Sometimes people can go solo and get all sporty, sometimes people need direction. This is where classes, groups and sports centres come in to play. I go to my local leisure centre, I utilise the pool and I meet up with a group of friends (who I made down there), we all pace each other, throw encouraging remarks and generally rally each other on to meet our goals. The friendship has developed which makes us all look forward to seeing each other, and we get a healthy workout to boot 😀
The leisure centre has a gym, fitness classes and halls. It has classes like street dancing, spinning, Thai chi, other martial art sports, aerobics (land and water), it has courts for badminton, netball, squash, indoor football etc. Most towns up and down the country have facilities, some have membership costs whilst others allow you to pay as you go.
When it comes to sports facilities, it comes hand in hand with a trainer. Whether it’s the instructor of the class, a personal trainer at the gym or a swim instructor, there’s always someone knowledgeable who’s there to assess, guide, direct and motivate you in a health plan specifically aimed to meet your discussed goals. The trainers at the gym did a full health check on my weight, height, BMI, blood pressure and discussed my medical history, all before they even let me near the machines. They also discussed why I was there and what my goals were. This was great because when I found some machines less enjoyable, they re-jigged my plan to accommodate me, but still give me the work out I needed.
For some this seems intimidating, but for me at least I knew there was someone who knew me and could tailor-make my programme, plus see improvement too. But if you want to go solo, at least the membership will motivate you hopefully to join the throng of gym bunnies, but at your own pace 😀
Local church/schools hire out their halls for classes like line dancing, salsa, belly-dancing, aerobics, badminton etc. This is another way to make friends, use local services and have a bit of healthy fun. Classes vary in price and can be weekly or a one time payment for say a 10 week course. It’s also a good way to see if it’s for you or not.
Bigger towns have cycling/tennis/football/hockey/running clubs. Look up your local directory to see what’s on offer and when it’s on, as some are all year long, others seasonal. Again this can get you involved with the locals and also introduce you to competitions/tournaments/league games.
If you need direction and motivation, get yourself down to your local club. You’ll get healthy, have fun and maybe make some lifelong friends like I have. 😀
Soapgirl
