New glow in the dark kit will help you stand out this winter

The clocks are going back in two weeks and Halloween is on its way -what better to stand out in the park this winter than grabbing some of the new stunning Glow in the Dark Liberte kit?

There's a big range of new items available from the Liberte Land Rover including brilliant Glow in the Dark hoodies and Glow in the Dark long-sleeved grey marl t-shirts.

The back of these items has big bold 'Ever Done It In The Dark' lettering that lights up when you run past a floodlight, lamp post, park light or street light.

There's a navy short-sleeved version too and even a rain jacket with 'Ever Done It In The Rain' on the back.

While that kit is great for training, there's other fab garments to keep you toasty this winter starting with the brilliant white figure-hugging base layer that will show off your abs and keep your body heat close to your chest when you're working out in the chilly winter.

And what better way to show off to your friends that your a committed Liberte Fitness member than sporting a Liberte-branded beanie hat and scarf - you could wear the hat to keep your noggin warm in winter or just keep it for when you're Christmas shopping around town - you're sure to turn a few heads!

Order forms are available from Paps and Gareth in the parks - but the kit is selling fast, so place your order asap to avoid disappointment.

Final 2011 beach weekend is another big hit

SEPTEMBER's gloriously sunny weather was the perfect backdrop for the final Liberte Fitness Beach Weekend of the year at Holkham.
The beach weekends, held at the famous Norfolk beach, have been a real hit with Liberte members who are looking for a monthly summer treat to supplement their weekly park sessions.
The final weekend combined all the best bits of beach events held earlier in the summer - and next year they will be back and bigger than ever with hopefully a second location added.
For those who haven't been to one so far, make it a point of going to one in 2012. To give you a flavour of what they are like, Liberte members Alison Hall and Nikki Wright shared their views.
Alison, who usually works out in Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds said: " The beach weekend was awesome. It was a good mix of training and nutritional advice plus a lot of good advice from Gareth about muscle groups and different types of training.
"Obviously there are some similarities to the park training sessions with regards to some exercises but you could not get a more contrasting landscape! It is an amazing place to train with the sand offering another level to the challenge.
"I loved every element of the weekend and met and made some fab new friends. The team games were brilliant fun and the running, while challening, was exhilarating.
"I couldn't fault the weekend apart from maybe it wasn't long enough and I didn't want it to end! My least favourite part was probably the yoga but only because I get so frustrated at being so inflexible! To sum up it was an awesome weekend spending time with great like minded folk soaking up loads of vitamin D. I left feeling revitalised, de-stressed and with an ache in my side from excessive laughter - I can't wait for 2012."
Nikki Wright, who is a regular at The Severals in Newmarket said: "It was fantastic, even better than before because Ed and I are fitter, our recovery from each section of exercises was much better, but it was good to be able to 'measure' that.
"I love the park sessions, especially at Bury St Edmunds as Newmarket is so flat and not so pretty! But the beach just rocks, especially if the sun is shining. Its good to train on sand, I feel it works you harder as the ground is even more uneven.
"I'm learning all the time from Paps, Gareth and Joe, the beach session just brings it home even more. Ed and I love the team games, but I especially love the yoga part, its very zen and ends the day(s) nicely."
So that's what two dedicated members think - if you 've never experienced the fun of doing Liberte on sand then make a date for 2012.

