Catch-up with: Jasmine Pennett

We’re delighted to announce that Jasmine Pennett, a Fitness Instructor at The Coniston Spa, has recently qualified in Sports Massage and this will now be offered as a treatment to our Spa Members. To find out a bit more about Jasmine’s role at The Coniston Spa and about Sports Massage, we caught up with Jasmine and asked her a few questions…

Have you always been into health and fitness?

Yes definitely – I was always into sport at school and loved taking part and trying new things. I played rugby for my school team and it was there that I was picked to play for Yorkshire for two seasons. In addition to rugby, I was heavily involved in athletics at schools and was chosen to represent Yorkshire in the 800m.

It was while I was doing my A-Levels, where I studies Physical Education, Business and Media, that I decided that I wanted to make a career out of my love for health and fitness.

As a Fitness Instructor at The Coniston Spa, what does a typical day look like for you?

I am responsible for planning and delivering 5 classes as part of the class timetable at the Spa. My classes include spin, core classes, circuits and legs, bums and tums, and my most popular class would have to be the boxfit class.

In addition to planning and delivering classes, all Fitness Instructors take pride in keeping the gym clean and tidy so that it’s ready for our next class. We have a great facility here at The Spa so it’s important to us that this high level is maintained.

What is your go-to workout when you’ve got some time in the gym?

I love doing any kind of cardio – but I would have to say that running is still my favourite. Interval training on the treadmill is great when I’m short on time. By doing high intensity running for a short period of time with rests in between, this helps to burn calories much faster.

If I’m focusing on strength exercises then I love doing upper body. My favourite exercises are bicep curls, tricep extensions, dumbbell arm raises and reverse flies. All of these exercises can be done at home with small dumbbell weights or even makeshift weights like water bottles or canned food.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Delivering classes to our members and supporting them in achieving their fitness goal. It’s amazing to see the results and know that you’ve been a part of making it happen for that person. I have the flexibility to plan my classes around the fitness needs of our members, as well as their medical needs in some cases. I’m able to adapt classes to suit those taking part – it can always be a bit daunting to start your fitness journey so I strive to ensure that my classes can suit every fitness level. It’s important to me to help our members build their confidence and realise their fitness potential.

You have recently qualified in Sports Massage. What are the main benefits of Sports Massage?

One of the main benefits of sports massage is to release muscle tension – for those that are training hard, muscles can become tight and tough so the massage techniques used are designed to improve the muscular mobility and reduce any tension. In some cases, sports massage can support in reducing pain if pressure has built-up in muscles or joints.

If you are training either for an upcoming race or competition, or you’ve just been hitting the gym quite hard, then sports massage is a great way to help boost your performance. The massage techniques create more oxygen flowing to muscle tissues while freeing them from toxins and knotted tension, which in turn will support a higher quality and more sustainable level of activity.

Who should consider booking in for a Sports Massage?

At all levels of sport, massage is a necessity to help improve performance and reduce risk of injury and so it should be seen as part of your training. If you take part in any kind of regular physical activity then you may benefit from having a sports massage. It’s misconception that sports massage is only suitable for athletes. In fact, a sports massage can benefit anyone with muscle problems related to any type of physical activity – from lifting heavy boxes to gardening.

If you would like to book a sports massage with Jasmine, please contact our Reservations team on 01756 748 080. Sports massage is priced at £45 for a 45-minute massage.