Posts Tagged ‘Healthclub Swansea’

On Sunday 16^th September our Health Club Deputy Manager Rob Crabtree competed in the Ironman Wales race in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. The event consisted of a 2.4 mile sea swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon to finish. This was also his first ever Ironman race and coincidentally his first marathon.

Rob completed his first Ironman in 12hrs 03mins, beating his target by 57 minutes. He also raised money for Help for Heroes, so if you would like to donate, please come along to the club or donate online at www.bmycharity.com/RobCrabtree

Swim time: 1:03:21

Bike time: 6:38

Run Time: 4:03

He is now an Ironman, and will never let us forget it (bragging rights)!

Huge congratulations Rob for such an achievement!

The Dragon Health Club staff have been busy bouncing around the place and we’ve managed to get them still just long enough to tell you what they’ve been up to. Tara has most recently been spotted running around the place with love hearts coming out of her eyes as she’s recently bought a brand new pair of uber bright pink, blue and orange. She even took a photo of her feet after a brutal run up constitution hill.

Rob is still in the thick of his iron man training. It’s been an emotional week for Rob as he most recently got kicked in the face and elbowed in the head by two ladies in the swim leg of a triathlon. However, he survived to tell the tale, and still hasn’t lost his good looks.

Andrew has taken on the challenge of jumping off his bike and has entered the Cardiff Half Marathon. Although he is super fit on the bike, after his first run he has been suffering with achy muscles but is ready to take on the mission in hand but aiming to beat Rob!

James is getting ready to get his head back in the books and will be doing his First Aid course, so we’ll all be in safe hands once he’s passed the course. Sandra has come back to work fully relaxed and refreshed from a 10 day break, however we wonder how long she will feel stress free as Bryony has now gone on holidays and Sandra is running a one woman show in beauty! Nothing like being thrown in the deep end after holidays!!

We had some exciting news this week that the Dragon Hotel is proud to be sponsoring Tara Hammett, our Health Club Manager in the Evening Post Strictly Swansea event being held in October.

Strictly Swansea promises to be the biggest night on the Glitz and Glamour calendar! Tara will be performing with her professional dance partner Blair Crewther and will be competing against 7 other celebrities & personalities and their partners on Sunday 7^th October.

Tara is so excited to be taking part. As well as learning a brand new skill, Tara has chosen to raise money for a cause that is very important to her. Tara regularly visits care homes and hold exercise sessions with the residents and is delighted to be raising money for the Tan Yr Allt Service Users fund.

“At the moment I have two left feet, I am totally unbalanced in my 3 inch heels and I need to become a little more elegant.

All my training has been very powerful and explosive, so to try and loosen out and be a little more dainty is a bit tough at the moment, but I’m sure with more practice and a lot of patience from Blair I’ll get it mastered by the night”

We’ll be keeping you up to date over the forthcoming weeks with Tara’s progress and how she’s tackling one of her biggest challenges to date!

I’m sure you’ll join us is wishing Tara Good Luck in the meantime!

My book is aimed at anybody that is interested in improving their lifestyles but need a bit of a point in the right direction. There are a few myths out there that people still believe so I’m aiming to educate people on a few rights and wrongs with nutrition whilst giving some handy, easy ideas along the way. Many of the people I meet struggle to think of new ideas to keep variety in their meals which will help keep them on track, so fingers crossed there may be a few yummy ideas of mine that people fancy trying.

Everything I’ve covered in the book is all tips and information that I’ve been following myself and passing onto many of my clients over the years helping them to lose tremendous amounts of weight, boost their fitness levels, increase their confidence and achieve their own goals.

In the book I scratch the surface on a bit of nutrition info that I think people will be interested in and there’s loads of other info on how to increase your metabolism, how to stay motivated, things you already knew and things you may not. There’s also a few home exercise ideas in there plus a handy little note section that people can record their weigh and inches and track their success.

There are lots of quick and easy meal ideas and little twists on a few classics that everybody loves. My ‘Spin Bol’ (Spag Bol, without the Spaghetti but with Spinach instead) is becoming a little bit famous now and loads of people I have suggested it to totally love it.

As you’ll see, all my photos are my actual meals from my iphone (none of them airbrushed by the way . They’re all incredibly easy to make (If I can do it, I guarantee you can!), convenient and YUMMY!

I hope people will enjoy this book, carry it around with them, share it with their friends and family and I hope it encourages them to release the healthy person wanting to get out!!

For a limited time you can purchase my new book, for only £5.00 with a FREE VIP DAY Pass  to The Dragon Health Club Facilites

To buy your copy of my book, either call into The Dragon Health Club or it can be puchased online at my website.

Happpy Reading !

The late great Audrey Hepburn once wrote….

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness…
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone…
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

Now, that’s all well and good and may indeed make you more beautiful on the inside but sometimes we need a little more help with the outside…and that’s something we can happily take care of here at The Dragon Hotel Healthclub and Spa.

