Move to Improve
Standish Leisure Centre in Wigan had a ‘Moves challenge’ to promote better fitness and increase positivity during mental health awareness week.
The gym, which is located in the center of Standish, hosted the challenge starting on Monday 9th May and running for the duration of mental health week until Sunday 15th May.
The main aim of the challenge was to interact with gym members, have a conversation with them and hopefully brighten their day because it might be the only time they speak to someone that day.
Another benefit of the challenge is that exercising can boost your mood and studies have shown that those who exercise regularly often have better mental health.
Charlotte Cunliffe, 18 regularly attends the gym and said: “When I’m having a bad day I always go to the gym to feel better. While I’m there I forget everything that has happened and it allows me to focus myself.
“Afterwards I always feel so much better and it leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. I walk in feeling stressed and anxious and I walk out with a big smile on my face.”
The challenge also promoted healthy competition between gym instructors.
When members joined the challenge they could choose to join one of the three gym instructors; Simone, Aaron or Ade on their team.
The winning instructor was decided by who had the most members on their team and who had done the most ‘moves’ over the seven days.
‘Moves’ are a way of measuring all activity that members do in the gym from lifting weights to cardio and the technology used to measure ‘moves’ can even connect to apps such as ‘my fitness pal’ and track the moves members do outside of the gym.
Gym Instructor Aaron Wragg, 20, said: “I think the Challenges are great!”
From a manager’s perspective, the challenge inspires members to return to the gym more often and form more of a relationship with staff.
Ricky Worthington, 37, manager of Standish Leisure Centre said: “The way to retain members is through regular visits, interactions with staff and personalized programs.”
As well as being a challenge between instructors, it was a challenge between; Wigan, Ashton, Hindley, Howe Bridge, Leigh and Robin Park Leisure Centre’s, the other six leisure centres in the Wigan borough owned by the same company.
Along with improving mental health this challenge confronts the difficult topic of mental wellness.
Receptionist Adrienne Berry, 25 Said: “Mental health is taboo and needs to be normalized.”
Simone Coulton, 55, said: “Many people don’t speak to anybody from going out the house to going back in. If we can change that in a person’s day it matters.”
She also explained how the challenge works:
