Many people don’t realise the importance of drinking enough water and the effect it can have on our health, eating habits and weight loss.

Yes, we all start the day with good intentions, but lack of sleep, back-to-back meetings and always on the move, what do we reach for? Caffeine…and lots of it, in whatever form!

Water is sidelined, ignored, with excuses that ‘too much will mean I’m always in the loo and I don’t have time for that’ commonplace.

But if any of these symptoms sound far too familiar, it may well be time you reconnected with your clear, uncomplicated friend:

‘I have a constant headache’

‘I feel so lethargic’

‘I can’t be bothered when I get to the gym’

‘I don’t sleep’

‘My skin’s terrible’

Have you met my friend WATER?!

Yep, often if you dig a little deeper into someone’s lifestyle, water is all too often lacking; odd when you consider that every cell,...

Dear mainstream gym,

I’m sorry to choose Valentine’s Day to tell you this, but the thing is…I’ve found someone else and we just hit it off.

For a while now I’ve felt that you just don’t get me. I turn up, we go through the motions and then I leave again feeling, well, a bit deflated, I’ll be honest.

I keep willing you to make a change, challenge me and spur me into action, but, you never do. I don’t think you care anymore.

I felt something was missing… that spark and passion, the need to come and see you every day.

Sadly, as time goes on I just keep making excuses not to visit you.

It was during these times that I found myself looking for something new; and I’m sorry to tell you that I think I’ve finally found ‘the one’.

It’s called CrossFit – yes I know what you’re thinking; it’s just a crush, a whim, it’ll never last, but I seriously think it will.

I can’t wait to...

CrossFit Pendle’s spin classes are legendary. FACT.

You may well think you’ve ‘done a spin class’ in the past, but we doubt you’ll have ever ‘done a spin class’ Steve Backhouse style!

Yes, he shouts, yes, he makes your eyeballs sweat and yes, he pushes you to your absolute limits, but more importantly he gets results.

So, why the hell would I want to sign up for this apparent torture?!

Here's why....

It burns calories…lots of them

For 45 minutes you are working hard, whether that’s fast and light or slow and heavy, you’re pushing on and you’re pedalling away those calories.

It improves your cardio

Spin classes include both endurance and cardio training, which is good for the heart and helps build stamina in other sports you may enjoy or want to start doing.

You join a community

As you grunt and groan through a gruelling workout you have the full understanding and support of your fellow cyclists, each willing the...

If you’re still skirting around issue of joining a gym this January, or your current gym is just not giving you the motivation you need, come join us!

We’re offering new members three months at half price, so what the hell are you waiting for?!

Remember, every single one of our members was also a CrossFit newbie at some time over the past few years, they understand the fears and the apprehensions and they couldn’t be more welcoming.

Don’t believe us? We’ll let them take the floor – and please, notice – they’re never exercising alone!

“I just thought everyone was going to be so much better than me, but it’s just not like that at all. The coaches will come over and show you how to scale it down and nothing’s impossible, all the movements are scalable.”

- Victoria Waddington (pictured here on left)

“When I first joined CrossFit I weighed 18.5 stone, the coaching is fantastic. You try the other gyms,...

Last week we brought you Jonny's CrossFit journey and this week we introduce you to Stephanie Gill.  

Steph is from a family of Crossfitters and was persuaded (badgered some might say) to join CrossFit Pendle by her two sisters Vic and Olivia.

At the time of joining, Steph had been told she might never been able to do intense exercise again, following two operations on her foot in just 11 months.

She said: “I joined CrossFit when I was in my worst ever physical state. I had lost not only my self-confidence but my confidence in my ability to exercise. I was left feeling big, bloated, fat, flabby, ugly and all round awful.

“As we all know, when you get like this you comfort eat, which is what I ended up doing for months only making things worth.

‘I’ve always been big on exercise and sport so losing my confidence in my ability was massive.”

When Steph first heard about CrossFit, she thought there no way she would be able to do it but after months of...

