FAQs

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? - THE PROGRAMME

What is Sweat in the City?

Sweat in the City is an exciting new programme aimed at women aged 16 to 24, who live in London and currently do little or no exercise.

If you hate exercise, have an inactive lifestyle and don’t feel confident about visiting a gym Sweat in the City aims to change the way that you feel about exercise. We want to show you that exercise can be great fun and leave you feeling fantastic – both physically and mentally. And we want to give you the knowledge you need to hit the gym with confidence.

To help achieve our mission, we’ve persuaded more than 100 clubs and leisure centres in London to give away a total of 3,000 free gym memberships (worth up to £180) for 12 weeks this autumn. This way you can try out new activities, make friends and get to know the new fit and fabulous you for free!

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What will I get if I sign up?

If you sign up to the Sweat in the City programme, and are chosen to take part, we will give you:

  • Free gym membership for 12 weeks at a gym near you.
  • Access to an exclusive Sweat in the City members-only website - a chance for you to meet other young women on the programme and swap stories about your exploits both inside and outside the gym.
  • Support from an online Sweat in the City mentor – Brittany – who will be happy to answer any questions you have about the programme, big or small.
  • Fortnightly group sessions at your gym, exclusively for you and other Sweat in the City women. These sessions will give you a chance to try a variety of classes in the company of other women just like you. Sessions will last 45 minutes to one hour.
  • Top exercise tips and advice to help you reach your goals.

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Who is running this programme?

The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) and over 100 health and fitness clubs in London are supporting Sweat in the City - with financial backing from Lottery Funding through Sport England London.

  • WSFF is a small campaigning charity trying to encourage women across the UK to get fitter and healthier. Sweat in the City is just one project to help WSFF achieve that goal.
  • As the industry trade body, the FIA represents all organisations within the fitness industry. It represents over 2000 operator sites in the public and private sectors.
  • Around than 100 FIA member clubs and centres across London have kindly donated twelve weeks of free membership to Sweat in the City participants (click here for a link to the clubs and centres involved).

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Free gym membership? It all sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?

There’s no catch - honest. The 3,000 women chosen to take part will all receive twelve weeks free gym membership at a gym in their local area. All we ask in return is that you help us learn what motivates women, like you, to get and stay active by:

  • Telling us about your weekly experience on line
  • Attending your  club/centre as frequently as you can (ideally three times a week)
  • Attending at least the first of the six group sessions on offer.
  • Filling in an evaluation questionnaire that will be sent to you at the end of the programme

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I hate exercise, why would I sign up?

If you HATE gyms, sport or basically any form of physical activity, you may think that Sweat in the City is not for you. But you are exactly the sort of person that the programme is designed for. Our challenge is to get you thinking differently about exercise and show you the benefits of an active lifestyle. We want to show you that exercise is fun. And give you a chance to build up your confidence and try out new activities. We promise not to throw you in at the deep end. We will support you throughout the 12 weeks with tips, advice, information and encouragement.

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Who can join the programme?

To apply for Sweat in the City you must:

  • Be female - sorry, no boys allowed
  • Be aged between 16 and 24 (as of 1st October 2008)
  • Live in one of the 33 London boroughs
  • Be someone who does little or no exercise at the moment (less than 30 minutes  of moderate intensity activity three times a week)
  • Not currently have a leisure centre, sports club or gym membership
  • Be prepared to feedback on your experience

If you don’t meet these criteria, we’re sorry but you will not be able to take part in the programme. But you can still check out our website for lots of ideas and information on ways to get active in London.

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I am older than 24 and really interested, why can I not join?

Unfortunately we can't offer places to every women in London - Sweat in the City is a funded project and also relies on lots of kind gyms donating their services for the 12 weeks. Another important reason for our focus on 16 - 24 year olds is that our research shows that young women are almost as half as active as young men; we want to learn how to motivate this age group to do more exercise.

If you aren't 16 - 24 but would like help getting active please email sweatinthecity@fia.org.uk who can send you training programmes and information on other activities going on in London that you might want to try.

