Why did you join PARC?

I retired in January 2016. Prior to retirement I was fairly active, mainly walking a lot, however when I retired I retired from everything. In the first 6 months I put on a lot of weight and was very unhealthy. My cholesterol was high as well as my blood sugar levels. I joined PARC originally just to use the pool to swim laps.  I never considered joining the gym as I didn’t believe I would be able to “keep up” in any class.

What made you join a Senior FIT?

When I read about the Senor Fit program on a flyer I saw in Senior’s week last year, I thought I might give it a go.

What did you want to get out of Senior FIT?

The aim was to improve my overall health and fitness and try something different. Safe to say I have accomplished just that.

In the beginning, what were you feeling when you came along to your first few sessions?

I found the first month or so difficult to keep up with the classes, mainly due to my Chronic Bronchitis. However, I persisted and over time the more classes I did the easier it became to control my breathing.

What motivated you to keep coming back? 

The variety of the classes, the mix of cardio and resistance training and the trainers of course! The outdoor classes we completed were also great, showing that if you can’t get to a gym you can still do a good workout particularly when your away on holidays.

What results have you achieved since starting here at PARC?

My fitness has improved immensely! I have now lost 14kg, lowered my cholesterol and improved my blood sugar levels. By attending the Senior FIT classes and following a healthy diet (most of the time anyway) my Doctor is very happy with my progress so far. Due to the Chronic Bronchitis I am always going to get a bit breathless in class, however the fitter I get the more I can do.

Apart from Senior FIT, I also swim laps in the pool a couple of times a week, plus some additional walking. I aim to complete a minimum of 30 minutes exercise every day.

Well done Julie! Keep up the awesome work.