuals should take regular exercise, below are just a few:-

Increased Heart and Lung Efficiency

As little as 20 minutes of regular aerobic exercise, three times a week can improve your cardiovascular system. Exercise can reduce your resting heart rate, which in turn makes your heart stronger and more efficient, reducing the risks of heart related illnesses. It also increases the efficiency of your lungs, which helps with breathing related illnesses such as asthma. After only a few weeks of regular exercise, new gym members always notice an improvement in their fitness levels.

Lower Blood Pressure

Several gym members have been able to reduce or even stop taking medication for hypertension once they started regular exercise. The risk of heart disease can be dramatically lowered as blood pressure is reduced. However, if you known that you suffer from high blood pressure, you should always consult your GP before undertaking any exercise programme. Likewise, when joining the gym, we will check your blood pressure and if we find it to be high, we will always obtain your GP's consent before starting you on any programme.

Weight Loss

By burning more calories and by using calories more efficiently, regular aerobic and resistance training helps you to achieve and maintain optimal body weight. Exercise decreases your body's fat stores and increases your lean muscle tissue, enabling you to burn more calories, even while resting!

Stronger Bones

It has been proved that women who have always been active and who remain so in their latter years are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis - i.e. the gradual weakening of the bones. Research also shows that older women who have never exercised before can slow down or, in some cases, even reverses the effects of osteoporosis through regular training.

Healthy Complexion

Regular exercise increases the blood flow to the skin. This leaves the skin looking and feeling much fresher and more youthful.

Longer Life

Recent studies have looked into the effects of exercise on the natural ageing process. These studies have concluded that regular exercise slows down this process.

Enhanced Mental Performance

Regular exercise keeps the mind active and sharp, which in turn allows you to work more efficiently. When you start an exercise programme, you often notice improvements in your reasoning, concentration, working memory, reaction time, etc.

Stress and Anxiety

Exercise allows you to cope with/manage stress. It helps you to feel positive about yourself and enables you to get on with the important things in life. Tests have shown that regular workouts can reduce anxiety and even decrease some forms of mild depression.

Looking Good

Not only do you look better physically, but you feel better in yourself, giving a much more positive self image.

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