Bear's Pamper Weekend!

I've been working so hard recently and I really need a treat. So I popped into IB Beauty to see if they could fix my tired paws. Wow! It was great! I got my claws back under control and a lovely relaxing massage. If you are in the Inverness area you really need to pop in and check out the themed rooms, I felt really spoilt. :)

Free Factory Second!

Guys I've got a baaaarilliant offer for you! Can't decide what colour you want? Or want more than one colour? Well with every order over £15 on the website you get a FREE Factory Second band. One of my Spring lambs will contact you to see what colour and size you would like.

IB Beauty - Launch Party

Exciting news! Ionic Balance is branching out into Beauty! Our new brand IB Beauty is based around the first of our bespoke salons, situated in the capital of the Highlands, Inverness. IB Beauty stands for modern results-driven products and treatments, with contemporary and technology driven salons. Our highly skilled Aetheticians and Skin Specialists will make you look and feel a million dollars!

Want to know more? Would love to see our bespoke rooms? Would like to speak to a highly qualified skin specialist? For all the facts and some sneak peek photos please like our Facebook page. Or even better still come to our Launch Party on Wednesday the 22nd of May and raise a glass of bubbly to celebrate our opening and see it in person.

We will also be supporting a fantastic local charity - The Archie Foundation. On the night we will have a charity raffle in which we will be giving away hundreds of pounds worth of treatments and products. Collection buckets will also be dotted around for your generous donations. However fundraising wouldn't be fun without some WAXING! Haha! Well fun to watch anyway.

"I, Gavin Laird, Forge Gym Owner will commit to having my body hair painfully torn asunder in a process apparently known as "WAXING". 

This will be conducted by a qualified beauty therapist, who will take appropriate steps to ensure that the procedure is both long and uncomfortable.

If I've ever forced you to squat till you passed out, or had you do endless burpees with vomit on your chin, or even worse stuff in my own recreational time (!!!!!) then NOW is the time for REVENGE. 

My Price List is as follows...the MORE you raise the MORE I SUFFER!

£100 - Back is attacked.

£150 - Back is attacked, chest is depressed, arms are harmed.

£200 - Back is attacked, chest is depressed, arms are harmed, buttocks are bared.

£250 - Back is attacked, chest is depressed, arms are harmed, buttocks and bared AND legs are in shreds."

You can see the pre and post pictures on our Facebook page and you can donate here http://www.justgiving.com/ForgeGym.

Charity - Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres - 999lejog

Endorsement - Becky-Beth Cox

Aside from being a Racing Driver, Becky-Beth has a Degree in Motorsports Engineering from Kingston University. Apart from a technical qualification in motor sport, Becky has working knowledge and experience in the motorsport community. Becky has worked alongside Triton Motorsport in Rally support as well as a team Mechanic for Aurok Motorsport in the "Clio Cup". In 2006 Becky founded her own racing Team and brand name called "Lady Bird Racing" The team was very successful, entering into many high profile saloon events at the Castle Combe race circuit. Becky directed her race team, and managed to run a competitive saloon car in the Castle Combe National mobile Windscreen Championship achieving very credible professional results. Lady Bird racing has since exhibited and demonstrated at motorsport shows and events internationally. Becky has also had experience working with Hurn Autos as a specialist Mechanic and Green MotorSport as a test driver for new efficient powertrain technologies for the automotive industry.

You can check out Becky-Beth's website here.

Product Spotlight - CERBERUS Combat Wraps

CERBERUS Double Loop Figure 8 Straps are a fantastic training accessory to help enhance lifting technique and reduce premature grip fatigue. Use them to increase your work rate by up to 30%. Constructed from tough cotton with foam padding precisely where required.

Features

• Enhanced Lifting Technique
• Allows you to train your pulling movements to maximum effect equalling improved strength and muscle growth
• Padded foam for comfort and improved performance
• Excellent for Shrugs, Deadlifts, Bent Over Rows, Pull Ups or Pull Downs, Single Arm Dumbell Rows and more!

