Yellow Submarine Plaque Unveiling Extra

MORE photographs and audio reports from the Yellow Submarine Plaque unveiling on 13 January 2010.

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NORTH WEST BRITS GET INTO SHAPE WITH ARMY’S KEEP FIT AUDIO

RESEARCH carried out by the British Army has shown that people in the North West are the second most likely region in the UK to give up exercise only two weeks after New Year.

While Scotland was the highest at 34.1%, the North West followed closely behind at 31.8% saying the good intentions for a post-Christmas fitness regime fizzles out after two weeks.

And the North West was also shown to have the highest number of respondents who have never set themselves any fitness goals, with 56.4% replying that they do not have any when asked if they have ever failed to achieve a fitness goal in the past.  Luckily for the region, de-motivated Brits struggling to keep fit are set to receive some personal attention, courtesy of a new initiative launched by the British Army last week.

‘Army Fit: Personal’, a downloadable audio fitness aide featuring Army Physical Training Corps Instructors will see the Army’s motivational expertise recorded and available to the public for the first time. The audio can be downloaded to iPods and MP3 players.

The fitness drive is also being supported by athletics legend and Olympic medallist Kriss Akabusi who was in the Army Physical Training Corps for fifteen years. His trademark motivational talent features on the podcasts.

SSgt Douglas Steel, senior recruiter for Birkenhead Army Careers Information Office (ACIO), comments:- “This year will mark the 150th anniversary of our Corps and we’re delighted to kick if off with this new initiative. The residents of Birkenhead have been telling us for years how much they respect our fitness expertise, but it’s the benefit of our motivational ability they really crave. We often work with local sports clubs or schools in Birkenhead to help train teams but we can only be in one place at a time, and we really want to help individuals improve their fitness as well. To answer this we have developed these audio podcasts available via:- armyfit.mod.uk and I’d recommend it to people in Birkenhead, so they can benefit from the encouragement of our instruction anytime and anywhere.”

These podcasts provide free, motivational support when people work-out as well as providing valuable support for recruits getting themselves ready for Army assessment.

Combining fitness expertise, companionship and motivation, Army Fit - Personal allows listeners to take advantage of the Army’s unique and highly motivational style of working out.

Listeners will be provided with guidance from their own ‘personal Army trainer’ for a variety of 40-minute workouts, designed as an alternative to the gym or paid-for fitness programmes.

Kriss Akabusi comments:- “This research shows how much us Brits need some free and easily available support to motivate them to keep fit, and who better to do this than the British Army. I loved my time with the Physical Training Corps and I’ve never forgotten all I learnt about motivating people, awooga!”

Head to armyfit.mod.uk to download the podcasts, giving you access to your Army Fit: Personal training experience.

If you are aged 16 to 43 and interested in a new job for a New Year, which combines daily physical exercise with opportunities to train in a variety of careers from engineering to IT, visit your local Army Careers Information Office on Oxton Road or call:- 0151 6476860.