Eventus22: Personal Training Gym

Meet Rich 👋

He'd let himself slide out of shape without really noticing it happening, the energy dropped off, he felt sluggish most of the time, and he knew something had to change.

So in December he walked through our doors and gave it a go.

Since then his fitness has come on leaps and bounds, he's leaner and more solid than when he started, and he feels stronger, fitter, and bounces back quicker from a tough session than he has in years.

He says it's changed him just as much mentally as physically, and that's the bit that matters most to us.

What Richard talks about most isn't the sessions, it's the people. The coaches keeping it light with a laugh and a joke, pushing you without ever piling on pressure, and the other members cheering each other on rather than competing.

There's no comparing yourself to anyone else here, it's just you against you, with a room full of people in your corner 😊

The move that fixes 'oof' moments

Getting up out of a chair or off the sofa shouldn't be a big deal. But for a lot of people, it is.

It's not really about age, it's just that your legs do less of the work over time, so you end up rocking, pushing off your knees, or using your arms to haul yourself up.

Good news is you can practice getting better at it, right at home.

Grab a sturdy chair or box. Hold onto something for balance. Lower yourself down slowly until you're sitting, then stand back up, trying to feel it in your legs rather than your arms.

Do that a few times a week and it stops being a production. Getting up just becomes getting up again 😃

Our gym has no mirrors, here's why...

When we designed Eventus22, we thought about floor-to-ceiling mirrors. It's pretty standard for gyms, most have them.

But then I thought about the person walking through our doors for the very first time, and how fast "how do I feel" turns into "how do I look" the second they catch their reflection.

So we left them out.

No mirrors means no distraction, no comparison, no catching yourself mid-rep and forgetting what you're actually there for.

What's left is people focusing on what their bodies can do, not how they look doing it. Celebrating wins instead of critiquing reflections.

That's the whole point of this place. It was never about looking a certain way.

It's about feeling strong, capable, confident.

Meet Jo 👋

Before joining us, she’d tried a typical gym but often couldn’t get on the machines, wasn’t sure what to do and worried about hurting herself or looking silly. Like many people, she thought walking regularly would be enough to keep her fit and strong.

Since joining Eventus22, Jo has made some brilliant progress. She can now squat, get up from the floor easily and has built the strength she needs to lift barrels at her pub job. She’s sleeping better, making healthier choices and feels mentally stronger too.

Jo brings plenty of laughs to her three sessions each week and has become a much-loved part of the community.

The pleasure is all ours, watching Jo grow stronger and more confident, both inside and outside the gym.

I asked until someone said it.....

I went round the gym this week filming a little experiment, how many members would I need to ask before someone said their goal was to get a "beach body".

One member just wants to move around comfortably again, squatting down without pain.

Another has been with us three and a half years and has come off her diabetic medication, now she's just focused on staying strong and healthy for the long haul.

One of our longest standing members, seven or eight years in now, said it plainly, as you get older a strong core and solid strength is what keeps you off the floor, not what gets you into a pair of swim shorts.

I asked every single person in that gym.

Not one of them said beach body.

That tells you everything about what actually keeps people training long term, and it's not what the fitness industry usually sells you.

You have a pension you might not be paying into, and it's got nothing to do with 💰

Most people plan to enjoy their retirement. Have plenty of holidays, and enjoy the fruits of their labour.

Almost nobody plans for the body they'll need to actually enjoy it.

You can have all the money in the world and still be stuck on the sofa.

Your body works exactly like a pension too, little and often, compounding over time. Start early, it's gentle. Start late, you're playing catch up.

The best time was years ago. The next best time is today.

DM us "PENSION" and let's get you started 👇

"My metabolism's shot" - no it isn't!

We hear this constantly from people in their 50s and 60s, they're convinced their metabolism has slowed down and that's why the weight won't shift.

It hasn't.

A major study tracking over 6,000 people found metabolism stays remarkably stable from 20 right through to 60. It doesn't fall off a cliff when you hit 50.

So what's really changed?

Life gets quieter.

We sit more, move less, and without noticing, muscle slips away if you're not doing anything to hold onto it. That's what people are actually feeling, not a broken metabolism.

The fix is simple, resistance training to keep the muscle you've got, and eating in a way that matches how you live now rather than how you lived 20 years ago.

One honest caveat, the same study found metabolism does start a slow decline after 60, around 1% a year.

1% really isn't much, even ten years after 60, you're only looking at roughly a 10% dip, which works out to about the same as skipping a slice of toast a day. Hardly the dramatic "slowdown" most people blame themselves for.

Either way, if you're 50+ and feeling like your body's working against you, it's very unlikely to be your metabolism.

It's your habits, and those you can change 😃

"Just rest it" isn't always the right advice for when you have injury or ailment

Total rest sounds safe, but the longer you avoid moving, the weaker your body gets.

Muscles start to waste away, joints stiffen up, and healing actually slows down. Your body heals through movement, not by shutting down completely.

That doesn't mean pushing through pain. It means finding safe, gentle movement, a or working with someone who can guide you through it properly.

Next time something twinges, don't head straight for the couch. Ask what's a safe way to keep moving instead.

Motion is lotion.

Fear is what keeps us stuck.

If you need a laugh today....

Some days you just need a reminder not to take it all too seriously, especially after last night.

So here's a little something to turn that frown upside down 😂

The strongest people your age aren’t that different to you.

They just started sooner.

No special genetics, no extra motivation.

Just an earlier start, and a refusal to let age become the excuse.

It’s not too late….it’s just time to begin!