Place wrist through one of the loops and pass the second loop underneath the bar. Feed your wrist through the second loop, securing the bar in place. Grip the bar and the strap securely before performing your lift.

For more specific direction we recommend seeking the advice of a fitness professional.

Highland Boxing Academy Amateur Boxing Evening

Fan Photo

A fan photo sent in by Dean Lewis. Thanks Dean! :)

Handy Links

Some of my friends ask me for useful links about Ionic Balance, so here they are:

Bear Hugs and High Fives

Ionic B. Bear

Broom broom!

I've been stark racing mad this last week, you can read all about the escapades of my racing pals in this latest newsletter. Don't forget I've kept my special CERBERUS Offer going for you TEAM IONIC! Also you can find out some interesting facts about my Combat Wraps, so read on fans and have a great weekend!

CERBERUS Performance Band Offer

It started as just a 1 day but due to the massive demand and great feedback we have decided to keep this offer running until Monday the 13th of May. Please be aware as this is our most popular band certain sizes may sell out so order fast!

Product Spotlight - CERBERUS Combat Wraps

Our CERBERUS cotton herringbone hand wraps are long-lasting yet inexpensive. They have a convenient hook that goes around the thumb to help begin the wrapping. There is Velcro at the other end to secure the wrap so there is no need for extra tape. These wraps work well for people who train often as they are reusable and can be hung out to dry out after workouts and washed with warm soapy water by hand.

Why do I need handwraps?

The hands are made up of many small joints and small bones that could easily fracture from the impact of repeated punches. Handwraps are there to hold your hand together providing support for your wrists, fingers, knuckles, and the entire hand itself. The handwraps are there to secure all your loose joints and moveable bones. The handwrap fastens all your joints together so the shock is better distributed across your entire hand. You don’t want your joints to be moving freely and independently when the hand strikes an object. You can suffer a fracture if joints are moving in their own direction.

Retailer of the Week - Head Office Hair Design

We are a modern unisex hair salon and offer a relaxed and non-intimidating environment. We offer all types of hair services to suit individual needs. We use and recommend Tigi colour and styling products in conjunction with our professional service. As a client of Head Office, upon arrival you will receive a consultation to discuss your requirements, and if needed extra advice on a style to suit you, taking into consideration face shapes, body shape, lifestyle, and hair type and texture, so that your hair becomes more easily manageable. Our styling stations are thoughtfully spaced so we can offer a more personal service. All staff wear uniforms to promote an approachable image and we have a varied price structure to suit the individual. As well as hair services we offer free refreshments to help relax and unwind, and with all colours and technical services we offer complimentary hand massages just to make your visit as pleasurable and accommodating as possible. Each member of the team respects the others’ role in the salon and appreciates the worthwhile contribution that each person brings to customer service at the salon. This creative and positive atmosphere is then transferred to the client. We aim to make sure that clients leave feeling confident about themselves and our ability to look after their hairdressing needs.

Racing News - Team Homer Racing Ionic Balance Linxcel

An amazing BSB weekend for Team Ionic Hudson Kennaugh - qualifying in Pole position and then get a podium finish on 2nd place in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship! His best BSB result all year we are all so chuffed! :)

Racing News - CHRIS HODGSON AND THE SKYZONE POPE RACING KTM WIN ALL RACES AT ROUND 2 OPEN ELITE

ROUND 2 of the BRITISH SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP was held at a well prepared REDNAL circuit in Shrewsbury.

After a solid performance in round 1, Chris was eager to get more points on the board, but with Trevor Pope and Skyzone developing the KTM smr450 further since round 1 and with no testing time, the team weren't expecting to achieve anything straight away.

450 ELITE

A dry track and sunny skies presented themselves for qualifying in the 450 class and unexpectedly it was Chris that was the early pace setter. Chris put in 3 consecutive fast laps and that was enough to secure pole from the chasing pack, almost a full second ahead of the 2nd place.

