SHAPING UP: Limber up for a summer of sport

June is the start of a fantastic summer of sport, with world-class competitions such as Wimbledon Tennis, the UEFA European Championships, the Tour de France and the main event of the summer, the Rio Olympic Games in August.
Seaham Boot Camp.Seaham Boot Camp.
Seaham Boot Camp.

With such a wide range of quality sports on show a lot of people will be feeling inspired to dust off the old gym kit and get participating again – or maybe they’ll see a sport at the Olympics they want to give ago, but a lot of people will not know how to get involved.

I’ve made it easy for people who are feeling inspired by the athletes on screen to get involved and get active this summer. I’ve come up with a list of local of sporting attractions that people living in Sunderland might fancy trying.

Press ups.Press ups.
Press ups.
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Don’t leave it too late to book up, though, because participation in sport is going to be high this summer! I’m definitely looking forward to all of the events kicking off and a summer of sport activities.

l Five-hour boot camp at East Coast Fitness

Torch up to 3,000 calories during this fun-packed day. It’s split into five sections so that you don’t burn out:

1: Outdoor beach games

Press ups.Press ups.
Press ups.

2: High intensity core and cardio

- Healthy snack break

3: Body weight freestylin’

4: Slam ball session

5: Bums and tums

Healthy lunch to refuel! (included in the price)

Date: Sunday July 3. Price: £20 (lunch and snacks included)

• Go Canoeing Week

Seaham Marina is offering free taster sessions for sit-on-top kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding for the whole family. It’s a great introduction into water sports and a perfect way to have some family fun.

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Date: Thursday and Friday, June 2&3, Price: Free one-hour taster sessions for all of the family.

More info: Minimum age is 10, under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. All activity equipment provided free of charge. Bookings required. Call the Marina management on 0191 581 8998 to book your free one-hour session.

• Durham Coast Half Marathon

About 300 contenders will take part in this year’s race on Sunday June 4. The challenging 13.1-mile route along the Durham Heritage Coast from Seaham to Crimdon Dene has become notorious for its inclusion of several steep flights of steps, a test for even the toughest athletes.

Date: Sunday, June 4. Price: £20-22.

• Sunderland BIG Bike Ride

All of the rides will start on the Riverside at St. Peter’s near Sunderland University. The longer 20 and 35 mile rides will utilise Sunderland’s expansive cycle path network visiting many areas across the city. The shorter five-mile family ride will utilise the excellent cycle paths from the riverside to Roker and Seaburn.

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In addition to the bike rides a family fun programme of activities will take place during the day on the Riverside at St. Peter’s. The activities will consist of ‘have a go’ sports taster sessions and traditional family sports day activities.

Date: Sunday, June 12.

Price: £10-12 per person.

• Sunderland Park Run

The Sunderland Park Run is a family-friendly 5km at Silksworth Sports Complex.

The course starts on the footpath, across the grass, in front of the Tennis and Wellness centre. There is a new park runners and tourists’ briefing at 8:50am.

Sunderland Tennis Centre

A lot of people get the bug for tennis when Wimbledon starts. Why not make the most of the buzz and book a court to have a game with a friend, or take some lessons? One of the best places for Tennis is at the Silksworth Community Pool Tennis & Wellness Centre.

• Goals Football

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Get into the spirit of Euro 2016 and book a five-a-side court for a kick about with your friends at Goals, Sunderland. They provide the best atmosphere to play football. They have purpose-built dedicated floodlit areas, the latest synthetic turf, rebound boards and roof nets.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT PROTEIN BOWL

I’m up and out the house before 6am most mornings so I haven’t got much time to spend in the kitchen.

I’m always on the lookout for quick ‘n’ easy breakfast recipes, and this is one of my favourites.

All you have to do is throw all of the ingredients in a blender/Nutribullet, then pour into a bowl and top with berries and almonds.

(Serves two)

Ingredients:

l 1/2 cup wholegrain rolled oats

l 200ml Alpro coconut milk

l 1 banana, chopped

l 1 scoop chocolate coconut protein powder from MyProtein

l 1 tbsp peanut butter (I get mine from MyProtein)

l 1tsp maple syrup or honey

EAST COAST WORKOUT

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This is one of my favourite workouts. It works all parts of your body and really gets your heart rate up.

You don’t need any equipment. Just complete the exercises below as quickly as you can with good form.

Head over to my Facebook page www.facebook.com/EastCoastFitnessSeaham to watch the video. I’ll talk you through all of the exercises.

2 PRESS UPS

4 BURPEES

6 SIT UPS

8 SQUAT JUMPS

10 LUNGES

Rest 20 seconds

Complete 10 rounds.

LIFESTYLE TIP

If you’re on a diet or trying to lose weight don’t let other people sabotage your efforts!

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We’ve all got friends who say … “oh go on that little bit of cake won’t make a difference”

Or friends who pressurise you into having a drink, instead of supporting your weight loss efforts.

You’ve been in that situation, right?

Well keep in mind ... I bet those friends aren’t doing too well themselves. If they were, they would support you. Chances are they are lacking motivation, struggling to stick to their diet, feel a bit rubbish and they don’t want you to succeed because it will make them feel even worse. A bit jealous maybe, because they don’t have the determination, motivation and courage that you have!

So next time you’re in that situation, don’t give into the pressure. Stay strong and use it as motivation.

Do it for yourself!

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Your Trainer: Graham Low, owner of East Coast Fitness, is an award-winning personal trainer based in Seaham. The ex-professional footballer was nominated for the Small Business of the Year and Leisure Awards at the Sunderland Echo Portfolio Awards last year. Graham won the Leisure Award at the North East Hotels Association Awards while working as gym manager at Seaham Hall in 2012. For personal training, boot camps, small group training and online programmes email [email protected] or visit www.eastcoast-fitness.com