When the fireworks fizzle out on New Year’s Day, most of us start to make mental notes of what we want to achieve in the 365 days ahead.
January 1 is the perfect opportunity to plan career moves, set fitness goals, and draw up our big, ambitious blueprints for the future.
But none of that really went to plan this time around.
2020 well and truly put the cat amongst the pigeons – leaving all our imaginative to-do lists in tatters.
Very few of us have ended up where we imagined – and Meg Harbon is the perfect case in point.
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If you’d told her in February that she’d soon be spending her working days inside a shipping container, she’d have laughed you out the room.
But here we are, riding the second wave of a global pandemic, and this former Pure Gym PT is leading training sessions from the confines of a steel cuboid in Pollard Yard.
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Meg converted the container – titled ‘The Training Yard’ – into a makeshift fitness space when red tape was wrapped around the gyms back in spring; initially launching online sessions before inviting her clients inside when the lockdown lifted.
It’s proven to be a refreshingly unique kind of workout environment.
Free of prying eyes and shiny mirrors, The Training Yard is a spot where anxious clients can train without feeling self-conscious; but also where more experienced gymmers can take their sessions to a whole new level undistracted.
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Meg was one of several local PT’s who launched their own fitness regime when the big gyms closed; but she also dedicated hours to building a document that ultimately turned into Manchester’s lockdown fitness bible.
At 69 pages, ‘Isolated Fitness’ is an absolute unit of a read – providing the kind of insightful, practical home training advice (with step-by-step instructions and images) that didn’t just carry locals through quarantine; but actually got them fitter and stronger.
The book is structured so readers can pick out their favoured exercises and work out the way they like; focusing on particular muscle groups or parts of the body.
And that’s exactly how Meg’s sessions function: She lets clients have a say in shaping their own fitness plans.
Many PTs take a somewhat unforgiving approach to training – with exercises, plans and diets all set in stone. Working out is exactly that: Work.
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But Meg doesn’t quite see it that way.
“If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it,” she explains.
“I try to build a plan alongside people so they can achieve their goals, get a sweat on, but actually look forward to their sessions.
“For me, it’s about finding the best plan for the individual – so they can develop a healthy relationship with exercise.
“I want working out to be the best part of their day, not a chore.”
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Meg understands how hard it can be to get into a productive fitness routine.
She spent over a decade working in hospitality, where alcohol, fatty foods and late nights were part and parcel of a standard evening.
It was only when Meg approached her third decade that she started exercising more regularly.
It began slowly, too. A run here. An exercise class there.
But it turned into something more serious when she started seeing results.
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Recognising a transformation in her physical and mental health, Meg opted to turn her hobby into a career.
“It was mainly about changing habits,” Meg says, explaining her transition from night owl to early bird.
“We’re all habitual creatures. It’s just about establishing that routine.”
Patterns are a big part of Meg’s lockdown workout philosophy.
She looks after a wide range of clients all looking to achieve different things (packing on muscle, losing baby weight, trimming belly fat) – but the reason they’ve all seen success is down to their ability to weave workouts into their routine; so it becomes as normal as brushing your teeth or taking a shower.
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“The hardest part for many people is actually doing it,” Meg says.
“Some people who step into the gym… they feel self-conscious. Some women are afraid to pick up weights. Others just feel a bit silly doing a new exercise for the first time.
“But when you’re at home or in the shipping container – it’s just you. You don’t have to worry about feeling stupid.”
People flocked to Meg’s online sessions during lockdown – where she helped her clients plan sessions around whatever equipment they had at home.
Dumbbells were like gold dust right throughout the summer – but Meg found a way around it by encouraging her clients to buy 5L water containers to use as substitute weights instead.
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It’s proof that top training doesn’t have to be expensive to get results.
“Getting a sweat on during the day means you’ll sleep better at night, have more energy the next day, and just be equipped to tackle life’s challenges better,” Meg tells us.
“You’ll find you want to eat better, too, to improve your training.
“It makes such a huge difference – especially in this climate.”
According to Meg, as little as 20 minutes working out every few days can lead to results.
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“Focus purely on exercise and shut out the world – even if it’s just for 20 minutes a couple of times a week.
“It can make such a huge difference.
“Sweat it out and you’ll see how much better you feel.”
Learn more about Charla Fitness – and grab a copy of the Isolated Fitness guide – here.
More info about the Training Yard – Meg’s shipping container exercise spot – is also available online.
Sport
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
Andy Aspinall issues update on Tom’s eye poke injury and calls for changes in the UFC
Danny Jones
Andy Aspinall – father of Manc martial artist Tom Aspinall – has shared a lengthy video interview on his son’s YouTube channel discussing the latest regarding his son’s eye injury.
More importantly, as a concerned parent, he’s also called for better safeguarding and/or tighter rules in the UFC regarding fouls and, in particular, eye poking.
In case you missed it, this past weekend, the Greater Manchester MMA star took on French fighter Ciryl Gane in his first title defence since being named the undisputed heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, the main event match had to be cut short after Aspinall was left unable to see following an eye poke.
Although this is an illegal move in the sport, not only could it not be proved whether it was accidental or perhaps even intentional, as some have speculated on social media, but the only outcome was for the bout to end in a no-contest. Updating fans online, Andy reiterated priorities, dubbing this “just a job”.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Tom Aspinall “𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝘾𝘼𝙉’𝙏 𝙎𝙀𝙀” out of his right eye following Ciryl Gane’s double eye poke at UFC 321, his dad Andy has revealed 😳
“His right eye, he still can't see anything.He said it's just grey.
As you can see in the main clip above, Andy says that the Atherton-born fighter still “can’t see anything” out of his right eye, describing his sight as little more than “just grey”; meanwhile, his left eye is said to be at roughly 50% vision, having struggled to get more than a few rows down on a Snellen chart.
Essentially, the short version is that after the pain of the controversial eye poke, the muscles in his eye still aren’t healed and will be going for even more eye tests, including an eye test.
However, arguably the most salient points to take away from the video were those regarding his son’s overall welfare and the safety of the sport, as it is clear that Andy was talking chiefly as an understandably worried father rather than his coach.
“For me, everything is about his health. It’s not about the fighting – that’s just what he chose to do as a job”, he says, also clarifying that he isn’t accusing Gane of any ill intent, personally, and that the referees need to have more powers when it comes to fouling.
He also reminded those watching that the Wigan native has a wife and three kids to think about, stating, “This is just a job that he’s doing at this period in time, and he’ll do another job”, before going on to add, “What [will] it take?” for the UFC to get stricter around fouls like these.
You can watch the most recent update on Tom Aspinall from his dad, Andy, in full down below.
Andy Aspinall also had plenty to say in terms of what the UFC can do to better protect fighters/improve the rules.
Andy also made a point of suggesting once again that Tom should maybe turn to boxing instead of MMA, not only because of the added safety measures but because of the bigger paydays.
Do you think the UFC needs to be more stringent when it comes to not only protecting its fighters but also the rules and punishments surrounding serious fouls, such as eye pokes?
AND, alternatively, do you think Tom Aspinall would be well-suited to a boxing ring?
In the immediate aftermath of the injury, he was the first to admit that “this is a dangerous f***ing sport”; whether or not coming this close to permanent damage has made him reconsider, only time will tell.
The Manc -
30th November 2020 
