First major fitness conference to be staged in Christchurch for 15 years

The growth of boutique fitness studios as well as specialist classes such as aqua and spin will be among the topics discussed at the FitEx-Lite conference in Christchurch next month.

To be held on 18th May, the Exercise Association of New Zealand (ExerciseNZ) event has attracted interest from hundreds of people and will be hosting speakers from both around New Zealand and overseas.

ExerciseNZ Chief Executive Richard Beddie says another big issue to be talked about will be facia - the bodily tissue which is important for stabilisation and mobility but which is so often ignored.

Beddie explains “facia, or the connective tissue between the muscles, ligaments and tendons, is proving to play an important role in not only performance, but everyday movement and, in many cases, restrictions and injuries.

“We will also discuss why rest is so important for the body. Regular exercisers often use techniques and concepts borrowed from athletes yet they seldom use the rest athletes’ and recovery strategies.

“We will also look at solutions on how to support people with chronic health conditions - everything from cancer to Alzheimers. There are so many health conditions which benefit from exercise.

“Learning the what and how of exercising with a serious health condition is essential if we as an industry are going to help about a million Kiwis with a chronic long-term health issues.”

ExerciseNZ has been running major annual conferences in Auckland every for the last 15 years but, based on its size, Christchurch has one of the most active communities of exercise professionals in the country.

Beddie says he is excited to launch the first ever FitEx LITE in Christchurch which has been designed to offer world-class education opportunities for exercise professionals and movement practitioners.

Click here for more information on FitEx LITE in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.