How Liberte have the edge when it comes to customer service

When Bury Liberatrian Nikki-Bosely Temple slipped and sprained her ankle in July, she couldn't have been in better hands.
A month since the incident in Nowton Park which ended her Saturday morning session after 10 minutes, Nikki is fully recovered, thanks in part to the swift treatment she received from trainer Gareth Thomas.
After the routine warm up, Gareth moved the class to the benches for the start of a gruelling circuit of exercises which involved step-ups on the seat of the picnic benches.
But within seconds Nikki was on the floor in agony after going over on her ankle and flaring up an old injury.
She said: “I’d done the ankle before but as I went to step down from the bench I felt something go. I fell to the floor in pain, but it was fortunate that Papillon and Gareth were on hand to help me.
“Within a minute, Gareth had handed control of the session to Paps and he was comforting me on the bench. He quickly diagnosed the problem and I had a compress on the ankle within a couple of minutes.”
The care didn’t stop there as Nikki was carried to the Liberte Land Rover and driven straight to the casualty ward so the ankle could be checked. Fortunately it was just a sprain and Nikki was back in action within a week.
Liberte Fitness founder Papillon Luck said: “We would never let anyone just go off on their own after being injured like that. Taking Nikki to the hospital was a no-brainer. We want to make sure our members are looked after from the minute they set foot in the car park to the minute they leave the car park."
The Liberte customer service story doesn’t stop there. In the last year there have been numerous times when people have taken knocks and blows and the Liberte first aid kit has been whipped out. Gareth has even gone to the aid of a footballer who broke his leg in Nowton Park.
Papillon said: “Customer service is so important to us and it extends to wanting to socialise with our members. We don’t just want to take their money and give them an hour of our time. In the last year or so I’ve made some great friends through Liberte and we all regularly socialise. It’s one thing to meet all these lovely people, but to now count them as friends perhaps shows just what an impression they have made on me.
If you’ve been impressed by Liberte’s customer service then you can vote for the company to win a Velvet Award this weekend. The company has been nominated in the Fitness category and the Customer Service category.
Click the link here to vote.

Tree strike illustrates just why we don’t train in lightning

We’ve trained in the rain, stretched out in the sun and high-kneed in the hail – but there’s one element that we just don’t mess with.
Yes when there’s lightning, we sensibly stay well clear of the park. Most people know that when the skies are thundery the first thing to avoid is open spaces and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the second thing to avoid is standing under a tree.
Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds is full of open spaces and trees and on Monday night, our regular session was cancelled due to a shocking lightning storm over the town. It came just hours after a lightning strike in the park split this tree in two in a spectacular electrical explosion that had more power than one of GT’s burpees.
Papillon Luck, Liberte’s founder, surveyed the sight this morning and was pleased that lead personal trainer Gareth Thomas had rightly made the call.
She said: “I was astounded at the damage to the tree in our lovely park – it looked incredibly dramatic. This only reinforces our health and safety policy to keep our members safe and we just don’t train in lightning.
“Even if lightning starts during a session we would act sensibly and protect our members by evacuating the park. Your instructor knows what to do at the first sign of thunder and would ensure you were safe at all times.”
Here’s hoping that we all pile up in the back of the Liberte Landrover and cuddle up together!

Ten tell tale signs that you know you’re becoming addicted to Liberte Fitness

10: Every time the phone rings you secretively hope it’s Adidas on the other end saying their talent scouts have spotted you working out in the park and they want you to trial their new range of outdoor fitness gear.

9: When out shopping you spend more time in the bubble bath and shower gel section than you do in the sweets and biscuits aisles.

8: When you’re in JJB you walk around all the departments looking for their range of hoodies, long-sleeved t-shirts and short-sleeve t-shirts just in case they’ve started stocking the Liberte range.

7: You’ve developed a really snobby attitude to other people’s shopping when you spy their trolley in the supermarket. You’re positively disgusted when you see the amount of dead calories and brightly-coloured food packets in their trolleys and you also realise that all the special offers on the end of each aisle are actually just full of junk.

6: You need to rinse the bath/shower out at least twice after you’ve used it to get rid of all the mud.

5: You used to get through sessions longing for a big glass of wine or a beer as a reward. Now you go home and contemplate eating lean turkey steaks or an egg-white omelette.

4: You’ve started buying foods from parts of the world you’ve never been to and you’re not quite sure how to pronounce them

3: The 2012 Olympics are coming up just a bit too soon, but, hey if you train hard enough, you could scrape in to the 2016 GB team.

2: You care more about your exercise kit than you do about your work clothes – and you’ve probably already got a bag/box/draw dedicated to what you wear to Liberte sessions anyway.

1: Walking past McDonalds and smelling their food makes you want to nothing other than sink to your knees and wretch.

