Serves 2
Ingredients
2tbsp olive oil
250g chestnut mushrooms
200g tagliatelle
2 cloves of garlic finally sliced
100g cooked chopped chestnuts
2tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp crème fraiche
Comte cheese grated- to serve
Sea salt and black pepper
 
Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
2. Whilst it heats up, heat the olive oil in a large frying pa, add the mushrooms and cook till they have shrunk in size by about half.
3. Cook the tagliatelle until al dente, around 10 minutes for dried pasta.
4. Add the chestnuts and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Add three spoons of the pasta water to the pan and add the chives and crème fraiche.

Check for seasoning, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.  You could add a couple of tbsp of truffle oil for extra earthy flavour!

As restrictions are lifted and we return to the gym to tackle the weight gain and increase our fitness levels, it’s more important than ever to take heed of the fact that Lockdown restrictions meant for many there was not only a reduction in the amount of exercise, but also in the amount of movement they would perform on a daily basis.
What is the difference I hear you say! The lack of movement means that our muscles, bones, connective tissue, and joints are not shown the range of movements they would or should perform on a daily basis. The implication being for many, a restriction in movement, mobility, and balance. Whilst for others it meant ‘over training’ which lead to similar problems!

• People working from home without a good ergonomic setup, often working at the kitchen table on a laptop - sadly, a large proportion of these are school age children!
• Keen gardeners making the most of the good weather and overdoing it as a result
• Golfers returning to the course after a long period of missing out on those very rotational movements and suffering with back and shoulder pain

With movement and exercise, its rather like seasoning, too little or too much spoils the dish, apply the right amount and et voila!   It is vital that you prepare your musculoskeletal system for the task you expect it to do.  For lifting and bending activities, running, and sitting - don’t forget that your intervertebral discs (your spinal shock absorbers) are most vulnerable the first hour after you get up. The internal pressure is higher as they are more “plumped up” - so ease into the day, wait a little until you start loading these tissues up.
 
The concept of rest breaks can be used for across the board; if you are sat down most of the day your “rest break” should be movement, walking, standing - moving away from the static loading of tissues you have built up whilst sat down. For gardening enthusiast who spend a lot of time bent forward, you need to add the opposite movement in your rest break, such as the cobra position or hook lying position. If your main exercise is sitting as in cycling - you would need your rest break to be something different, for example standing stretches or floor work.
For golfers and those who play racquet sports this will mean loosening up tight shoulders and hips and doing core exercises prior to a game so to minimise the risk of injury and switching on the activity of the spinal stabilisers
 
The point is that whatever position you spend a lot of time in should not be the same position as you exercise in. So, for those who spend the whole day sitting down - rowing or cycling are probably not the best options - this way you will almost certainly “concrete in” the postural issues built up from desk work.
 
Lockdown may have highlighted these issues, but I am sure that many of you will have been in similar situations in the past and very likely you may encounter them again.
 
How can we avoid this scenario?
 
Many of the injuries that occur from training, can be broken down into these categories:

Serves four
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This delicious Beetroot risotto looks and tastes equally delicious.
You can serve this as you would a normal risotto, with grated pecorino or parmesan on the side. Alternatively, crumble Feta cheese on top, or stir in some mascarpone! To add another dimension to the dish, roast your beetroot with balsamic vinegar, olive oil with salt and pepper all wrapped in tin foil.

​Ingredients
30g (1oz) butter
2 tbsp olive oil
400g (14oz) fresh beetroot, peeled and cubed
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
900ml (1-pint 12fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
250g (9oz) risotto rice
125ml (4fl oz) dry vermouth
2 tbsp double cream (optional)
110g (4oz) pecorino, finely grated
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Feta cheese, to serve

​Method
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped beetroot, shallot, garlic, and thyme leaves. Cook gently for three minutes until the onion has softened but not browned. Meanwhile heat the stock to simmering point. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat all the grains in the buttery mixture. Cook, stirring for another couple of minutes until the grains begin to look translucent. Add the vermouth to the pan and allow it to bubble up and reduce slightly. Add a ladleful of the simmering stock and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, as the liquid is absorbed, stirring between each addition. You must stir constantly. Cook until the rice is tender but still has a little bite. It will take at least 20 minutes. Add the cream if you are using it (it makes the dish richer and paler colour), the pecorino and parsley
Taste and adjust the seasoning then serve immediately with Feta cheese crumbled on top.

We are delighted to welcome James Hilton to the team at Personal Best. James left a successful yet intense career in marketing, to pursue his passion for health and fitness.

​Feeling unfulfilled working the corporate ladder, James made life changing decisions in order to rediscover his own happiness and concentrate on helping others achieve the same by qualifying as a personal trainer and nutritional advisor.

As a keen sportsman and endurance athlete, James thoroughly appreciates the benefits that living a healthy lifestyle can bring, both mentally and physically. Moving back to the Cotswolds has reconnected his link with nature and being outside and has allowed him to spend more time with his young family. Dedicated to both his training and his ongoing professional development, James fully acknowledges and values the importance of keeping mobile, healthy, and happy!
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James will be primarily based in the van and on the road, visiting clients in their homes. Just like John Tracy in Thunderbird 5 making the odd appearance, you will see James in the studio and online!