Race 1

Chris knew it was vital to get a good start at the tight rednal circuit. Chris led the pack into turn one and got his head down early on and pulled away from the rest of the pack. His hard work early on in the race allowed him to ease off the pace for the last few laps and bring it home for the first win of the day.

Race 2

It was a carbon copy of race 1. Chris again doing all his hard work on the first 5 laps enabled him to ease off the pace and come over the line for the second win of the day.

Race 3

Ten minutes before race 3 and the rain came down hard. Chris was unsure of what to expect of the bike, having not ridden the bike in the wet. Off the start and it was Chris in to turn one in the lead. He soon came to grips with the conditions and started to pull away almost 2 seconds a lap. At one point in the race Chris had a 12 second lead. Again he eased off the pace to come home with another well controlled, well deserved win and the overall spoils for the day. We asked Chris what he thought about the changes to his bike and how the day went and here's what he said "I never expected to jump on the bike and be so quick straight away. The changes that Trevor Pope made over the last few weeks have transformed the bike from round 1. With the new GET electronic system the bike was unbelievable in the wet. I can't thank Trevor and the team enough"

OPEN ELITE

A dry track was waiting for the qualifying session in the open elite championship and it was Chris again had the fastest lap of this session,a comfortable 1 second gap to second place before the session was cut short by a stray dog on the track.

Race 1

Chris led the charge into turn one. Again his early pace proved too much for the chasing pack as he opened up a gap of 5 seconds and maintained it to the finish, crossing the line for his first win of the day.

Race 2

Again Chris got the holeshot and pulled a gap on the first lap as the rest of the pack swapped places and held each other up, Chris kept out of trouble and came over the line for win number 2 of the day.

Race 3

Then the rain slowly started to fall 10 minutes from the start of the race. It was declared a "wet" race. Most riders chose wet tyres, and it was soon clear to be the right choice! As the riders got on track you could see how slippery the conditions were and the rain kept falling. Chris again took off in the lead, and built up a good lead. However this time he made a small mistake 5 laps in when he overshot a berm allowing Lewis Cornish to close up to him.. Chris stayed composed and stretched the gap out again and won the final race of the weekend.

Here is what Chris told us after the racing "it's brilliant to win all 6 races over the weekend. I've felt good on the bike this weekend and it's working just how I like it. I couldn't do all this on my own, so a big thankyou to the team and all my sponsors."

Chris now leads the 450 ELITE and OPEN ELITE Supermoto Championships.

Fan Photo

A fan photo sent in by superfan Steve O'Hara. Don't try this at home kids! :)

Handy Links

Some of my friends ask me for useful links about Ionic Balance, so here they are:

Bear Hugs and High Fives

Ionic B. Bear

The weekend is here!

Hey Friends! Its the weekend and even better, its a Bank Holiday Weekend! Its scary to think that we are almost half way through the year, where does the time go?!

Bank Holiday Offer

Great offer for you guys - a whopping 50% off my Pink Ionic Balance Band.

Charity - Temple Street Childrens Hospital

Temple Street is the first port of call for tens of thousands of children every year suffering from every kind of illness and injury imaginable.  Our aim is to help sick children by making their stay in hospital less distressing for them and their families, by funding the purchase of medical equipment, developing new services, funding research and developing new treatment facilities.

However, the treatment we provide here at Temple Street is not limited to just the first-class medical care that we deliver. For many children suffering from long-term and life-threatening diseases and illnesses Temple Street is a second home.

temple_street_childrens_hospital_1Some children are living their childhoods here and we understand that we are privileged to be a part of their young lives. That's why we ensure that their hospital experience is as positive, optimistic and loving as it can be. We not only act as their medical team; we act as their second family, their support system, their teachers, their playmates and their friends. These children deserve so much; the best possible medical care, attention, treatment and love, and our role is to fulfil that.

We're not just a Hospital. For many families we're a home away from home and so we treat the children of Temple Street as if they were our own. Temple Street children are special and that's why the Hospital must continue to be as extraordinary as the children that come here.