Three months in and Jez has shed almost 20lbs

Liberte Fitness members in Norwich have just celebrated their three-month anniversary and for Jez Heaven, the weight has literally fallen off.
Jez, 42, was at the first session on April 3, and has been a regular attendee of the thrice-weekly Earlham Park sessions and credits his near 20lb weight loss down to Liberte, as well as eating better and regular workouts on a rowing machine.
“So far I've lost 18lbs in 13 weeks due to regular exercise and sensible eating and I’ve dropped two trouser sizes and feel massively fitter! It’s a hue contrast to day one when I very nearly died and had to drop out halfway through after suddenly going very pale and ashen grey! to my recent Liberte sessions when I am able to work flat out and yet still have a very fast recovery.
“I’m still officially 'overweight' but my BMI has dropped from 27.6 to 25.3. Liberte has been a huge part of that change and more importantly is now a firmly embedded part of the lifestyle changes I promised myself I would make.”
As well as going it for it at Liberte sessions, Jez has topped up his fitness regime with regular rowing workouts on his Concept 2 Rower. Together they have seen him get in great shape.
He said: “I am in awe of its fat stripping and cardio properties. Their website is incredible and I am following a structured weight loss programme from them. In six weeks I have gone from a 500m split time of 2:30 to 2:03 and each session I am doing now is burning 500+ calories. Overall I would say that the regular rowing (I do 3-4 sessions a week) is stripping the fat but it is Liberte that is making me fitter and keeping it fun.”

Liberte kit week – you can buy hoodies and t-shirts from Papillon this week!

Entrepreneur, fitness freak and East Anglian eye candy Papillon Luck is many things, but from tomorrow she’ll be donning her flat cap and sheepskin coat as a market trader!
The new range of Liberte kit arrived at Liberte HQ on Friday and from Monday night you’ll be able to pick up your choice of hoodies and t-shirts from the back of the Land Rover before and after each Liberte session.
Yes, kit cat Paps has a wide range of the new Kukri hoodies, unisex t-shirts and ladies’ tees up for grabs, but be warned – stock is limited so it’s first come, first served for this first batch of clothing.
Bring cash to Liberte sessions if you want to make sure you get what you want – the Land Rover will be in Norwich on Monday, Newmarket on Tuesday, Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday, Norwich on Thursday, Bury St Edmunds on Saturday and back in Norwich on Sunday.
The initial batch is expected to sell out this week, but Papillon is taking orders for the second batch of Kukri sportswear will be available in autumn.

Short of Luck

It’s the hottest thing down under since Kylie’s hot pants and it’s already caused a stir in Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds. Tonight, Norwich, you’ll get to check out Papillon Luck and her foxy little red shorts.
They’re fresh from Oz and like all things Australian; they’re cheeky, bold and, as Gareth found out last night, in your face!
The Liberte founder has got her tanned pins out this week by sporting the shorts together with her new fawn ladies t-shirt and has wasted no time flashing her guns.
Our Paps fancies herself as a bit of a Bondi lifesaver, though she’s not had much call to spring into action of late, although the Liberte first aid kit has been out in recent weeks to tend to a scratched arm and a sprained ankle.
But with those shorts on, Paps certainly seems to have something of a posher Pamela Anderson, albeit minus a couple of assets. And if Paps is Pam, I wonder which self-styled ladies man will have to step in and play Liberte’s Hoff?

Here's a first look at the all new Liberte Fitness long-sleeved white T-shirts

Here's an exclusive look at the brand new white long-sleeved Liberte Fitness T-shirts that have just been received at Liberte HQ.
Manufactured by sportswear company Kukri, they're a brilliant bright white with the distinctive Liberte logo and phrase 'Ever Done It Outside' printed in charcoal grey.
They're available in a variety of sizes and retail at £25. Have a word with Papillon when you next see her and she'll give you an order form.

You could soon be kitted out like Gareth and Paps

Here's a sneak preview of the new Liberte Fitness hoodies that were unveiled yesterday on Holkham Beach by Gareth and Papillon.
Sportswear firm Kukri have produced the gear which will be on sale soon from all good Liberte Land Rovers!
Gareth and Papillon wore the hoodies yesterday and took part in a fashion shoot, with the results appearing in EDP Norfolk Magazine later this summer.
The hoodies are available to buy from Papillon, just let her know.

