Is Your Town Exercise Friendly?
If you have just moved into a new area, finding out where to exercise and how can be a challenge. We look at how to get the most out of your town’s facilities.
Where you live often has an important bearing on what kind of sporting activities are available. For people living in rural areas, gyms and classes are thin on the ground, while an inner city urbanite can often find an overwhelming number of options. So how can you make the best, inspired choices for your activity planning?
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Research Your Area
Local libraries are the first port of call for UK towns as the reference section has a list of activities in your area. It may even be online – ask at the information desk. If your town has a Women’s Institute close by, find out if exercise classes are held there. Community associations, village halls and school notice boards are places to scour when passing by, as often you’ll see a sign about a local yoga or exercise class. In university towns, student publications (again, these are often online) may list classes available to the public, including the slightly more unusual ones e.g. types of martial art classes.
Exercising Outdoors
If you want to exercise outdoors, look in your local paper for news of walking and cycling clubs. The Ramblers Association usually list locally what walks are going on week by week, and some health education authorities now run 'health walks' which are free and easy introductions to walking. Cycling clubs are often very active social groups, which advertise in local cycling shops.
- If you are still stuck, go shopping and focus on specialist sports shops who often employ fitness fanatics – pick their brains about what is possible to find in your area.
- Lastly, go online and search your local websites; most towns now have at least one website dedicated to local activities, local papers now have online additions and social networking sites can be helpful.
Invest in a New Hobby
Once you’ve found out your options, write yourself a list of what’s out there and figure out how much time and money you have to invest in a new hobby. For some of us who’ve always loved sport and just need a gentle nudge back into activity, time will be the limiting factor. But for those for whom exercise is a new hobby, getting your motivation right is key. If you can find a glimmer of enthusiasm for a dance class, or a friend who’ll go along with you to something new like an aqua class and have a laugh, then it will make the task that much easier.
| Says Ian Turrell, personal trainer from Newcastle upon Tyne… |
“I've worked in rural and urban areas doing PT sessions, training groups and running fitness classes and definitely think people in the rural areas can achieve the same fitness results as the urban areas. The surroundings and the chance to get outdoors instead of being stuck in a stuffy studio is a big deal. Natural terrain outside is infinitely better than jogging on a gym floor or a treadmill as it offers deviations in height and surface type, plus natural resistance is added by the wind rushing at you!
From my experience, space is never a problem as most classes are ran in community halls or church halls as well as outdoors. The uber-gyms never target rural areas so there is never going to be access to a wide range of classes, so I would recommend a circuit style class, or aerobic class not requiring a great deal of equipment.”
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What Next?
activeplaces.com is the Sports Council’s search portal for local activities.
wsff.org.uk is the Women’s Sports and Fitness Foundation, which has links to activities.
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