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I have a disability. Can I join the programme?

Yes, of course. If you need any extra help or support at the gym, just let us know by calling Brittany on 0207 420 8580 or emailing sweatinthecity@fia.org.uk. We'll get in touch with your gym and the staff there will do their best to help you with any special requirements.

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JOIN IN! - SIGNING UP

It sounds great. How do I apply?

Click here to fill out a short online form. You can register for the programme from 1st September 2008. Don’t hang about – we only have 3,000 places up for grabs!

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Can I register by telephone?

If you have a computer we'd prefer you to register online. That way you'll get the full benefits of the Sweat in the City programme. But if you don't have internet access, or an email address, we don't want that to stand in the way of the new fit and fabulous you! Just give us a call on 0207 420 8580 and we'll sign you up over the phone.

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When will I get my free membership?

If you are successful, your free gym membership will start on 29th September 2008 and last until 21st December 2008 (12 weeks in total).

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I’ve only just found out about Sweat in the City and the start date has already passed. I’m really interested - can I still sign up?

Although the programme begins on the 29th September you are welcome to join up in October and November, as long as there are still spaces at your chosen centre. But, regardless of the date you start, your membership will still finish on the 21st December 2008.

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Can I join with a friend?

Absolutely - in fact we encourage it! 64% of women say they would exercise more if they had a friend to be active with. So why not spread the word to your mates by using our ‘invite a friend’ function?

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Can I sign up to any gym or leisure centre in London?

There are more than 100 participating clubs across London for you to choose from. Click here to find Sweat in the City clubs in your area. As well as the fixed-site centres, you can opt to join British Military Fitness, which provides outdoor training in 15 parks across London (click here for more information about BMF).

When you apply you’ll get the chance to select up to three centres – the BMF can be one of your choices. We’ll do our best to make sure you get a place at your preferred club. But if your first choice is full, we will try to get you into your second choice. If your second choice is full we’ll check out your third option.

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I’m interested in signing up to the British Military Fitness (BMF) centres. Can you tell me a bit more about it?

BMF offers military style fitness training in the great outdoors. It operates in 15 parks across London (click here for more information). Each class is led by trained armed forces fitness instructors. Classes are divided into ability groups and include warm up, cool down and 50 minutes of varied fitness training. If you choose to sign up to BMF you can attend any sessions at any of the parks (you are not restricted to one site).

Because of the way BMF sessions work we are not able to provide six training sessions every two weeks, as we will in the gyms. Instead we will provide a trainer to give Sweat in the City members a 30 minute support session, before the main session starts for the first two or three weeks. This will occur at selected sites (to be decided).

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My friend already belongs to a gym but says she is going to cancel her membership and sign up to Sweat in the City.

The programme is aimed at women who are not currently active and have little experience of exercise. If you are already active, or have a gym membership - good on you! - but we’re afraid that you can’t take part in the programme.

Honesty is a condition of the free membership. We will carry out thorough checks on all applicants. If we find out that anyone has been dishonest they will be removed from the programme and their gym membership will be revoked.

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Will everyone that applies get a place on the programme?

We only have 3,000 places up for grabs. And each club has a maximum number of women they can take on the programme, so it’s a case of first come first served. So, sign up quickly to increase your chances of getting on to the programme - and getting a place at your chosen gym.

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What if I am not accepted?

If you’re not successful we will send you an email to let you know. If you have not been accepted it will be for one of the following reasons:

  • You are not within the age range of 16 to 24
  • You already have a leisure centre, sports club or gym membership
  • You are already pretty active
  • The programme is full
  • You live outside London

If we are unable to support you on the programme we are sorry, but  you can link to  advice for other ways to get fit and fabulous in London.

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GAME ON! - DURING THE PROGRAMME

What happens once I am accepted onto the programme?

If you are successful you will receive an e-mail telling you the good news! You’ll also be sent the following information:

  • A username and password, so that you can log onto www.sweatinthecity.co.uk and create a user profile.
  • Details of your allocated gym/ club and a date for your first group session.

