I’m very excited (and nervous) about our return to All Hallows and our Face to Face classes. Why excited? Well I’ve missed you and as fabulous as Zoom is there is nothing better than the 3D, 360degree, multi sensory experience of a group exercise or dance session, where we can see AND hear each other. The camaraderie of our DYBO group is exhilarating and heart warming and I know that we provide second to none, excellent classes (content and instruction plus the Covid safety protocols to keep us all safe).
So why nervous? Well, and this is where I go against the common advice and wisdom of marketing experts who tell us that we must always present a perfect confident image at all times ( not be completely human and honest).
My concerns regarding returning to face to face and Zooming at the same time is that neither will provide sufficient income to achieve a viable business or livelihood, particularly with all the added costs and set up/down time!
Assuming others will commit to attendance is commonplace as is thinking that fitness/dance businesses will be there when we want to pick them up again.
My point is, will all my work and efforts be worth it financially? Hence my nervousness. Of course what I do is my life long passion but also how I make my living. My efforts, I believe, allow me to provide my DYBO family with the very best fitness and dance classes possible.
So there it is, my honest concerns, any suggestions?
Classes at a glance
Face to Face
Benefits of face to face are obviously having more space, great two-way view and coaching, no home life distractions, better engagement, great sound and atmosphere.
Unlike many centres, clubs and studios I have decided to retain a Covid safety system that includes:
Reduced class size for social distancing,
Optimal ventilation
Sanitizing between each class
A break between sessions to allow for room airing and avoiding class attendee overlap.
I require participants to change from outdoor to indoor footwear when arriving and maintaining distance from class pals at all times,
Use of own mats, bands, balls and weights (for relevant classes) to prevent cross contamination. (reach out to me if you need help with sourcing)
Finally all classes must be booked in advance, accompanied with payment, no cancellation or transfers – I’m sure you can understand why. Details below.
Classes will also be streamed via our Mobile WIFI set up on Zoom – this worked well before the Summer break. Log in details below.
DYBO TV
Monthly membership holders have complementary access to all class recordings via our DYBO TV channel on Vimeo during the month they have the membership.
DYBO Studio
All the one to one, sports therapy and life coaching/ NLP services are held at our studio in Church Crookham where we also have a full Covid safety system in place.
This is also the venue for our evening session on Wednesday and Friday with some places available to attend face to face.
Taking care of ourselves at all times
And especially now…
I recommend also that you eat a mainly plant based, non-processed diet that includes lots of fibre, have organic food wherever possible, and that note that not all vitamins and supplements are what they say they are! I have researched this and will only use a few suppliers, but I do recommend good supplementation for many of us!
Vit D Boost
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, teeth, muscles and bowel health.
We get much of it from the sun (which has until recently been in short supply!) but I see that our golden absentee friend is forecast for the coming days, so I recommend that you get the sun on your skin before 11 and after three for about 20 minutes without sun block, then apply some if you are staying out.
After the Autumn clock change I take a Vitamin D supplement until the clocks change back again.
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Loving life during a pandemic
I want to live! Enjoy all the things that I love yet not risk my life! So I am getting back to those things that I love whilst taking precautions. Quite simply I take care of my immune system and minimise my risk of getting sick via hand washing, wearing a clean mask (properly) and maintaing a social distance.
One of the things that I love is going to the theatre and I went to see Coppelia on Saturday night, choreographed and directed by my friend (and I’ve been honoured to have been one of his dancers) Kevan Allen. It is only on for one more week and let me tell you it is fantastic, amazing choreo, brilliant dancers and costumes you will love it!
If you love to Dance or know some one who does this is for you!
Independance Day is back – book now,
We are so excited to have this much-anticipated event happen at last, after having had to postpone it.
Our guest presenter Jo Ali is one of the UK’s most popular and loveable dance fitness presenters and we are thrilled that she is travelling so far to join us.
Spaces are filling quickly and I would love to have my DYBO divas be there with us, so please do book a.s.a.p. to guarantee your place and save £8!
My Choreography is ready and I cant wait!
Class Details
Joining us at All Hallows? – Protocols and information
I’m so happy to be able to run classes again at All Hallows. My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course safe.
To ensure that is the case I just want to share with you our class protocols to inform and reassure everyone. Not everyone has been out and about much since last year and some of us are more anxious than others about getting back to ‘normal’ life and activities as restrictions are lifted. Please be patient with each other and me – I have the responsibility of keeping you all happy and safe whilst complying with governing body guidelines and providing the best experience possible.