We are delighted to have been nominated and now in the final of the SoGlos Business awards in the Best Health & Fitness Business category. Please show your support and vote for us by clicking the link and registering www.soglos.com/awards.
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You have from now until midnight on Monday 28 September 2020 to vote!
You are only allowed 1 vote, so please share with friends and family!

As of Monday 7th September, we introduced a 2nd personal trainer into the studio, working with one client, or 2 if from the same household, with a maximum of 5 people, (including trainers) in the studio at any one time. As Government decisions are constantly being reviewed, we too will review at the beginning of October in an attempt to get back to near normal.

Our goal has been to allow as many people to return to training as safely as possible and facilitating enough hours for the team to earn an income after months off. This will continue to be the case and I would foresee that it may be some time until we are able to offer a timetable as we did pre-Covid.

Classes will not return for a while, but we will continue to offer online classes via Zoom. After a short break, these will resume with a new timetable from 7th September. https://www.personalbeststudio.co.uk/virtual-classes.html
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Thank you for your patience, support and understanding in this difficult time.

Another summer draws to a close and a new school term is under way! As a former teacher, September always represents a new start, a time for change, a time to re-enthuse. With so much in the media over the last few weeks about the level of inactivity in the UK population, September’s ‘new beginnings’ presents the perfect opportunity to start a new exercise regime!
 
According to latest research from the COVID Symptom Study app, almost a third (29%) of those surveyed gained weight since March 2020.
Whilst this might not come as a surprise to many of you, the impact on our health and wellbeing is huge particularly at a time when we should be keeping ourselves as fit and healthy as possible! The research found that an average increase in body weight across the country being 0.78 kg (1.6 lbs), and up to 3 kg (6.5 lbs) in those who reported increased snacking have gained weight. The factors that may have contributed to weight gain during lockdown include increased snacking (35%), decreased levels of physical activity (34%), increased alcohol.
 
At the beginning of lockdown, we created a membership site, which included a 21 Day challenge to try to help you all create a healthy routine.  We will be updating this content over the coming weeks, but it will definitely help you get the ball rolling! https://carlb1381c.clickfunnels.com/membership-area/ad7030de4f2  
 
This month’s newsletter introduces you to a new team member, invites you to show your support and vote for us in the SoGlos Awards, plus inspire you to create a very tasty autumnal beetroot dish! We hope you find something here that inspires you.

For this next phase, we plan to have 2 personal trainers in the studio, working with one client, or 2 if from the same household, with a maximum of 5 people, (including trainers) in the studio at any one time. This will be reviewed at the beginning of November.  We are aware that some of you will not feel comfortable with this, so we will be offering times where just 1 trainer will be present.
 
With additional training hours, we will have a little bit more flexibility and availability.  Our goal has been to allow as many people to return to training as safely as possible and facilitating enough hours for the team to earn an income after months off. This will continue to be the case and I would foresee that it maybe some time until we are able to offer a timetable as we did pre Covid.

Classes will not return for a while, but we will continue to offer online classes via Zoom. After a short break, these will resume with a new timetable from 7th September. https://www.personalbeststudio.co.uk/virtual-classes.html

On the subject of Zoom classes, we would really appreciate your feedback o we can try and match our classes as closely to your requirements as possible.
 
This is a new venture for us all, but one that we plan to keep for the foreseeable future and beyond.
 
We plan to offer more classes throughout the week as a supplement to our 1-1 training and our regular classes once they resume. 
 
As Zoom is available across the globe, we intend to market this service beyond the 5 Valleys, but rest assured this will not affect the service you have experienced so far. Already we have had participants in Surrey, Bournemouth, Cheltenham and Dursley!

Please answer the questions below on an e-mail to carl@personalbeststudio.co.uk
 
1. Which class/classes do you partake in?
2. Are the classes at a time that suits? Y/N
3. Does the class meet your requirements Y/N
4. If no, can you provide suggestions to help us improve the quality of the service we provide
5. How would you rate the picture quality Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
6. How would you rate the sound quality Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
7. How easy is it to log on Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
8. Have you used the recorded sessions on the membership site? Y/N
9. Do you find the TeamUp App easy to use? Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
10. Are the exercises clearly demonstrated? Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
11. How would you rate the level of instruction Answers 1-5 (1 poor – 5 excellent)
12. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can improve this service?
 
Finally, if you were using the Zoom service for classes but are now not, are you willing to share what has moved you away from the classes?
 
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your support is greatly appreciated .

​With so many tomatoes to pick and warm summers evenings to sit outside, what better way to get away, with this delicious Greek salad inspired by Jamie Oliver.

On a more optimistic note, we had a great first week back in the studio, with lots of positive comments from clients and great to see everyone following our new protocols. Everyone was happy to be back training and looking forward to returning to a new normal!

With just one trainer in the studio at a time, it means the diary has filled up very quickly. However we do have spaces for Personal Training this week on:

Tuesday 4th @ 7.30am with JJ
Wednesday 5th @ 4pm with JJ
Friday 7th @ 11am with JJ & 2pm with Tom
Saturday 8th @ 12.30 & 2.30pm with Tom
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Contact carl@personalbeststudio.co.uk to book your session
Zoom continues on Monday @ 7pm, Tuesday @ 6pm, Wednesday @ 1pm, Friday @ 1pm & Saturday @ 9.30am