What's happening at the Health Suite?

2 August 2011

Whipping the Health Suite into Shape

The Health Suite recently received a facelift through smart renovations, which we believe will take the facility to a new level. All three sections of the facility have been affected (Weights facility, Group Fitness Hall and Indoor Cycling Studio). We believe that these improvements will go a long way to improving the look and feel of the facility, the service and the experience of our members.

The project was primarily planned to be fully completed during the June vacation, but due to the festival activities taking place in the Group Fitness Hall and recent strikes in the petrol and engineering sector, work was hampered, forcing it to drag one and half weeks into the third term.

 Precautions were taken to minimise disruptions. The weights facility was kept open to members throughout the renovations. Indoor cycling classes also continued uninterrupted.

 The renovations include:

• New Indoor Cycling Studio

The primary addition is a new indoor cycling studio, on the first floor of the main gym, complete with modern lighting and better ventilation. Members will appreciate the refreshing view from the Studio which includes the King’s Field and the Monument. The Spinning studio will also be able to take at least five additional spinning bikes.

• The Main Gym - Weights Facility

The relocation of the Indoor Cycling studio has added much needed space to the gym, on the ground floor, creating a better layout which allows for more equipment. 

The gym has also acquired a new entrance. This direct entrance is user friendly for physically challenged individuals or people in wheel chairs.

• Maintenance Store/Workshop

The passage space freed up by the relocation of the past entrance has been converted into a maintenance store/workshop.  This arrangement will ensure that minor repairs and basic routine maintenance of equipment will be done in the facility. Until now the facility has had to rely mainly on the services of maintenance technicians from Port Elizabeth. We confidently look forward to improved maintenance turnaround time. Given the high usage of the facility, keeping the equipment in good working condition is a priority.

• New Cardio Equipment

Most of our current cardio equipment is old and with high usage, has turned into a maintenance liability. The Health Suite will be replacing all cardio equipment in the near future. The equipment has already been ordered and will complete the cardio replacement phase we started last year when we acquired seven state-of the-art treadmills. 

• Group Fitness Hall

A store room has been added to the Group Fitness hall. Group fitness members will also benefit from the convenience of having their own ablution facility, fans and additional mirror fittings.

• Provisions have also been made for a personal trainer’s office and a service-friendly administration office.

The Health Suite team is excited about these developments, what they mean to members, and our future potential. We are most encouraged by our growing membership and high usage, and are confident that these developments and other initiatives will move us even closer to our member’s fitness goals. We will continue to keep our foot on the accelerator of continuous improvements.

We are no longer a nation of spectators; everyone is realising the benefit of adopting a Health and Wellness lifestyle. This is your invitation!

Felix Munyai

Manager: Health Suite

NEWSLETTER - Vol 1:  Newsletter - Vol 1

5 POINTS OF HEALTH SUITE ETIQUETTE

1. Share. If you're doing multiple sets on a machine, it's common courtesy to let others work in during your rest periods. This may not always be practical, but offer to share whenever you can.
2. Clean up After Yourself. Always bring a towel with you and wipe the machines, equipment and mats down when you're finished. Wipes or sprays are strategically located around the Health Suite.
3. Leave no trace. Always put your weights back when you're finished. There is nothing more insensitive than leaving a stack of weights on the machine or free weights lying around.
4. Keep it down. When using heavy weights, PLEASE DO NOT DROP your weights as it is disruptive. If you cannot bend down and place them on the ground, maybe they are too heavy. Not only does this damage the weights and the flooring, but it creates a very big disturbance for others who are training as well as Instructors.
5. Mirrors. There are two things to know about mirrors. Firstly, mirrors are everywhere and no, you will not appear vain by looking into them. Mirrors are there to help make sure you are using proper technique, so unless you are pressed up against one fixing your hair or checking yourself out, don’t be afraid to use them. Secondly, respect others who are also using them and try to avoid walking in front as they are performing their set.

FEEDBACK

If you have any suggestions, compliments or complaints, feel free to contact any of the section managers or the Health Suite Manager, Felix. If you would like to remain anonymous, there are Health Suite suggestions boxes placed in all sections, go ahead and write us a note. We look forward to hearing from you!

