Ok people, here is my fitness post from Lausanne, Switzerland. "Witness the Fitness" is a song title from Roots Manuva - great track whose lyrics go way over my head but whose beats go straight to my body!
Each week I'll be writing about fitness, sport, nutrition, food and more. I enjoy music in the gym - better than all that panting and grunting (and that's just me!) - so will give you a track of the week to check out. I'll also be giving a shoutout to my #fitspo of the week - the many more talented fitness people who I look up to!
Since arriving in Lausanne I have been looking for a gym to join. It seemed there little or no info in English on fitness in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital. So this made it easier - I wanted more info on the gyms here and decided I'd have to provide it myself. There are a lot of gyms in Lausanne, and I've gotten to most of them - just a couple more to hit up next week - so a longer post reviewing them is coming once those are done.
To get the ball rolling though, I decided to make some initial observations for those considering joining a gym in Lausanne:
1) Research: Yes, google is your friend here, and some of the larger gyms have websites but also check out the forums, blogs (especially this one!) and other sites. I read some good info on forums, but some of the reviews were old and worth taking with a pinch of salt.
2) Know what you want - there are a lot of gyms out there so you need to narrow it down. Consider the following - location, budget you want to spend and opening hours. Also, what will you be doing in the gym? Which exercises? What weights do you need? Do they have all the attachments for the cables? Think about what you want, and even make a list - so when you visit you know if this is the gym for you.
3) Stick to it - now that you know what you want, don't let a slick sales person sway you with talk of saunas, therapy rooms and a smoothie bar. All great things to have, but are they what is important to you?
4) Shop around - don't be lured into signing up straight away. Most of the gyms in Lausanne are happy for you to come and try them out. Even if you don't join - two weeks of gym hopping should keep you in shape for the time being ;-)
5) Haggle - having worked in membership sales many moons ago, I know that the sales person wants to close the sale. See what they can do to close the deal - couple of free months, or charge you off-peak rate for normal membership. Stick to your guns and you will win in the end.
Keep these 5 points in mind next week when I give you the run down of gyms in the area. Hopefully they help you to get what you need to get the fitness you want!
#fitspo of the week is @RM_Heffernan - one of the fittest couples around! Long distance walking is not as glamorous as the 400m but when you put Rob and Marian Heffernan together it makes it that much better! Seeing Rob's success in Moscow when I snook down to the canteen at work was well worth it!
I had the great privilege to join Rob on a panel at @IRLSportsSummit a while back and was amazed at the sacrifices he has made to reach his level of success. At that time he hadn't clinched the big win yet, but even then his talent, commitment and passion were clear to see. Even more tellingly clear was the support he had from his wife Marian and I'm delighted for the family that they have had the recent success. Long may it continue.
Read more about Rob and Marian at : http://www.robandmarianheffernan.com/
This week keeping it Irish themed and listening to another Rob @RobHKelly - serious rhymes on this fella and he raps better than rappers better than you do!
Each week I'll be writing about fitness, sport, nutrition, food and more. I enjoy music in the gym - better than all that panting and grunting (and that's just me!) - so will give you a track of the week to check out. I'll also be giving a shoutout to my #fitspo of the week - the many more talented fitness people who I look up to!
Since arriving in Lausanne I have been looking for a gym to join. It seemed there little or no info in English on fitness in Lausanne, the Olympic Capital. So this made it easier - I wanted more info on the gyms here and decided I'd have to provide it myself. There are a lot of gyms in Lausanne, and I've gotten to most of them - just a couple more to hit up next week - so a longer post reviewing them is coming once those are done.
To get the ball rolling though, I decided to make some initial observations for those considering joining a gym in Lausanne:
1) Research: Yes, google is your friend here, and some of the larger gyms have websites but also check out the forums, blogs (especially this one!) and other sites. I read some good info on forums, but some of the reviews were old and worth taking with a pinch of salt.
2) Know what you want - there are a lot of gyms out there so you need to narrow it down. Consider the following - location, budget you want to spend and opening hours. Also, what will you be doing in the gym? Which exercises? What weights do you need? Do they have all the attachments for the cables? Think about what you want, and even make a list - so when you visit you know if this is the gym for you.
3) Stick to it - now that you know what you want, don't let a slick sales person sway you with talk of saunas, therapy rooms and a smoothie bar. All great things to have, but are they what is important to you?
4) Shop around - don't be lured into signing up straight away. Most of the gyms in Lausanne are happy for you to come and try them out. Even if you don't join - two weeks of gym hopping should keep you in shape for the time being ;-)
5) Haggle - having worked in membership sales many moons ago, I know that the sales person wants to close the sale. See what they can do to close the deal - couple of free months, or charge you off-peak rate for normal membership. Stick to your guns and you will win in the end.
Keep these 5 points in mind next week when I give you the run down of gyms in the area. Hopefully they help you to get what you need to get the fitness you want!
#fitspo of the week is @RM_Heffernan - one of the fittest couples around! Long distance walking is not as glamorous as the 400m but when you put Rob and Marian Heffernan together it makes it that much better! Seeing Rob's success in Moscow when I snook down to the canteen at work was well worth it!
I had the great privilege to join Rob on a panel at @IRLSportsSummit a while back and was amazed at the sacrifices he has made to reach his level of success. At that time he hadn't clinched the big win yet, but even then his talent, commitment and passion were clear to see. Even more tellingly clear was the support he had from his wife Marian and I'm delighted for the family that they have had the recent success. Long may it continue.
Read more about Rob and Marian at : http://www.robandmarianheffernan.com/
This week keeping it Irish themed and listening to another Rob @RobHKelly - serious rhymes on this fella and he raps better than rappers better than you do!