Wet Wet Wet

Jesus, what's going on with this rain?
Last Monday in Bury was a washout, like something from Forrest Gump when the rain starts to come upwards. Thursday in Norwich was grimmer than the first four letters of Grimsby and tonight in Bury St Edmunds topped it all!
Pat was first in the Liberte car park in her lovely red Audi and made a sneaky pact with Gareth that if nobody turned up they would go back to Pat's and tuck into one of her famous Shepherd's Pies.
Unlucky for Pat a hardy crew of Liberte dudes rocked up on a Bank Holiday and had a cracking hour workout in the pouring rain.
Ten of us joined in the fun and games in some seriously horrible weather and I am sure I wasn't the only one who switched off the rain in my mind and just dreamt of a warm bath a glass of girly white wine.
Well done everyone - and also to those in Norwich - the weather there has been equally awful today, but, hey, in the spirit of Liberte: if it's raining, we're training!

Great Liberte fun in soggy old Norwich

Having spent two thirds of my life living in Norfolk and being born and bred in Norwich, I’ve got to admit I have a rather large soft spot for my home city.
So after a day canoeing with my brother on the Broads it was great to take part in my fourth session of the week and the first one in Norwich.
This was something of a homecoming for me, but while there were no banners or cheerleaders waiting to greet me, I did find a cracking bunch of Liberte Fitness fans eager to work out in some pretty foul weather and Papillon who was good enough to let me put up the Liberte flag without the Liberte mallet which has gone missing in the Liberte Land Rover (better call the Liberte police to Liberte try and Liberte find it)
Anyone who was at the Bury session on Monday will vouch for the fact it featured some torrential rain – they had the same in Norwich and, tonight, it returned with a vengeance.
It was great to meet the Norwich crew with star member Jez the centre of attention – he sure loves the banter and great to see so many good friendships already forming.
Paps, I take my soaking wet hat off to you for dealing with a tough session – a quartet of trialists, probably the worst weather I’ve seen at a Liberte session, an injury, soggy notes, uneven ground and that was all in the first half hour.
Then to top it off I stung the back of my neck on a stinging nettle while doing a sit up!
Chatting to the Norwich posse was good and they were full of questions about Liberte which was ace. My main message to you is to say that you’re all doing fine, take it all at your own pace and do whatever you feel is right.
Some exercises favour certain people – so push hard on things you like and try and do your best on the ones you don’t.
Good to see the Liberte spirit alive and well in Norwich and nice to a really great bunch of people and well done Paps for motivating everyone in the rain.
I'm sure at some point you mentioned us all having a communal bath together after the session which sounds like a great idea.
I'm off to find the bubble bath!

Tabata's going down a storm with Jez in Norwich

Anyone in Bury and Newmarket must be getting used to tabata by now. It’s one of the best ways of losing weight as it involves high intensity interval training that’s so intense it sends the body crazy as it tries to work out just what’s gong on.
It recently arrived in Norwich and members there say they just love the hardcore fitness thrill that comes from tabata.
Norwich Liberte Fitness member Jez Heaven, pictured, said: “I completed my first ever tabata session last Sunday using boxing against an opponent with pads held up. We did 20 seconds of activity followed by a 10 second rest for eight cycles. It’s very interesting stuff and I’m looking forward to trying it with a rowing machine.
“It’s a great way to finish off the hour of Liberte training with the move of all body overloads. It hurts so bad but it feels so good – I’ve already downloaded a tabata app for my iPhone and I’m going to try sit up or tabata burpee in my back garden.”
High intensity training is great for improving cardiovascular capacity as it increases fitness levels without putting excess pressure on joints that would come from running long distances.
It’s also great for anyone hoping to get rid of some serious fat as due to its high intensity it shocks the body into making quick metabolic changes.
Liberte tabata sessions last for around four minutes and usually involve 20 seconds of exercise and a ten second rest repeated eight times.
In Bury we’ve done tabata crunches, tabata squats and the dreaded tabata burpees – all of which are serious tests of our fitness abilities. Experts say a 10-minute tabata session burns more than twice the normal calories that a 10 minute run would.
Like Jez says, it hurts so bad but it feels so good. Next time you here the call for tabata at a Liberte session you might want to have this guy in mind as you start to exercise. Click here to see this dude’s awesome tabata burpees.