WELCOME

BY FELIX MUNYAI 

HEALTH SUITE 2010 REVIEW, A YEAR THAT WAS…

With almost half of the students’ population signing up for the health suite and a remarkable growth in staff and community membership, we could not have asked for a better year. 2010 will be remembered by our members as a year when we truly asserted ourselves as a reliable, growing and inspired facility. Their feedback throughout the year has been encouraging and we are grateful for their support. By signing up in numbers and committing to regular usage of the facility, they have not only kept us busy, but also challenged us never to take our foot off the accelerator of the continuous and incremental improvements that has defined the health suite year after year.

What drives us is our desire to continuously improve our services. We always aim to go beyond our previous limitations, to venture into new territories and to reach new heights and goals. We are passionate about our member’s experience, service excellence and creating a simple, uncluttered, supportive and user friendly fitness facility that not only cares about its client’s goals, but also nurtures the growth, learning and development of its staff, a workforce of over 60 students, who love what they do and proudly don our uniform with pride, turning it into one of the most recognizable on campus.

This was the year when we dazzled our members (including our world cup visitors who took out temporary membership), with new programs and initiatives. Highlights of the year includes, further improvements on the general look and feel of the facility, extended operating hours , staff exclusive hours, a vibrant Indoor Cycling marathon, which raised over R8000 for charity and of course the new state of the art Treadmills.

Our membership growth and the related increased usage of the facility, while good news, also exposed other realities, mainly the need for more space and even more importantly, the need for us to move closer to our members and their fitness goals. It is now our priority to ensure that our members are training right, safely and getting good guidance, more so given the projected future growth in student numbers and the fact that some may be new users of a gym facility.

Central to fitness and the way we work, is the element of fun. As a staff team, we truly had a memorable, fun and productive year. We kick started the year with an explosive team building initiative. Throughout the year we ran great events and took advantage of all team bonding opportunities. Our annual Section Heads staff development trip also proved a great success. This year saw us visiting Cape Town where we attended the 4^th Clinical Sports Medicine Conference and also managed to train in some of the country’s leading gym facilities and compare our facilities with those of other universities’. We closed the year differently and in style, a year end Star Awards Dinner which afforded us the opportunity to acknowledge outstanding achievements and to say “thank you” to everyone in our staff team.

As the sun sets on 2010, heralding the dawn of yet another brand new year, we are confident we are in good shape, ready to hit the ground running and to get everyone “moving” towards fitness and health.

“It is happening in the Health Suite and this is your invitation…!”

I would like to once again, thank the 2010 staff team and more specifically my hardworking Section Heads. Khozanai Mahembe, Lindsay Jackson, Shirley king and Jonathan Davy. What follows is a 2010 snapshot of their Sections.

CONTACT DETAILS

Health Suite Manager: Felix Munyai

Email: f.munyai@ru.ac.za

Tel: 046 603 8367

Cell: 083 627 9536

Fax2Email: 0867417052

WEIGHTS SECTION- 2010 REVIEW

BY: KHOZANAI MAHEMBE

As is the case in all of the other sections in the Health Suite in 2010, the Weights Facility has experienced an exciting time of growth and continuous improvement. With an emphasis on improving our service to members, the facility has witnessed several systems and infrastructural changes which have seen an enhancement of the member experience while making use of the Facility.

The highlight of the year within the Weights Facility has certainly been the acquisition of the new treadmills which have gone a long way in meeting the needs of the members. Other notable improvements within the facility have been an increase in operating hours as well as the development of more direct and convenient communication between the members and management by way of the ‘Hey Manager’ comment cards and the creation of a dedicated web page which provides all the information needed for current and prospective members. All these changes have allowed members to play a more participative role in the way the Facility is run, which is, after all, the way it should be.

The real heroes, however, have been the staff of the Weights Facility without whose dedication and commitment very little would have happened. I would like to personally thank and commend the guys for their efforts, patience as well as input into the smooth and improved running of the facility. I have no doubt that the Weights Section is destined for only greater heights under the management of Ross Winson in 2011 and would like to wish him and the Weights Staff of 2011 all the best and continual improvement!

