Do you think exercise is not for you? Well, new columnist Stephen Smith from Merewether Fitness Studio wants you to think again.
What images does the word exercise conjure up for you?
As a trainer involved in the health and fitness industry for 18 years, I can tell you that for many it carries very negative connotations.
Flashbacks to High School PE classes are very common, where it was compulsory to participate in activities like team sports or gymnastics in the school hall.
All this did was create a platform for the stronger of the species to dominate those less coordinated and physically minded and as a result, there is a large percentage of the population who have not done any kind of formal exercise since those troubled days of forced PE.
However, unless you have been living under a rock, it’s highly likely that you are aware of all the wonderful benefits that exercise has to offer, especially as we age, and yet despite knowing this, many still resist.
I am here to tell you that you need resist, no more!
The Health & Fitness Industry here in Australia has grown and matured at an amazing rate over the last 15 years.
Along with this growth has been the education and formalisation of qualifications so that the standard of trainers is very high.
I have had many ‘reluctant’ clients come through my facility who only attended after constant pressure from their GP.
They generally arrive extremely nervous and full of trepidation haunted by those visions of high school gym class but soon realise, after a session or two, that their fears were unfounded.
After about a month when they are feeling and seeing the positive changes I invariably hear: ‘I wish I started years ago!’
For many it takes a health scare or a significant event to finally act and is that not what we find ourselves in the midst of now?
We are so spoilt here in Newcastle as we have a plethora of quality facilities and trainers to choose from.
It may take a few false starts to find the right fit but keep searching as there truly is something out there to suit everyone.
As the saying goes: ‘If you want to find a diamond, you’ve got to dig.’
Gyms in NSW have been given the green light to reopen this Saturday 13 June and I have no doubt that, after this worldwide health scare, exercise will become the new normal for many.