If you’re contemplating joining a CrossFit gym in the New Year, but still not 100% sold, let’s have a look at some of our current members’ CrossFit journeys and see if we can get you over the line.

In the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some real-life stories of our members who have not only changed their bodies through CrossFit, they have grown in confidence, which, as a coach is fantastic to see!

Let’s start with…Jonny Doney

Jonny has been with CrossFit Pendle right from the outset and has trained consistently 3-4 times per week for the last 4.5 years.

He knew that fitness went hand in hand with the right diet, but with three small children, one a baby, he found himself struggling to focus on getting the whole package right.

Jonny said: “I’ve always struggled losing weight, but I had hit my heaviest at almost 17 stone. While it had bothered me for some time, it was when I saw pictures of myself on a family holiday in Switzerland...

Did you know that less than 10% of people actually stick to their New Year’s Resolutions?

And then beat themselves up for being a failure.

The problem is we put so much pressure on ourselves to work harder, train harder, lose weight, blah, blah, blah, it’s no surprise that we can rarely keep up with our own expectations.

So, here’s a suggestion… how about ONE New Year’s Resolution this year that will actually do all of the above and more.

Yep, you know what I’m going to say…

JOIN CROSSFIT

Because, by making this your one New Year’s Resolution for 2019, you are actually achieving so many of the other goals you normally have on your list.

Let’s explore them…

JOIN A GYM

Check, checkity, check. You joined a gym as so many people do in January. But joining is one thing, going is another. The beauty of CrossFit is that before you can start throwing any weights about you have to attend an introductory session.

These are either...

Dad-of two Simon Fletcher has just returned from a dream family holiday which four months ago he feared he’d have to cancel.

The 40-year-old CrossFit Pendle member tore both his patellar tendons after taking part in a dad’s race at his son’s school sports day on June 22^nd leaving him in excruciating pain and wheelchair bound.

He said: “The dad’s race is notoriously competitive but I’ve never known someone to be taken away in an ambulance before!

 “All I remember is running fast then stopping suddenly, hearing a ‘pop’, feeling searing pain and then falling to the floor. I don’t even know, to this day, if I won!”

 Jokes aside, Simon was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he was told that both his patellar tendons had separated from the kneecaps and without these attachment, he could not bend or weight bear on his knees.

 He underwent a painful three-hour operation to reconnect the torn...

Whether you’re a CrossFit newbie or long time CrossFit lover, now’s the perfect time to waft an ‘All I want for Christmas’ list in front of your significant other’s face, or casually leave it on the dining table for them to see.

 Yes, we know Christmas is all about giving, but wouldn’t it be good to open a gift you actually want this year?

 So, here our ideas. You’re very welcome!

 CROSSFIT PENDLE CLOBBER– yes, of course we want to see you in our own gear! We’re a community and we love seeing you representing the gym and looking part of the TEAM. You can try things on, which saves the pain of having to order various sizes online and sending back the ones that don’t fit. Have a changing room fashion show (before you get sweaty, of course), pick the item/s you want and find Mike to organise payment. Don't have your size, let us know and we'll get it ordered in straight away.

STANCE SOCKS- the...

Zombies, superheroes and avatars were the order of the day for a popular Nelson gym as CrossFit Pendle held its annual Halloween Throwdown.

Members really got into the ‘spirit’ by dressing in spooky costumes to undertake a series of CrossFit heats in teams of four.

And the group of 60 made for a fearsome sight as they set off out on to the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate for their first heat; a two-mile run.

Mike Rawson, owner of CrossFit Pendle, said: “The Halloween Throwdown is a real hit among members, as it’s challenging but fun and gives people the opportunity to get to know other members of the gym.

“Teams are drawn out of a hat, so they have no idea who they will be partnered with until they arrive that morning, so we really have no idea who will take to the podium at the end of the day.

“It was a really cold day, yet that didn’t stop the teams from giving each workout their all throughout the day and cheering other teams on when they...