You can donate here: http://www.templestreet.ie/index.php/get-involved/donate

Retailer of the Week - Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club

Passionate about sports nutrition and eating clean!

Coolfuelni.co.uk is the new online presence for COOL FUEL DIET & NUTRITION. Based in Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland we sell protein, sports supplements and health foods by some of the leading brands from around the world. We quickly gained a reputation for being the leading supplier of PHD NUTRITION in the Northwest and now take great pride in supplying this outstanding product throughout the country.

We hand-pick our products, applying knowledge and experience, it's more about offering a quality selection of the best supplements available than bulking-out our shop with endless lines of ineffective offerings.

We have now also added some fantastic supplements from leading brands such as BODITRONICS, BSN, OPTIMUM NUTRITION, MUSCLE PHARM, i-FORCE, DRIVEN SPORTS, CYTO SPORT, OH YEA !!, GRENADE, MHP. ALRI, UDO'S, MET-RX and more!

Qualified in both Diet & Nutrition Advice and Sports Nutrition we also offer consultations and bespoke nutrition plans specific to your needs and goals - email or telephone for details and appointments. We are also happy to talk through our product range prior to your purchase making sure that the supplement adequately fits your needs.

Racing News

Hudson & Mark started in 20th place on the grid at the Hottrax National Enduro but finished in 2nd place! This weekend is British Superbikes at Oulton Park so good luck to my favourite team - Homer Racing / Ionic Balance Linxcel!

Fan Photo

A wonderful fan photo sent in by Chris Balmer via Twitter! "I'm Ion Man!"

Handy Links

Some of my friends ask me for useful links about Ionic Balance, so here they are:

Bear Hugs and High Fives

Ionic B. Bear

They are back!

Howdy Ionic Amigos! Its been all go here at the bear cave, with lots of exciting developments which I will let you know about in the coming weeks, I promise you won't be dissappointed! But for now here is something else that won't dissappoint - I've brought back all my Spring in Spring Offers for the next few days ONLY! (Offers end midnight 30/04/2013) As you can see I'm still rocking my Orange band! :)

Week 4 Offer

Each week in April, I shall be putting on a different offer for my loyal cubs in TEAM IONIC! So keep your eyes peeled on the facebook page and the website so you don't miss out.

This week we have our Ionic Balance Air Purifier Ioniser at 50% Off!

Fresh Air - Our Health Deserves It - Our modern lifestyle exposes us to an entire host of harmful allergens and pollutants. Day after day, the air we breathe in a room or vehicle is being polluted seriously by particles (such as dust mites, pollen, smoke, pet dander), poisonous fumes, VOCs, odours and bacteria. In addition, TV sets and computers, emit electromagnetic waves, filling the air with positive ions that are damaging to our health.

An Ionic Balance Air Purifier can make your air as clean as possible by removing particulates from your air, allowing you to breathe healthier air — important to those with allergies and asthma and for those who want the cleanest air possible for themselves and their families. An Ionic Balance Air Purifier can help rid your home or vehicle of dust mites, pet dander, mould spores, pollen, poisonous fumes, VOCs, bacteria and viruses, odours and more!

