Dee, Jagdeev and Vicky’s Story: Being Active Together

Joining an exercise group or class can be a brilliant way to meet new people and get active at the same time. There are lots of different types of activities you can do in a group, with sessions across the county catering for all ability, experience and confidence levels.

Whether it’s a walking group, a running club, a group that meets at your local community centre, or a class at a leisure centre, there are so many options out there to explore, and the health benefits of group exercise are as varied as the type of activities on offer.

We visited The Grand to hear how their group exercise sessions are helping to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of their local community.

Dee told us “I started doing these sessions because I needed somewhere to go to do a bit of exercise, not too strenuous.  It’s so friendly and everyone just loves coming to these sessions. That then affects your mental health and your physical wellbeing and you feel a lot better”.

Jagdeev stated “A number of us suffer from various health issues and we’re constantly being told by our doctors that we need to get more exercise.  The Gurdwara is a central place for us. It’s a community hub. This is a way of doing exercise so that we can encourage each other”.

Vicky said “I started doing the sessions because I suffer from mental health problems. I have post traumatic stress disorder, so I have quite high anxiety. My anxiety has dropped so much from being out and being around people.  We’re all accepting of each other and it’s lovely”.

Are you interested in finding a group exercise class in your local area? Take a look at the pages below for more information on the benefits of group exercise, how to build activity into your everyday life and find an activity near you.