BodyWorks

As you know we asked competition level athletes to get in touch to help with a photo line-up we will be having as part of the BodyWorks exhibition. Lots of different sports people got back to us from a wide variety of disciplines including a wheelchair curler, jockey, rhythmic gymnast, wrestler, fencer and swimmer amongst others! The athletes were aged from 17 to 59 which is fantastic. We are still looking for male athletes so please get in touch with jenny.templeman@glasgowsciencecentre.org

We spoke with one of the athletes, Joanne Jamieson who is a Body Builder, to find out more about her training regime, how she keeps motivated and why she wanted to help us with the exhibition.

What first attracted you to the sport?

My brother has competed for years and I would see other girls and friends up on stage competing and it always made me want to do it as they look fantastic.

How often do you train and what does this involve?

I train twice a day 6 days a week, then as a show gets closer I train 7 days a week.  I do cardio every morning before work and I train a specific body part with weights in the evening after work. Sometimes closer to shows I do cardio again in the evening, just for that wee bit extra.

How do you motivate yourself?

I have quite a competitive nature, so the thought that someone may beat me because I did not put enough effort in drives me crazy, so I have to just keep going!

What is the part you enjoy most about your sport?

The most enjoyable part has to be when I am on stage and I can hear my friends supporting me.  It just makes you want to smile :D

What is the part you enjoy least?

The last few weeks of the diet, I am literally dreaming about food!!!

What is your ultimate sporting goal?

My goal is to compete in a British Final.

And finally, what attracted you to taking part in the BodyWorks exhibition?

After hearing about the exhibition I thought it would be good to be part of as I am proud of what I have achieved and would like people to see what is possible if they commit to achieving a goal and work hard towards it. Hopefully, it will encourage others to take up sport.  Also I think it is important to show that not everyone has the same build and body type but they can still participate in sports.

It’s been all hands on deck since February when we chose German company Huettinger as the main fabricator for BodyWorks. They will start to building the exhibits in the next few weeks after we have agreed which exhibits we’ll have, how they’ll work and what they will cost. We need to use all our creativity to make the budget go a long way! Following the visit the details of each of the 114 exhibits were bashed out. Now, the team are co-ordinating contracts and workplans with Huettinger plus a number of other contractors who between them will make our vision of BodyWorks a reality.

Team BodyWorks are also working with a number of world class academics to develop the content for the research capsules, have produced storyboards detailing how the visitor will interact with these touchscreen exhibits and the science they explain. These will be completed by the end of May ready for the software developer to start making them (so watch out for the prototypes!). 

The research into the science of the 8 different areas of the exhibition is nearly complete (and for the record that’s a lot of biology) so the interpretation and explainer notes for all of the exhibits will be finalised in the coming months. 

Plus, the production of the Pregnancy Diary exhibit (which details the impact of pregnancy on the mother’s body) and the Body Images exhibit that showcases the variety of physiques in the sporting world are progressing well.

We have been really busy this week as the guys from Huttinger have been here at GSC to talk about the development of the exhibits- more on that next week-but for now some pics of Dr Rob hard at work (check out the inventive use of old Irn Bru can!)

Lately we’ve been deeply engrossed in budgets, project management and plans; busy working out the detailed costs of specific items in the exhibition. 

As in every project, the money must go as far as possible, so we’d really appreciate just a little advice!

Is there a friendly local QS out there who would be able to look over some of our assumptions and act as an informal sounding-board? 

If you think you can help us, please give Robin Hoyle a call - he’s on 0141-420-5010 x319.  Thank you very much!

Human beings aren’t the fastest or physically the strongest animals on the planet, but our bodies are adapted to extreme feats of endurance. It’s argued that our physiology today and this ability to put our bodies under real stress stems from the need for our great ancestors to run long distances to wear down prey or scavenge for carcasses on the savannah.

These days, some of the most extraordinary sporting events on the planet require incredible displays of stamina and mental toughness to pluck-up, not just the courage to enter, but, the determination and physical ability to see the challenge through to the end in one-piece.

We think these organised events could be the toughest sporting endurance challenges on Earth.

24hours of Le Mans (motor racing)
http://www.lemans.org/en/

The world’s oldest sports car endurance race has been going almost every year since 1923, near the town of Le Mans in France. Obviously, the cars have to be efficient and up to the challenge, however, perhaps more importantly, so do the drivers! These days, 3 drivers will endure taking turns behind the wheel every few hours. When they’re not driving, they’re resting, eating or rehydrating. In the space of 24hours, they’ll cover in excess of 5,000km!