Cat Thomson - London Marathon

AN Inverness mother who suffers from an incurable auto immune disease has stepped up her fight to raise awareness of the condition by signing up to run the London Marathon. Cat Thomson (38), of Woodgrove Place, Inshes is preparing to run the gruelling 26-mile race for the first time next April with family friend Michael King (37), also of Inshes. The mum, who is married to Colin and has two children Sarah (9) and Jamie (7), was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) disease a year ago. She told the HN the marathon is a big challenge for her because of her condition. She said: “Even with all the training I do, I don’t know how I will feel on the day. I have to take each day as it comes. On a really bad day I can’t move off the couch. “I am on medication twice a day, although if the pain is really bad I can go to hospital for pain management and get a steroid injection, but I’ve only had to do that once. “I will be on medication for the rest of my life. There’s no cure. “However, I want to run to raise money for Lupus UK and to raise awareness about the condition.” Some 50,000 people are believed to suffer with the disease in the UK, of whom 90 per cent are female. SLE causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and start to attack itself. The symptoms are varied and the illness often seems to mimic other diseases. The main symptoms Cat suffers with is pain in her hands. Sometimes it gets so bad she loses dexterity. She said: “My hands swell and it’s the swelling which causes the pain. Tiredness is the other big symptom. “Lupus can be hard to diagnose and, although I’ve had symptoms for the past seven years, I put them down to being a busy mum.” When Cat’s blood was taken and investigations were done last year after her hands became particularly bad, she was referred to a rheumatologist at Raigmore Hospital and the diagnosis of SLE finally came. Cat said: “It was a mixture of shock and relief to know that it wasn’t my imagination. The doctor talked about five stages of grief when you are diagnosed, and I think that’s true. There was a bit of anger and then denial. But I had a choice and I chose to get on with life.” Cat kickboxes twice a week and also runs five times a week with Michael’s wife Sarah in preparation for the marathon. She said: “I’ve always been quite fit and it makes me feel better, so if I’m going to be in pain I like to know I’ve worked for it.

“I may have lupus, but it doesn’t have me. “Running is no longer about getting that personal best, it’s about starting and finishing a race. “Concentrating on that aspect of running allows me, for that moment, to beat lupus.” Michael told the HN he has run five marathons, but has only tackled the London race once before. He said: “When Cat was diagnosed with lupus I wanted to raise money and awareness for a charity a little closer to home, so I asked if Lupus UK had any spaces.” Cat explained she decided “what the heck” and took on the challenge too. She said: “When we heard we both had places, I didn’t know whether to cry tears of joy or despair because I’ve got to run 26 miles. But we’ll do it for sure.” If you would like to sponsor Cat and Michael, log on to their Just Giving Page at justgiving.com/catthomson-mikeyking For more information on lupus, go to www.lupusuk.org.uk You can donate here.

UPDATE

I can't put into words how I feel right now, overwhelmed, emotional and burst. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, by mile 17 I was done and hit a block the only way to deal with it was to 'walk it out' At mile 22 I would have easily threw the towel in, but the spectators here were phenomenal, they got me through, as well as images of friends and family egging me to keep going! I would have loved to have my 5hrs target which is what I had put down when I signed up, but that was before lupus hit hard in winter, 6hrs 30 is still to me respectable, but I am just delighted I just kept going, and just crossed the finish line.

I can't thank you all enough for your encouragement and your messages as well as your donations. I know lupus will protest now, but I am safe in the knowledge that this pain I worked for and I am proud of it x

Retailer of the Week - Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club

"Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club is proud to boast the first Nicklaus designed golf course in Wales. Machynys Peninsula golf resort has a modern links style layout overlooking Carmarthen Bay and the Gower Peninsula in South Wales and already home to the European Tours 'Ladies Championship of Europe', Machynys is the perfect golf club for golf breaks or golf holidays and has already earned itself an enviable reputation as the UK's best new golf course."

Racing News

Hudson & Mark started in 20th place on the grid at the Hottrax National Enduro. They won the race by 14 seconds but incurred a 2 lap penalty due to Hudson missing qualifying (due to having a day job!) so officially finished in 2nd place!

Big thanks to everyone involved - Mark Clark, Jimmy Brown, Tom Vickers and Chris and an engine update from Ray Stringer. Things are looking good for the rest of the year, next BSB race at Oulton Park at the Bank Holiday weekend next month and then the next enduro is at Anglesey at the end of May. :)

Fan Photo

A wonderful fan photo sent in by Michael Lewis!

Handy Links

Some of my friends ask me for useful links about Ionic Balance, so here they are:

Bear Hugs and High Fives

Ionic B. Bear

What a month of deals!

Hello friends, how are all my cubs this week? I was getting excited for the warmer weather but it has been raining for days outside my wee cave! Not to worry though I'm sure the weather will improve soon :) My Spring Offers are flying out the door, glad you guys are getting the value to the pocket and the ionic to your wrists! :) I've really pushed the boat out this week with our most popular product - the Black / White Ionic Balance Band. Grab one while you can!

