#heartmoves

Heartmoves is a gentle physical activity program suitable for anyone and is designed to be safe for people with stable long term health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or obesity. Exercise is done at your own pace in a friendly atmosphere, run by accredited exercise professionals who are specifically trained in managing low to moderate intensity physical activity programs. Classes are limited in size to ensure maximum safety for all participants, while exercises are modifiable for different ability levels or injuries.

This week we attended a Tuesday morning class to speak with the ladies in attendance to  see what the program involves. Darren who facilitates the program, started them off with a warm up involving some gentle leg and arm movements before moving into the main circuit. Completing cardio exercises for one minute and then swapping with their partners who were doing strength exercises for a minute. Participants were encouraged to rest at any time and could use chairs to balance if needed. Darren finished off the session with a few fun games in partners that worked on coordination, strength and balance.

After the session we spoke with the group to see what they enjoyed most about Heartmoves. The group said they enjoy the program because it provides a way for them to stay fit and healthy in a social environment. One of the participants said she has only been attending for 3 months however she has noticed improvement's in her strength that enable her to be more active everyday. The program has helped her to loose weight and it's also a great way for her to connect and be social. She mentioned it has been great for her depression and she looks forward to attending classes twice a week, all participants said they feel great after the classes. The class sizes vary from 10-20 participants and men also attend.