It all started one fresh spring evening when an NHS worker was in Nowton Park and came across a strange circle of people standing on one leg, with a finger in their ear....
Six months later Papillon Luck from Liberté Fitness, and Claire Webb, West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust’s ‘Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator’, got together to begin planning free trials specifically for Hospital staff.
The Trust’s idea was to find a convenient, fun and sociable fitness workout, which would motivate the Hospital’s staff enough so they would not give up and allow them to see real results. Liberté felt up to the challenge and two initial trials were planned. They were well attended, not only by West Suffolk Hospital staff but from other NHS organisations, such as the local Primary Care Trust.
As one of those initial NHS ‘trialists’ I can remember the first few sessions of Liberté. Even the warm up was exhausting, but I was thrilled that the pattern of the sessions meant that just as I reached my limit running, the trainer would change the type of exercise to a toning one, so I was still working out, even though it felt like a rest! It was also nice that some of the exercises were done in a couple, and some individually or as a team.
So, 8 weeks on from the beginning of the NHS sessions, how is it really going?
Within this short period of time, the ‘NHSers’ have a team spirit which is unique. Even though we all work for the same organisation, many of us had not met before and new friendships have emerged which cross the old boundaries of age, departments and grades. The NHS sessions are frequently of a ‘noisy’ nature, with much laughter being heard when trying to avoid (or not!) perilous rabbit holes, as well as groans in response to the cry of ‘tabatta’ and ‘burpees’.
Rebecca in Healthroster commented: “The support from our trainer, GT, is fantastic; he manages to make everyone feel valued and motivated to do the best they can. Perhaps most importantly the support and encouragement from your fellow colleagues is what makes the session so enjoyable, there is such a strong feeling of team spirit.”
8 weeks ago many could only manage a few low level press ups, now for the first time GT had us all doing full press-ups, as part of a combination of bicycle crunches and squat thrusts. Recovery times have decreased significantly and fitness levels are markedly higher.
Individuals have taken on special characteristics of their own. Jane is frequently chatting, even when running;along with Bex and myself, who are all often chastised for not listening; Dan is the model ‘demonstrator’ of the pack; Andrew is a silent whippet on the sprints; to name but a few. New NHS staff have joined since the beginning and have been welcomed in by this ground-breaking, revolutionary team of ordinary health workers! Even the odd Bury member has come along. Possibly to see who’s making all the noise!
Comments from NHSers include: Lorraine in Rheumatology “What I love about Liberté night is that even though we are all working so hard, we still have time to laugh, and because of this it makes it such an enjoyable to workout, and to keep coming back for more!!” Alison in Respiratory Medicine “I could still feel my stomach muscles hurting Saturday and that was without the use of any weights! Liberté are obviously providing you with an excellent workout!!” and Katrina in Breast Care Services said “It was so much more interesting than the Gym”.
The sessions are constantly changing to encompass our increasing fitness levels, but also allow for the levels of new members to join in.
The general consensus from us is come and give it a go, what do you have to lose??? Liberté still offer the first free trial session to NHS staff, and it is hoped that our numbers will continue to grow. We’d love to welcome some new NHSers! To book or discuss a free trial, e-mail Papillon Luck at Info@libertefitness.com.
Papillon is thrilled with how the first wave of NHS Staff had reacted to Liberté. “...out of all our park launches, the NHS one has been the one which has had the most attendees sign up in one go combined with their regular attendance. In other parks people sign up and sometimes miss sessions but regular as clockwork the NHS (bar a couple) have never missed a session and it's that which means their fitness levels are improving so quickly in such a short period of time.”
Paps is also a welcome sight on the occasional Tuesday night, possibly there to help GT keep the rowdy bunch in line, but really to offer extra support and encouragement.
Be warned though!! Liberté is highly addictive, and a conversation overheard last night was as follows: “Personally I think they are brain washing us! There is no other explanation for why you spend an hour pushing yourself to your limit, making your body do the most bizarre things. Seriously, who thought up scorpion press ups, burpees and alternate squat thrusts, a normal squat thrust is bad enough! To then be driving home feeling full of energy and totally de-stressed and also a little smug….”
Helen Kroon, Medical Staffing, West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust
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