We met at the Guide HQ, in curiosity rather than massive enthusiasm, to discover in what ways our largely sedentary bodies could improve their potential to serve us well.
The class was taken by Simon Coles, a specialist in the kinds of physical activity likely to promote our well-being and protect us from the creakiness and lethargy that often beset people in their later years. His focus is on four main areas: raising the heart rate, strengthening our muscles using weights to support joints and maintain bone density, balance as a preventative to falls, and flexibility to help us maintain suppleness and core strength. Simon was very encouraging and assured participants that most of the exercises could be done at home with little need of equipment. A chair, a squashy ball and some 1kilo weights (a couple of bags of sugar or tins of beans).
For fifty minutes, followed by a calming cool-down using Tai Chi movements, participants worked within their own capacity and during the after-class cuppa the feedback was very positive, with some wanting to attend further classes. Simon runs Move it or Lose it sessions in various venues in the Dale – at UTASS in Middleton on a Thursday, at St Mary’s Church Hall on Fridays from 10-11am, and at Startforth Community Centre on Mondays from 10-11am. No pre-booking is required. If you feel your body is due a workout – as gentle or as rigorous as you please - you could do worse than giving it a go.
Report by Annie Clouston