WITH January well under way it's time to get round to those New Year's resolutions and if yours was to improve your fitness then a new piece of technology could be just what you've been looking for.

Miracle pieces of exercise equipment that promise massive results with little effort, but deliver questionable results, are nothing new, but the early signs are that vibrating plate technology could be an exception to the rule.

It's a simple machine to use. You stand on the plate and it vibrates your muscles negating the need to move them around yourself doing any of that horrible exercise business.

Unfortunately with one machine costing around the same as a second hand car, unless you've got a lot of spare cash, you will need to join a gym to get the chance to use one.

Members who use the vibration machine at Bonners Fitness Centre in Burton Latimer say that time spent standing on its vibrating plate has helped improve their health and fitness.

Gym member Kerry Sharp, 39, from Burton Latimer said: "I've only used the machine a few times but I am already starting to feel the benefits to my fitness."

Owners of Bonners, John Smith, 60, and Phil Balding, 52, decided to buy the expensive piece of equipment after being impressed by it at a demonstration in Birmingham.

John Smith said: "We went to the exhibition and were walking around all day until we got to the vibration plate.

"I had a quick go and it got rid of all my aches and pains.

"It was an expensive piece of equipment but from the response I've had from customers its been well worth the money.

"It can provide the benefits of an hour's workout in 10 minutes and it can be good for people with health problems such as asthma, who find cardio workouts hard."

As well as this, independent research has suggested that the machine can be beneficial to people with Parkinson's disease, arthritis, varicose veins and back pains.

Burton Latimer resident and member of Bonners Irene Coles, 54, used to see a chiropractitioner on a regular basis before she started using the new equipment.

She said: "It really helps my back. Since I've been using it my back really has been a lot better.

"I love it and it's so easy to use."

Using the machine involves little more than standing on the platform and selecting a programme using the buttons, then it's a case of letting the machine work its magic!

There are a number of different programmes which offer a range of intensities and lengths of workout, so it can benefit anyone from young athletes to a casual older user interested in keeping in shape.

You may need to check with a fitness instructor at your gym that the equipment is suitable for you as there are some conditions that are unsuitable for the vibration plate, such as severe heart problems and pregnancy.

However, if you are able to use the machine, with its help, this may be the year you finally honour that New Year's promise to get in shape.

Shaping up - John Smith
at Bonners Fitness Centre
 Picture by Northants ET 

Gym fixes it for John
                (This article appeared in the
              Northants ET on January 3, 2008)


A MAN who suffered a heart attack but got himself back into shape by taking regular exercise is backing the Get Active campaign.

John Smith, 60, was so motivated after his health scare five years ago that he decided he would not just attend a gym to get fit, but he wanted to own one.

It was when Mr Smith, of Charles Close, Higham Ferrers, was driving home that he started experiencing severe back pain.

The pain worsened when he got home so he called an ambulance and was taken to hospital, where doctors told him he had had a heart attack.

Mr Smith, now retired, said: “Heart attacks come in all sort of forms.

“I didn’t need any surgery, but I will need to take tablets for the rest of my life.

“I was frightened to go out alone in case anything happened – I used to go on long fishing trips by myself but I don’t do that anymore.”

Before the heart attack, Mr Smith had been a member of a gym, but admitted that like many people, he paid the fee but rarely attended. Following his stay in hospital, he started going to the gym three times a week but soon decided he wanted to get more involved.

He is now a partner at  Bonners Fitness Centre in High Street, Burton Latimer, and has urged other older people to take up more exercise.

Mr Smith said: “It’s something people have to do. We are just getting worse and worse.

“You see young people in gyms, but older people need to exercise too. We have some super-fit people in their 70s who come here.”

Mr Smith, who quit smoking the day he suffered a heart attack, is now looking into doing work for the British Heart Foundation, giving talks to other people recovering from heart attacks.

He has also given his backing to the Get Active programme which was launched earlier this month by the Northamptonshire Sports Partnership, and is supported by the Evening Telegraph.

This could lead to a cash injection for sporting facilities in the county if more people sign up to regular exercise.

For more information about Get Active, visit www.northamptonshiresport.org.

CALL US NOW
If you would like any information about anything on this website, or if you are thinking about joining a gym and would like to look round Bonners Fitness Centre, call us on 01536 420777 or email us at Baldingp@hotmail.co.uk
We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have and to show you round our fitness centre.