Week 3 Offer

Each week in April, I shall be putting on a different offer for my loyal cubs in TEAM IONIC! So keep your eyes peeled on the facebook page and the website so you don't miss out.

This week we have our bestselling Black / White Ionic Balance Band at 50% Off! This band out-sells all our other bands by a factor of 10! A sure winner!

Endorsement - Chris Hodgson

Chris Hodgson is the Double British Champion in Supermoto! What is Supermoto? It can best be described as a mixture of Motocross and road racing. It is a somewhat unique sport when it comes to racing in that the emphasis lies on slower speeds, usually less than 100 mph (160 km/h), on short, technical tracks, where it is more about the skills of the rider than it is about the speed. The races usually take place on a track that consists of both a tarmac section and also a dirt section, frequently made up of compacted clay. These dirt tracks make up around a quarter of the track and often feature obstacles such as bermed corners (a corner that has a banked outer edge that runs the entire length of it) or jumps.

Chris has been racing motorbikes since the age of 6. He started out by racing motocross for ten years. Chris won numerous Club Championships and finished on the podium in the British Championship. In 2004 he had the opportunity to enter Supermoto in the KTM Junior Cup. After winning this he received a sponsored ride for KTM and has progressed ever since winning 5 British Championships!

Chris has represented Great Britain numerous times and raced all over Europe with many podium finishes. Chis took part in SUPERMOTO OF NATIONS British team in 2011. It was held at the stunning Motorland Complex in Aragon Spain. This saw 21 countries enter the Supermoto of Nations, the largest entry since the event began. After a nail biting weekends racing Chris and his team finished second winning a Silver Medal! This is the best result GB has ever achieved at the event!

“My greatest achievement came whilst representing team GB in 2011 when we picked up 2nd in the world out of 21 countries.” Chris Hodgson

• 2004 - KTM Junior Cup British Champion
• 2005 - 9th British Championship, 3rd KTM European Cup
• 2006 - 3rd British Championship, 3rd KTM European Cup
• 2007 - British Champion, 4th European Championships
• 2008 - 4th British Championship
• 2009 - 5th British Championship
• 2010 - 3rd British Championship
• 2011 - Double British Champion, 2nd Supermoto of Nations
• 2012 - Double British Champion

Retailer of the Week - Cool Fuel

Passionate about sports nutrition and eating clean!

Coolfuelni.co.uk is the new online presence for COOL FUEL DIET & NUTRITION. Based in Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland we sell protein, sports supplements and health foods by some of the leading brands from around the world. We quickly gained a reputation for being the leading supplier of PHD NUTRITION in the Northwest and now take great pride in supplying this outstanding product throughout the country.

We hand-pick our products, applying knowledge and experience, it's more about offering a quality selection of the best supplements available than bulking-out our shop with endless lines of ineffective offerings.

We have now also added some fantastic supplements from leading brands such as BODITRONICS, BSN, OPTIMUM NUTRITION, MUSCLE PHARM, i-FORCE, DRIVEN SPORTS, CYTO SPORT, OH YEA !!, GRENADE, MHP. ALRI, UDO'S, MET-RX and more!

Qualified in both Diet & Nutrition Advice and Sports Nutrition we also offer consultations and bespoke nutrition plans specific to your needs and goals - email or telephone for details and appointments. We are also happy to talk through our product range prior to your purchase making sure that the supplement adequately fits your needs.

Sam from Cool Fuel has sent us this recent transformation pic - great work Sam!

Racing News

Hurricane Hudson will be Enduro Racing at Oulton Park this weekend, we'll keep you updated next week! :)

Fan Photo

A wonderful fan photo sent in by Fiona McClurg!

Handy Links

Some of my friends ask me for useful links about Ionic Balance, so here they are:

Bear Hugs and High Fives

Ionic B. Bear