Bodywork fitness column

Jan 4 2013 by Lorraine Howard, Irvine Herald

Well we never thought it would arrive but it finally did and thank goodness it all went without too much of a hitch.

And no I’m not talking about the Doctor Who Christmas special but the arrival of 2013.

The Mayans got it wrong apparently, which is just as well, as I know lots of people who actually started to think that there was a chance that the world would end in December and decided that it was pointless to plan festive parties and New Year resolutions just in case.

But the New Year has started and we might as well make the most of it.

Regular readers of my column will already know what this column is going to be all about. I’m going to use this limited space to try and encourage you to think about what you are going to do fitness wise in the New Year.

Most of you have been absolutely brilliant all year. I know this because I have seen you at classes or seen your Facebook posts or spoken to the Irvine Herald’s ever growing team of fitness professionals, and they tell me you have been going along to do things.

Many of you have also been in touch with the Irvine Herald to tell us of your fantastic fitness events that we were priviliged enough to cover as features.

As far as fitness is concerned it has been literally nothing short of a ground-breaking, game-changing year for fitness in North Ayrshire and the Irvine Herald has been at the forefront of it since this time last year.

The Bodywork column has reported on all the trends and events in the fitness industry and made you all spectators to the ins and outs of the industry as well as introducing you to th e most fantastic team of fitness instructors in Ayrshire.

Through various features and my instructor of the week slot, you have met the most dedicated team of fitness fanatics in the area and shared their work and achievements all through 2012.

The fantastic Hazel Kelly and her wonderful Callanetics class introduced a whole new generation of people to her terrific workouts and we also presented you with a weekly guide to her favourite exercises.

You also met the wonderful Rhona MacGregor and learned of her incredible personal training skills and innovative teaching methods.

We also supported ex-army PTI Scott Brown as he found himself a major contender in last year’s Tough Mudder world championship.

You also heard all about Chris McMahon, Fiona Dickson, Sandra Angus and Laila Mitcenko, all bringing you the inside story on their wonderful classes to help you get fit.

There were literally too many to mention in this column but thank you to Ayrshire’s finest fitness teachers for allowing the paper to spread the word that fitness is a good thing.

We of course are planning many new fitness features and articles already and I can’t wait to meet the next team of instructors who will join the paper’s fitness team.

I genuinely believe that the team we have assembled are some of the finest in Scotland and they are all here for you every week in your Irvine Herald.

It’s a very exciting time for all of us.

The classes we have covered range from Zumba, Step, Kettlebells, dance and the phenomenal Cardio40 and next year we will bring you even more tremendous fitness news.

Readers of the column will be the first to know of all the latest classes and trends in the area and you will be able to plan your fitness year through us.

So dust off your trainers now. I’m glad the Mayans got it wrong, it wasn’t the end of the world folks, it was the start of a new era for all of us. So let’s get fit in 2013.