Are you ready to get sweaty for Fitfest - a community fitness event?

With Spring in full swing, Village Gym Swindon is launching FIT FEST, a five-day fitness festival to help inspire locals to embrace a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Starting on 8 May, FIT FEST will focus on different areas of wellbeing, from cardio workout challenges to holistic de-stressing classes that improve posture, flexibility and balance.  Alongside the classes, festival-goers can get nutritional advice, attend lifting technique workshops or engage in 1:1 personal training consultations to help them take their fitness goals to the next level.  Village FIT FEST is part of the hotel’s Village Green initiative, which aims to give back to, and bring together, the local community through activities centred on volunteering, health and wellness.

Kickstarting on day one, locals will have the chance to experience high octane calorie busting classes, alongside protein bar samples and post workout delights.

On day two, guests are invited to take part in outdoor and indoor bootcamps, perfect for those that love to get their sweat on.

Yoga, Pilates, Body Balance, Tai Chi, Barre and more feature on day three and the Village Spa team will be on hand to offer free mini head and hand massages to ensure guests feel refreshed.

Don’t miss the ultimate cycling party on day four.  Guests can challenge themselves on the gym floor with cycle challenges based on different Tour de France stages.

See out the day five in style with the Les Mills showcase. Whether locals are cardio junkies, HIIT fans or combat lovers, there’s a class to suit. Alternatively, bring the family for a swim and make the most of the kid’s inflatable play session before enjoying a Sunday carvery, where kids eat free. 

Andrew Spink, General Manager at Village Hotel Club Swindon said:

“We’re very excited about bringing everyone together in a celebration of health and wellness. Village FIT FEST is a key part of our Village Green community initiative and we’ve got lots more activities and events in the pipeline”.

All-access 5 Day FIT FEST cost just £15. On Sunday, a family pass is also available for just £30. Village Gym members can come for free and their guests can enjoy half price tickets. Children under 3 can also attend Sunday for free.

Village Gym will be running exclusive promotions and prizes during the festival, with a year’s free personal training awarded to the winner of the National Draw. All attendees will also be entered into a free Prize Draw at each Club.

As part of the celebrations, Village Gym Swindon’s Gym Manager Stacey Williams has compiled some top tips on how to stay fit this spring.

Stacey Williams’ Top Fitness Tips

1. Hydration is key

Drinking fluids in general will help you keep healthy, especially water. A hydrated body delivers more energy, improved stamina and alertness. Avoid drinking fizzy drinks as much as possible; a lot of people are unaware actually how much sugar is in them, which is subsequently stored by your body if you do not have an active lifestyle. If weight loss is your goal, drinking ice water burns extra calories as the body has to warm itself up to counter the temperature change.

2. Variety is the spice of life

Combining cardio and weight training is a very effective way to keep healthy. Cardio training is the best way to burn fat during activities but effective weight training creates an after burn effect, which means your body burns calories even after you've finished exercising.

3. Interval training

Finding enough time to work out can be difficult. Interval training is about higher intensity work-outs for shorter periods of time. This method is far more time-friendly and can offer better results than steady workouts done at one particular speed.

4. Progressive Overload

After a period of time, your body begins to adapt to the intensity or stress which you place it under, which means improvements can stop and in some circumstances fitness regresses. To avoid this, ensure you periodically increase or alter the content of your workouts, whether that is through increased resistance, longer runs, faster times, less recovery or changing the range of motion. Keep your body guessing and the results will keep coming in.

5. Find your motivation

Motivation can be one of the hardest barriers to overcome. Finding a workout partner to train with can make a big difference. It can be a good distraction to help you go for longer, and you will find you help motivate each other. It’s also important to make sure you are setting yourself realistic goals, over specific time periods, which make it easy to measure progress.