JULY 2019/MUSCLE & FITNESS 143PHOTO CREDIT: EMMA SILLS
PHOTO CREDIT: HONEY BELL TENTSSt Albans is Lit for Herts Fit Fest
H
erts Fit Fest 2019 is being held in
St Albans on 5th - 8th July. The
fitness festival was created to be a
celebration of everything health and
fitness related, designed to bring people
together through fitness in a non-
judgemental environment. They’ve
bought everything to one venue; you can
sweat it out with a whole range of high
intensity classes, learn new skills with the
likes of pole dance, aerial and hoop
training, build confidence in a self-
defence session, groove to the beat in a
dance class, or get zen with a restorative
workout for the mind and body. You can
fill up on healthy food and drinks as well
as grab a barista style coffee and browse
through fitness clothing, health products,
supplements and much more. Not to
mention the evening parties, live acts
and DJs, and if you choose to sleepover,
you can treat yourself to a stay in the
beautiful bell tents.
When Emma Sills set out to create
Herts Fit Fest, it was to make health and
fitness easily accessible to all. Having
originally come from a corporate
background as a senior manager for ten
years in one of the top four accountingN
ew study shows hospital
admissions where obesity was
recorded as either a primary or
secondary diagnosis, increased
by 15% (94,000) on 2016/17.Hospital admissions
New figures in the report show that:- Around two thirds of the admissions
where obesity was recorded as either
a primary or secondary diagnosis in
2017/18 were for women (66%) - Of the 6,627 Finished Consultant
Episodes (FCEs) for bariatric surgery
in 2017/18, 79% of the patients were
female.
Prescriptions
The number of items prescribed by
primary care for obesity treatment
decreased by 8% from 401,000 items
in 2017 to 371,000 items in 2018, and
continues a downward trend since
a peak of 1.45 million items in 2009.
The Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) saw
an increase for the first time in five
years, rising from £6.9m in 2017
to £8.1m in 2018.Obesity Prevalence- Adult obesity prevalence stood
at 29% in 2017, an increase from
26% in 2016 - Prevalence of child obesity in both
reception and year 6 was over twice as
high in the most deprived areas than in
the least deprived areas; 13% compared
to 6% in reception year, and 27%
compared to 12% in year 6.
Physical activity and diet- 68% of men and 64% of women aged
19 and over met the government’s
physical activity guidelines for adults
in 2017/18 - 21% of men and 23% of women were
classed as inactive in 2017/18 - 20% of boys and 14% of girls were
meeting the government’s physical
activity guidelines for children - Women (32%) were more likely to
consume the recommended five
portions of fruit and vegetables a day,
than men (26%) - 18% of children consumed the
recommended five portions of fruit
wand vegetables a day in 2017.
companies in the UK, Emma’s passion
for fitness led her next career step to the
fitness industry where she joined the
management team of a small 24hr gym
operator. She grew this company from
one to five gyms, whilst also competing
in the largest Natural Bodybuilding
Federation in the UK (BNBF), winning
the figure category to become top in the
UK, earning a professional status and
then placing third in the world finals in
Miami. It is with this drive and passion to
share all things health and fitness to help
others that Herts Fit Fest was created.
Emma says: “It was important to me
to create an event available to everyone,
all shapes and sizes and all abilities.
I wanted to broaden people’s fitness
horizons and showcase all the wonderfulways people can get fit, healthy and
enjoy themselves. That is why I’ve
sourced the most fabulous and different
classes as well as keeping the old
faithful’s that everyone loves, making
sure there’s something for beginners and
for those wanting a change and a
challenge.”
Herts Fit Fest is here to encourage
lifestyle changes, to change the way we
view physical activity and give people an
insight into the many ways you can
become a happier and healthier version
of yourself. You don’t need to be a size 8
fitness fanatic to come along, there are
no criteria to get involved in the classes,
all shapes, sizes and abilities are
celebrated.
Herts Fit Fest brings, not only all the
favourite classes such as HIIT, boot
camp, Zumba, Clubbercise, yoga and
Pilates but also the latest fitness trends
and styles such as twerking, PowerWave,
trampoline fitness and Nesketball, that
are new to festival goers. In addition,
help and advice from experts and
professionals is on hand for those
looking for it.
One main aim of the festival is to
showcase a variety of ways to get active
and get support. Sometimes fitness
classes are inaccessible to the everyday
person due to location/ cost and/ or
even confidence. This was a driving
force behind bringing everything to one
location with dynamic and encouraging
instructors, as well as inspirational people
including athletes to share their
knowledge and stories, therefore creating
a hub of everything anyone might need
to help break down those barriers.
The varied timetable and relaxed
fitness approach mean you will always
find a class to suit your mood. You can
come along for just the day or the full
weekend, you can join the campers or
glampers and stay over or you can go
home after a fun-packed adrenaline-
fuelled day. There really is something
for everyone so don’t miss this fantastic
weekend.