*Denotes for you to do, the rest is just info
Preparation
1) *Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go.
No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending for track and trace.
2) *Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.
Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, your hand sanitiser, sweat towel, and drink.
Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – currently I am not permitted to share equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, hand sanitiser, sweat towel and drink.
Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and at times 2 x tennis balls and a sock!
On the night
*Please park in the playing courts and maintain social distancing as you walk to the studio.
*Participants are required to arrive, enter and be in their personal exercise space between 5 and 10 mins before the class, please wait outside to be called in so that we are certain the space is ready for you.
*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, e.g. slip off your outdoor shoes, place in your bag, walk to activity area then put indoor shoes on, the same in reverse to leave. This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space and protect the lovely new wood floor.
You will be directed to your exercise space filling the studio from the farthest side first, the class will be cleared in reverse i.e. those nearest the door first.
*The toilets will be open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding cues outside. 2 people max allowed in at a time.
I will be sticking to class times for sanitising and ventilation purposes. Doors and windows will be open for ventilation, irrespective of the weather, and if it’s warm fans will be used to blow air forwards out of the windows and open door (as per guidelines).
Our exercise space is much larger than the governing body requirements (double in fact) indeed the government have lifted all guidelines, so it will be easy to maintain 2m social distance but please do keep your distance.
I will maintain social distance, however I will have a visor/mask if I have to come close to provide first aid etc.
After an entire teaching career facing my class participants with my back to the mirrors I have made the change (for now) to face the mirrors, this is for my safety in this strange Covid world, but I assure that I will still be able to see everything you get up to and will coach, encourage and nag as effectively as usual!!!
*After a wonderful class and virtual hugs, slip off your indoor trainers and you will leave in order of those nearest the door first then slip in to your outdoor shoes at the threshold.
*Please clear the site a.s.a.p. after class, I know you will want to chat but this directive is part of my compliance and I am responsible for you until you are off site!
*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes, I now have to rebuild my group exercise business after 18 months away from face to face teaching.
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:
At All Hallows (Book in Advance only):
Monday 6 September
6.30-7.15pm: Boogie Fit “Back To School 90’s Disco”
7.30-8.15pm: Total Tone – Top to Toe
Tuesday 7 September
6.30-7.15pm: 5 in 1 Fitness
7.30-8.15pm: Dance Fit
Thursday 9 September
6.15-7.20pm: Contemporary Stretch
7.30-8.30pm: Dancespiration
On Zoom:
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit (Beginners/Returners)
7.30pm Total Tone (All)
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class – (Mixed)
7.30pm Dance Fit (Intermediate)
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool Step (All levels)
7.15pm Barre Fit (All levels)
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch (All levels)
7.30pm Dance & Perspiration (Fitness with a Dance focus, more experienced)
Friday
6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga –Relax, Restore and Reboot, (All Levels)
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your Zoom environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Fees, you have THREE options!
£6.50 per class. Paid in advance please.
10 Class Voucher £55 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase)
Membership, unlimited classes, £50, plus a lockdown bonus of free access to all videos of the classes! (Valid first to last day of calendar month, paid on the first day of the month)
If things get so tight that you can’t afford it then please reach out to me, I want to keep you healthy and happy and help you through this tough time and trust that no-one will take advantage of me.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference.
eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher. As reference, I do have a Paypal account but it costs money to receive and move money.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
Gut Healthy Pre/Probiotic Veg
Fermented vegetables are an excellent source of pro and pre biotics and a great way to use up veggies sitting in your fridge drawer or the excess you have managed to grow in your garden.
All you need is an air tight jar like this…
Take 2tblsp of Himalayan salt and add to 1 litre filtered water (not from the tap, chlorine will interfere with fermentation) and stir until salt is dissolved,
Chop/slice thinly your chosen veggies ensuring they are washed and free from chlorine etc. I love white cabbage, carrot, beetroot, french beans, courgette, ginger and chilies.
Stuff in the jar, fill to the top with the saline water solution, seal and shake to get the veggies to settle, then top up with extra veggies and water right up to the top.
Seal the jar and leave to ferment for 2-3 days.
Check for any moulds and scoop off and discard then reseal and keep in the fridge. The veggies under the water line are perfect so don’t worry about the mould!
Serve with curries, salads etc.
Fabulous gut healthy food and cheap!
Love ya,
Helen xx
