New fitness studio brings air of calm to any workout

Apr 24 2010 by Hannah Davies, The Journal

HANNAH DAVIES discovers Japanese well-being philosophy alive and well in Newcastle.

THE first thing you notice on stepping into Fitness Matrix is a sense of calm, of relaxation; not at all what you would associate with a fitness studio.

In the ladies’ changing room, Turner art prints help add to the studio’s visual distinctiveness and relaxed ambience.

So do the stylish, elegant chairs, imported specially from Europe and giving the venue a Romanesque flavour. As can be seen in the main room that houses the gym itself.

But one of the things, Henry Gill, formerly of the RAF, is most proud of is the air.

The 44-year-old who lives in Stakeford, Northumberland, adds: "People comment on how much cleaner and fresher it is.

"Just like the air after a storm."

Henry’s philosophy for fitness is to combine relaxation with exercise and to that end he’s bought into a Japanese concept set up by the Nikken company.

Its aim was to create a movement that, unlike Western medicine which tends to focus on curing disease, emphasised the Eastern concept of healing through prevention of illness, of Well Being.

This chimed with Henry Gill’s personal philosophy of the importance in looking after both mind and body.

Henry, who is shortly moving to Wardley, Gateshead, to be with partner Christie Atkinson, 35, a social worker, adds: "Unfortunately, the air we breathe and the water we drink is far from pure because of contamination and pollution. Through use of a Well Being purifier, Fitness Matrix is a pure air environment.

"This in effect recreates the environment of the natural world, for example, a forest or lakeshore, or at altitude, where the air is purer, unpolluted and healthier.