Central Coast’s Ready2Move exercise program aims to help mid-life adults develop a more active lifestyle

Nine members of the Central Coast community recently signed up to a different kind of exercise class, a pilot program called Ready2Move.

Run prior to October’s local government health initiative, Get Active San Remo and Blue Haven, the program - designed to help mid-life adults develop a more active lifestyle - was put together by psychologist and exercise scientist, Dr Gordon Spence.

Introducing the program, Dr Spence advised “while health behaviour change can be difficult at any age, improving physical fitness in your 40s, 50s and 60s can be challenging and, in some cases, even intimidating.

“The problem is, while people are often positive about opportunities like Get Active, a lack of confidence in their physical ability will often stop them getting involved.”

Dr Spence said Ready2Move was designed to act like a stepping-stone, to help people become more ready to engage in regular physical activity by increasing physical confidence, by developing more positive attitudes towards physical activity, and by expanding their social connections.

The program was offered free to residents aged between 45 and 65 years and involved attending eight 60-minute group sessions over four weeks at Halekulani Bowling Club.

Explaining that holding the sessions in a gym-free environment was important,  noted “while gyms and fitness centres work well for some people, many others find them daunting places to be.

“As such, I wanted to run the group in a place that had physical activity as a focus, but also had a non-threatening, relaxed, social atmosphere.

“The bowling club was ideal for that”.

Describing Ready2Move as “a fitness class with a twist”, Dr Spence went on to say “each class involved completing eight basic strength, mobility, and balance movements, an equal amount of time was spent discussing how the movements could make everyday tasks easier and raise the enjoyment level of physical activities promoted by Get Active.

“By blending physical training and group discussion in this way, it was hoped participants would learn enough to keep developing their physical abilities safely at home, while gaining enough physical confidence to set some short and medium-term physical activity goals.”

With the before-and-after results have been encouraging, Dr Spence added “not surprisingly, there were clear improvements in upper body and lower body strength, and important improvements in balance. Interestingly, participation in Ready2Move also made the participants feel more positive about physical activity, helped them feel more socially supported, and strengthened the degree to which physical activity felt part of their personal identity.

“The question that really matters is, can people turn their plans into sustained action?”

Dr Spence will be running Ready2Move with other groups throughout 2024.

Image: Participants in the Ready2Move fitness program held at the Central Coast’s Halekulani Bowling Club.