Marathon des Sables (running)
http://www.darbaroud.com/index-gb.php

The marathon of the sands is the equivalent of 6 marathons across as many days but with the added challenge of the scorching hot sun beating down on you as you navigate your way across the Sahara desert! Runners carry their own supplies in a backpack and every now and again there’s the prospect of a sand storm swirling up which doesn’t make things easier in this surely, tortuous, ultramarathon!

North Pole Marathon (running)
http://www.npmarathon.com

Searching for a new breed of Arctic adventurers, the North Pole Marathon is perhaps the coolest 26.2 miles you’ll ever compete in as the hardy competitors pound the frozen water of the course in their thermals… knowing that just a few feet beneath them is the Arctic Ocean! This test of fitness and stamina in extreme sub-zero temperatures is certainly one-of-a-kind – course organisers keep a watchful eye out for any threat of polar bears straying onto the route!

4 Deserts (running)
http://www.4deserts.com/

As if 1 desert wasn’t enough – some people out there think there’s room for 4! 250km is shared across four of the harshest, most unforgiving wildernesses on the planet – the Atacama Desert in Chile; the Gobi March in China; the Sahara Race in Egypt; and the Last Desert in Antarctica. Given the environmentally sensitive and unspoilt nature of these landscapes, the few competitors who participate are asked to ‘tread carefully’.

Tour de France (cycling)
http://www.letour.fr/us/index.html

Le Tour has been an annual summertime endeavour since 1903. 2012 is the 99^th tour and cyclists are expected to cover near-on 3,500km of French roads including time-trials, flat stages and the infamous and arduous mountain stages that cross the Alps and the Pyrenees. The course changes from year to year, but the admiration for those riders who compete and wind-up cycling through the streets of Paris towards the finish line after some 3 weeks of pedalling never wavers!

La Ruta de los Conquistadores (cycling)
http://larutadelosconquistadores.com

This Costa Rican bike race is the only one on North America to traverse the continent from Pacific to Atlantic. The unforgiving 240-mile route crosses 5 mountain ranges that force you to climb a cumulative 39,000 feet!  Competitors are expected to cross diverse micro-climates, biologically rich landscapes, but ultimately daunting terrain in just 4 days! It’s no wonder it’s described as “…more than just a race. It is a personal growth experience.” 

Do you admire the participants for the extremes they push themselves too? Or, do you think they’re verging on the insane?!

At Glasgow Science Centre we’ve got a wide variety of staff, not just working in our Science Mall, but also behind the scenes in the office.

We asked staff in various departments to wear a pedometer to count the number of steps they took during their working day for us.

1,000 steps is the equivalent of a 10 minute brisk walk, and doing 10,000 per day has been shown to benefit health, by burning calories, improving stamina and strengthening the heart. Typically, we use between 300 and 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps. So, whilst it’s perhaps not surprising that those who were desk-bound racked up the least number of step they were surprised to find how many they actually take.

We’ll be building up some profiles of our staff, over the next month or so, to give you an insight into the team who bring the fun and enthusiasm to Glasgow Science Centre!

Meantime, here are some of the tasks Billy the Janitor does to reach 10,000+ steps!

1. Seats and supervises over 600 school children making sure they get their lunches on time and cleans up after them;
2. Sweeps and mops over 100m2 of vinyl flooring every day;
3. Picks up on average 18 pieces of litter and pops it in the recycling;
4. Goes for a brisk 10 min walk over his lunch break;
5. Empties and refreshes 24 litter bins a day!

For more information visit http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/10000stepschallenge.aspx

Last week, Gillian and Rob went to Germany to to discuss the fabrication contract for the installation of the exhibits for BodyWorks with Hüttinger. As well as tasting the local delicacies and brain-storming they also had a few Kodak moments. Below is a handful of their snap shots!  

                        Tucking in to some tasty Bavarian beef. Yum!

                                               Back to business!

                                       Testing the Kinect Demo!

       Recognise the model in the picture? On the left I may add!

Andrew Murray, pictured above, is a GP who last year ran 2660 miles from Scotland to the Sahara and has previously run in the Himalayas.

To add more strings to his bow, Andrew is currently Physical Activity Champion for the Scottish Executive where he promotes the message that getting and staying active will help people stay healthy, and is for everyone.

Andrew is also a member of the GSC BodyWorks Science Advisory Committee. Next week he is going to the North Pole as a medic for a TV documentary. Whilst he is there he will be running a marathon where, among other things, he will have to contend with frostbite if he takes his gloves off to take a drink!

Inbetween running and braving the cold, Andrew will hopefully be guest blogging and answering some of your questions. More details to follow. Watch this (cyber) space!