Jen Riley WBOP Recreation Advisor Sport Bay of Plenty

An active lifestyle is more important than ever as we grow older. Regular exercise can improve energy levels, help maintain independence and manage symptoms of illness or pain. Not only is exercise good for your body, it's also great for your mind, mood, and memory.

Getting people active is one of our passions at Sport Bay of Plenty. Throughout the year we are dedicated to sourcing and promoting a variety of local opportunities to help you get active, have fun and try something new. It's never too late to learn a new sport or start exercising and the Play in the Bay Activity Directory is the perfect place to start. The Activity Directory lists a wide range of activities, venues, clubs and groups available in your community.

In the Western Bay of Plenty we are lucky to have an abundance of community exercise classes suitable for older adults such as the Fitness League, Body + Soul Fun Fitness, Mobilise and Smooth Movers. There are also fall prevention classes like Sit & Be Fit and Steady As You Go and classes specifically for those who are at risk of or have had heart problems such as the Global Hearts Exercise Group and the Tauranga Heart Support Group. The common thread among all these options is that they are fun, low impact, help improve strength and balance, are suitable for all abilities and can all be found in the Play in the Bay Activity Directory.

I recently went along to one of Dianne Mannington's Body + Soul Fun Fitness classes which she runs five days a week in four different locations around Tauranga. Some of her participants have been coming for well over ten years! While they acknowledge that the regular exercise they get from the class is great the thing that keeps them coming back year in year out is the social aspect of the class – the fun and laughter and the friendships that have been formed over the years are just as important as the benefits they get from the exercise itself.

Whether you are generally healthy or are managing an illness or injury, there are plenty of ways to get moving and boost your fitness in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Pick up a directory from your local library or Sport BOP office or download one from www.sportbop.co.nz/activitydirectry. Look up a club group or activity, join up with friends and family, get active and try something new.

CLICK HERE for a promotional video.

For more contact Jen Riley jenr@sportbop.co.nz or 07 578 0016 ext 829.