edited by katie barnes. email: katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com lightweights


SPLASH OUT WITH NEW YEAR CHALLENGE


Underwater hockey. It might sound a bit unbelievable, but it does exist and it could be just the thing for operators who want to introduce something new to entice the influx of members after the new year and – more importantly – keep them coming thereafter. Underwater hockey, also known as Octopush,


is a non-contact sport where two teams of six players – with up to four substitutes – aim to move a puck across the bottom of a swimming pools and into goals. The game consists of two halves which last from 10–15 minutes. Players wear a diving mask, swimming fi ns


and snorkel as well as safety gear. The stick is relatively short (no more than 35cm long) and the puck is around the same size as an ice hockey puck, but is made from lead. There are currently 95 underwater hockey clubs in the UK. Details: www.gbuwh.co.uk


THE RIGHT KEY: MUSIC AND EXERCISE


Exercising to music, rather than without it, could be more benefi cial to older adults – especially when it comes to a reduction of falls. A Swiss study focused on 134


adults over the age of 65 who took part in either a music-based multi-task exercise programme or a control group (those doing the same programme but without music) for one hour a week over six months. Overall balance and function tests


improved in the music to exercise group compared to the control group. There were also fewer falls in that group (24) compared to the control group (54).


food tastes better after a workout


Working out before you eat really does make food taste better, if a study based on animal behaviour is to be believed. It’s also suggested that the more


effort you put into exercising, the better the food tastes – and that exercise could even enhance your appreciation for foods you might not usually fancy, such as low-fat and/or low-calorie snacks. Lead researcher Alexander Johnson from John Hopkins University in the


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US says: “Basically what we’ve shown is that, if you have to expend more effort to get a certain food, not only will you value that food more, but it might even taste better to you.” Mice were trained to respond to two


levers – one which they had to press once to get food and the other 15 times. When given free access to the levers, the rodents “clearly preferred the food they worked harder for”.


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


WHEELY DIFFERENT OUTDOOR WORKOUT


Is it a bike? Is it a cross trainer? No. The Freecross from Germany is a actually a mix of both – a cross trainer on wheels – and it’s intended to add a unique edge to outdoor fi tness sessions. Freecross launched in Germany in early 2010.


Just like a static cross trainer, it works all major muscle groups with minimum impact on joints, but it has three wheels so it can be used outdoors: on city streets, bike trails or even the open road. Tests conducted at the German Sport University


in Cologne show the Freecross calorie burn rate to be up to 643Kcal an hour when travelling at a speed of 18km/h – roughly 25 per cent more than cycling. Freecross sessions are already offered in the UK at Soho Gyms. Details: www.freecross.de


january 2011 © cybertrek 2011


PHOTO: WWW.GBUWH.CO.UK - VICKY RISIANOVA


PHOTO: WWW.SPORTENGLAND.ORG


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