Sports Centre Gym Instructor, Lesley Ngongo
You’re never too old to get moving and as keeping fit in your ‘senior’ years is really important, our Unitec Sports Centre have started a twice-weekly programme exclusively for over 65s!
Bachelor of Sport 2009 grad and Gym Instructor, Lesley Ngongo, initiated the over 65s programme which has had a great response from the local community with consistent high participation levels and really positive feedback.
Each month Lesley gets her over 65s focused on a different aspect of fitness so they are experiencing a broad range of workout options, ensuring they are equipped for their needs and to create an understanding of how to keep fit wherever they are.
As we age we lose muscle mass and bone density so strength training is important for maintaining muscle mass while also contributing to our flexibility. Aerobic exercise is also key as it helps prevent many common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, plus exercise helps improve your immune system.
In May the programme started with the ‘basics’; learning how to use weight machines and how to adjust the weights, what to look for in their form and technique, and how to use Kettle bells, dumbbells and which exercises you do with the various weights.
Lesley with her seniors fitness group
June was about strength training starting off with using just their bodyweight including learning how to squat, then deadlifts and bench presses, plus how to use barbells was introduced. They were also taught how to incorporate equipment such as slam balls, sand bags and medicine ball, and stepped up to the ‘big gym’ to use the larger barbells.
Last month, July, was focused on general fitness, how to use the cardio equipment including the treadmills, rowers, bikes and cross-trainers, plus Lesley had them experience boxing, skipping, aerobics and got them out of the gym, outdoors, teaching them to ‘think outside the square’ about their fitness options.
Lesley makes sure she listens to her customer’s feedback and ‘balance’ has been a concern for many of her seniors, so that’s the focus for August.
Congratulations to Lesley for this great fitness initiative for our local community which has also proven to be a great social outlet for Lesley’s over 65s. If you have over 65s in your extended family who live in the area, give them a gentle reminder on the importance of fitness for seniors and get them along to one of Lesley’s sessions!
Classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays – 8.00-9.00am
Cost: $5.00 per class
Venue: Unitec Sports Centre