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When can I start?

To arrange your induction call or visit your centre any time after the 22nd September 2008. From the 29th September 2008 you will be able to go along to the centre and use your membership. You will have to have an induction with the centre first. Once you have attended your induction, you can use the gym and facilities any time you want to.

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What should I take to my induction?

When you first visit the gym you should take:

  • Some form of identification (passport/driving licence/student card) together with proof of address (a bill or bank statement)
  • Training clothes and other gym bag essentials – as you are likely to try out the equipment as part of your induction.

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What should I wear to the gym?

The number one rule is to wear something that you are comfortable in. Trainers, a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, leggings or shorts are all normal wear. After your first couple of visits you’ll suss out what’s most comfortable for you.

You might want to consider a sports bra too – particularly if you are blessed up top. Exercising can strain your breast ligaments, leading to saggy boobs as you get older. Let’s face it, we’d all like to prevent that if we can! Wearing a good sports bra, like Shock Absorber, can reduce breast bounce by as much as 74% giving you maximum support and comfort while you exercise. So, while you bounce, your boobs won’t! Visit Shock Absorber's website for more info and details of stockists near you.

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I don’t own any trainers!

Sports shoes are important. They are cushioned and give proper support to your bones and joints (particularly your knees and ankles). But good trainers don’t have to break the bank. You can get decent pair from around £25 if you shop around. Click here for links to online sportswear shops.

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Do I have to attend the specialised group sessions?

As a bare minimum we would like all Sweat in the City young women to attend the first group session at their gym. After that we would like you to attend as many sessions as you can. Once you’ve been to one, we think you’ll be keen to go back for more!

The group sessions are exclusively for Sweat in the City young women, they’ll be great fun and we think you’ll get a lot out of them. You’ll be able to try out new exercise techniques with expert tuition and support. And you can rest easy in the knowledge that everyone else in your class is in the same boat as you.

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If I have a problem who should I contact?

We are offering an email mentor service to everyone on the Sweat in the City programme. So, if you have any problems or queries – big or small - please contact Brittany on 0207 420 8580 or email sweatinthecity@fia.org.uk and she will do everything in her power to help you.
                            
If you have a specific query about your gym – for example, about lockers, changing rooms, opening times or exercise class timetables – please speak to a member of staff at your gym as they will be best placed to help you.

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Can I stop going?

We hope that you don’t! But if you do hit a low patch or feel that you want to give up, please call or email us first to tell us why. We might be able to help you. You can contact Brittany on 0207 420 8580 or email sweatinthecity@fia.org.uk.

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AFTER THE PROGRAMME

What happens at the end of the programme?

At the end of the 12 week period we will send you a questionnaire asking for your feedback on your experience. We’re really interested to know how you got on. Your experiences will help us learn what motivates young women like you to get active, and stay active. With your help we hope to get more women feeling happy, healthy and fit!

We also want to keep you moving and motivated to stay active so you will be able to find information on the website about a variety of London-based activities and how you can keep sweating in the city!

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I want to keep exercising! What can I do?

We hope that you enjoyed Sweat in the City and that you feel motivated and inspired to keep active! If you want to keep up the good work you can speak to your gym directly about becoming a full time member. Alternatively we have plenty of tips and advice on ways to keep fit and have fun in London.

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Can I keep in touch with the friends I’ve made on Sweat in the City?

Of course! Hopefully you will have made friends during the programme that you want to keep in touch with – and keep exercising with. Our exclusive members-only website will stay open once your free membership has ended so that you can still update your exercise log and keep in touch with your mates.

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PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

What will you do with the results and any data relating to me?

The results of the Sweat in the City programme will be used to help us plan our future work, with the goal of improving access to exercise and sport for women. But rest assured that all personal data will be treated confidentially. We will not forward your name or personal details to any third party. Our research agency will work within the MRS Professional Standards: Code of Conduct

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Who will have access to my profile on the website?

Access to your profile page is secure. Only you can make changes to your own page. And only other Sweat in the City women and the website managers (us) will be able to see your profile.

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