PERSONAL TRAINING SECTION- 2010 REVIEW

BY: JONATHAN DAVY

2010 has seen the personal training section grow from strength to strength, building on the firm foundations set by the previous section heads, Anthea Bennett and Lisa Brown. In total, 14 enthusiastic trainers started the year and to date, this small group of individuals have managed to train a total of 75 members of the Rhodes University Health Suite, both members of the greater Grahamstown community and members of the Rhodes staff and student bodies. This year has also seen an increase in the level of professionalism with which the section has run itself; the aim at the start of the year was to give each trainer the chance to market for themselves, manage their own clients, while upholding the rules and requirements of the health suite as a whole, an experience which I think has been invaluable to the students who have been part of the section.

In addition to their responsibilities as personal trainers in the gym, some of the staff have also been involved in various school and community-based projects. Both St Andrews College and Diocesan School for girls requested assistance with the management of their gym facilities. This involved members of the Personal training and weights sections regularly attending shifts in these respective gyms, to provide advice and training tips to the young learners, ensuring that their training was safe and effective in meeting their training goals. With regard to the community, some of the staff were also involved in weekly exercise sessions with the patients in Ward G, in Fort England hospital. This brought much enjoyment to the patients and was a very rewarding experience for those that took part in the sessions. It is definitely something that will be continued next year.

2010 has been an intense but very productive year in the Personal training section, and I would like to extend my gratitude to my staff in the section and to the Health Suite manager Felix Munyai, for his support and guidance throughout the year. I would also like to thank the clients, who have made the change in their lives and busy schedules to change their lifestyles and achieve their exercise or rehabilitation goals. I trust that it has been a worthwhile experience for all of you and I look forward to your continued support in 2011. Happy training!!!

GROUP FITNESS-2010 REVIEW

BY: LINDSAY JACKSON

The Group Fitness section of the Health Suite has had a fantastic 2010. Encompassing various group fitness disciplines, from taebo and 'kick it, punch it' to double step and 'core extreme' sessions, the section offers a dynamic range of class types and thus caters for a diverse group of members.

We held numerous events this year, including a Fitness Day as well as a 12 week Fitness Challenge, which saw members put through their paces for 12 weeks - at the end of which certain goals had to be met and achieved.

The Group Fitness section has also introduced a Runners Club this year, which has added a new and exciting dynamic to group exercise, catering for first timers keen to get into running as a discipline, as well as running fundees keen to improve on their running fitness.

From an instructing perspective, the section also ran both Group Fitness and Pilates instructor courses, which gave interested members the opportunity to qualify as instructors, and get an internationally recognized accreditation.

As a result of a host of achievements, and the section increasing its numbers, the Group Fitness won section of the year for 2010. This is a testament to the fantastic team and wonderful Group Fitness team which I'm sure will continue to grow from strength to strength in the years to come.

INDOOR CYCLING- 2010 REVIEW

BY: SHIRLEY KING

Throughout the year we sent our members on a fitness roller coaster ride and spinning towards their fitness goals. We were determined to do things differently and challenge norm for the better. We wanted our members to have fun, so much so that we invented a “Friday Funky Class”, and encouraged our instructors to unleash their creativity.

Our highlight was once again the charitable annual Indoor Cycling Marathon. We went all out, live music bands, laser lights, a DJ, lots of prizes and a braai in the background. By the end of it all, we had raised over R8000 for charity.

Our new instructors’ course also went well, but sadly, 2010 was also a year where had to bid farewell to most of our experienced Instructors who are leaving Rhodes, after completing their studies. I am however grateful to have worked with such a fantastic and supportive team.

Personally, I could not have asked for a better year, I enjoyed working for the Health Suite and going the extra mile in serving our members and supporting all our new initiatives. I learnt, grew and felt stretched to become even better. For this and more, I feel honored and humbled on being nominated the Section Head Star of the year 2010.

WELCOME - 2010

Come on, put on your track pants, tie up your shoe laces, grab a water bottle, do not forget your sweat towel, practice your smile and dash for the Health Suite!

Welcoming all members to what promises to be an energetic, fun filled and exciting 2010, a year when we promise to dazzle you with exceptional service and to offer you a gym experience only deserving of Kings and Queens.

We will wow you with new programs and ensure that with every spin, jog, jump and kick, your fitness goals will always find the back of the net.

Group exercise is pumping, Indoor cycling will take you into a roller – coaster fun ride, our Personal Trainers are already flexing their muscles, our staff will leave you in tears, the weights facility is rocking and the fitness party has not even began yet..

It is happening in the Health Suite and this is your invitation!

BY FELIX MUNYAI