Introducing our fabulous new full time Beauty Therapist Sandra Halfpenny, who is ready and waiting with fantastic facials, marvellous manicures or a mind chilling massage.

Sandra hasn’t been with us for very long but I have to say that her eyebrow shape and tint powers are amazing and age defying facial treatments, wonderfully relaxing.  Her favourite colour is black although she is an extremely colourful and bubbly character, and she would most love to snog George Clooney (wouldn’t we all ladies?).

I’m sure you will all join me in welcoming Sandra to our team at The Dragon Hotel.

This month we’re excited to launch the Dragon Health Club Weight Loss club with Tara! (more…)

Louise Howells, Tim Priestland and Cath Garcia

It was a pleasure to see so many enjoying afternoon tea on Monday, 11th April 2011 when The Dragon Memories Exhibition was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Swansea, Councillor Richard Lewis.  With a trip down memory lane conducted by historian Professor Peter Stead, memories were flowing as swiftly as the tea and coffee!

With a delightful mixture of those who used to work at the hotel, those who celebrated their weddings here and those who simply came to enjoy the afternoon teas of a Saturday, there were plenty of tales captured live on air as Shanny broadcasted live for The Wave.

Ex Dragon staff take a trip down memory lane

The exhibition runs throughout the public areas of the hotel until May 12th 2011 and all are welcome to visit at their leisure to view the memorabilia on display.

As detailed in The South Wales Evening Post on Wednesday, 16th February 2011(right), February 14th saw The Dragon Health & Fitness Club staff and members take part in an organised event celebrating 50 years of the British Heart Foundation. Along with other gyms and health clubs in the Swansea area, The Dragon had to promote an event with the 50 theme in mind. Some discarded ideas included 50km on the treadmill, bike and rower but we finally set the challenge of swimming a combined effort of 50km in one day, it took a lot of hard effort and some long hours in the pool, in fact 2,777 lengths in total, but we managed to hit the target at 9.30pm! We would like to thank everyone who took part and sponsored the team for this great cause, the final sum of money raised is still unknown but appears to be over £350.

Completing this challenge now frees up the team to put their heart and soul into celebrating 50 years of The Dragon Hotel – I somehow don’t think that 50km on the treadmill is going to be included in those celebrations either!

The whole team at The Dragon wish Chef Sam Thomas, who’s served us well for the last 6 years, the best of luck and success with his new venture – the kitchen certainly won’t be the same without him! But there’s no fear as long suffering Chef Steve Williams is stepping up to spearhead the culinary operations with support from Chefs Kevin Wingrave and Hayley James.

Local lad Chef Steve is no stranger to life at The Dragon Hotel having been here for well over a decade masterminding thousands of Christmas Parties, Weddings and Dinner Dances. Not easily flustered, Steve takes everything in his stride and likes nothing better than to unwind with a few cans of cider over a fishing rod.

Kevin Wingrave could easily have been lost to the culinary world if he had stuck to his first career choice of carpentry. A few too many splinters made Kevlar decide to swap his wood chips for potato chips and Swansea Bay has now sampled his cooking at both Morgans Hotel and 698 prior to his arrival at The Dragon in 2005.

Chef Hayley James is by far the prettiest of The Dragon Hotel’s culinary team and has known Kevin since they attended Neath Port Talbot College together. Deserving a medal for working alongside him for so many years, Hayley is not only our Desserts and Pastry specialist but also manages to stay on top of the dreaded paperwork – a skill seldom found in chefs!

The motley crew that makes up the rest of the team includes:

James Hallett, who also worked with Kevin and Hayley at Morgans and 698, and has once been told he’s a young Heston, a fact that is often repeated…

Adam ‘Ducky’ Harris who waddles around the kitchen busy being Kev’s Golden Boy

Ben Kerward, the wittiest member of the team who knows exactly how to press Chef Steve’s buttons!

There are, of course, a few others who do not wish to be mentioned in this blog and shall therefore remain faceless: Liam, Mark, Bernard, Chris, Ashley, Roy and Liam – you know who you are!

Well this week it’s all snow, snow and more snow!! But that hasn’t bothered any of our beauty clients. Whether it’s party glamour or beauty maintenance, it is not something that the snow can get in the way of, OH NO!! It is essential and whether our clients have had to walk, hike, ski or slide their way to us, they’ve made it!!

We also know there will be some very special gifts underneath the Christmas tree. Husbands and boyfriends have done well this year buying gift vouchers for their loved ones. A real luxurious treat and perfect Christmas surprise.

Michelle’s top tip for your beauty regime in this harsh cold weather is:

Make sure you moisturise daily, use a heavier moisturiser at night and use a gentle exfoliator once a week. Also, when inside with the heating on, keep skin well hydrated by drinking plenty of hot or cold drinks!

For more information on your skin care or for FREE Dermalogica face mapping call us now to book your appointment!

Merry Christmas and a Happy & Beautiful New Year

Michelle & Harley
xx