Jury’s out on whether anti-mozzie bands actually work

Anyone at Liberte Fitness in Bury St Edmunds last night can’t have failed to notice a hint of citronella in the air thanks to my incredibly camp anti-mosquito bands that I picked up from well known sports-insect-deterrent suppliers, er, Poundland.
Yes for a big round pound I got two mozzie repellent bands that are supposed to be reusable and last for up to 21 hours – wow, that could be seven weeks protection for just £1.
First things first, they’re actually quite small so won’t fit around my manly ankles without losing blood circulation which I guess would kind of deter mosquitos in its own way.
So I put one on my wrist which looked like a faded Lance Armstrong band and one kind of on my shoelaces which looked a bit silly.
Ever full of helpful suggestions, Gareth suggested I get a dozen of the bands and tie them together like a daisy chain to make a big gay smelly headband!
They do smell of citronella, a scent I’ve only really experienced when fumbling for a candle on a camping trip when I’ve usually already got legs like a relief map of the Himalayas.
So I got a few bonus points from the ladies for adding a nice aroma to the session, and I don’t think I was bitten at all, so I guess they kind of work, even if I did smell like a fire at a candle warehouse
But then Bury isn’t really the biggest mozzie hangout in Suffolk – so I’ll have to give them a spin in Newmarket and see how they work there.

Simple mosquito solution – for just a pound!

I don’t normally lurk around the shelves of Poundland but somehow I found myself rummaging around the Bury St Edmunds branch earlier today for a solution to the mozzie bites.
I stumbled across a range of products by Xpel specifically for mosquito bites which include roll on repellent and a kind of baby wipe which is more designed for children.
I picked up a couple of spray on pens – you get two in a packet, one is a repellent, one is for bites and I also picked up a couple of bands which go around the wrists or ankles so I’ll be giving them a whirl later tonight.

Newmarket session’s unwanted guests

My second session in Newmarket after last Tuesday’s launch and great to see so many of the trialists of last week again.
Some reported aches, pains and muscle twitches, but whatever the ailment of last week they were soon forgotten as ten members tucked into a great hour-long session.
But towards the end of the session I started to get a little uncomfortable – I could feel my legs starting to itch and after we’d finished exercising and having a bit of chat I noticed I could feel myself being bitten.
Today I woke up with big old mosquito bites on my legs!
While I’ve not really had any problems with mozzies in Bury St Edmunds, it seems the little buggers love The Severals and more importantly my legs.
I guess it’s a hazard of exercising in the park on hot summer nights, I’m on the hunt for a solution.

Picture: Flickr

Three weeks in and the weight is dropping off for Jez

April has been a big month for Jez Heaven – the Norwich Liberte member says his regular sessions have helped him lose six pounds in just three weeks.
Jez, 42, was one of the trialists at Earlham Park on Sunday, April 3 when Liberte first came to Norwich. After his first seven sessions he says it’s been a crucial part in his attempt to increase his general fitnesss.
Jez, pictured, said: “I really enjoy it and it's exactly what I'm looking for – it combines very technically competent instructors with all the best bits of forces fitness training but without being beasted to death in a bootcamp!
“I'm combining Liberte circuits with power walks of at least three miles most days of the week and the weight is just dropping off. The Liberte training is making me much fitter, I can feel a big difference already and the power walking is burning the fat.”
Fat burning was one of the reasons Jez signed up to Liberte as part of a vow to combat possible health issues that become increasingly common for men as they reach their thirties, forties and fifties.
Jez said: “I’ve lost six pounds in three weeks by doing Liberte plus cutting out all the rubbish from my diet. I was concerned about the health risks such as diabetes, cholesterol and the heart so I wanted something that would allow me to make fitness an enjoyable part of everyday life.
“On current evidence I would say I’ve found exactly that – the atmosphere is great in Norwich and we have a good laugh at our sessions. Earlham Park is great and there are lots of other runners and dog walkers so we usually have plenty of people in the park with us when we do our workouts.”
Liberte Fitness sessions run in Norwich three days a week on Monday and Thursday at 6.45pm and on Sunday at 10.30am.