Exercise and Wellness Activities in Tendring
We believe life is for living and thanks to the many senior friendly wellness activities on offer across Tendring there’s lots of opportunities for you to stay active.
We appreciate that as you get older energy levels and motivation can drop, your joints might be feeling stiff and finding the right activity to keep you moving might be more challenging. But as the saying goes ‘if you don’t move it, you lose it’ so making that extra effort to stay active is more important than ever. We are lucky to have some wonderful senior-friendly classes going on locally, from Tai Chi at Frinton Community Association to Indoor Bowls in Walton and Chair Exercise in Clacton. Go on, give it a go, with patience, and an open-heart you might be surprised by the benefits you gain. Here are a few to get you inspired.
Free Seated Yoga at Clacton Library
Our own Home Instead, Clacton, Frinton and Walton Community Engagement Officer, Jo Thorne, is a qualified yoga teacher and thanks to funding from Active Essex teaches free seated exercise classes in Clacton and Harwich Libraries. These sessions are fun and friendly and aimed at offering gentle seated exercises to get the energy flowing, the joints mobilised, to wake up those muscles that might not have been used for a while and generally to boost vitality.
The sessions work with blocks and straps to help support you to achieve well know yoga poses such as warrior and triangle pose, whilst remaining seated. There are exercises to tone the pelvic floor helping with continence, movement to stimulate the digestive system, and breathing exercises to strengthen the lungs, regulate the nervous system and help reduce anxiety. And there’s always a couple of fun songs to chair dance to, getting the heart and brain working and getting those happy endorphins flowing.
Contact the library direct to find out more and to book a place – 0345 603 7628.
Walton Bowls Club
Walton & District Indoor Bowls Club is a club where you can go along, meet new friends and have fun as well as keeping fit at the same time.
Meeting at The Columbine Centre in Walton-on-the-Naze, the club welcomes new members including those who have never bowled before. They hold a free taster session every Monday at 1.45 pm so why not pop along and see what they are all about.
You get free parking when you become a member and the facility has wheelchair access through the front door. A special wheelchair must be used on the bowls carpet, which is available through the club. There are social events every month too, which are a great way to bring everyone together.
For more information contact the Walton and District Indoor Bowls Club by calling 01255 678 955 or 07856 221 608.
Sport for Confidence Sessions
Clacton Leisure Centre on Vista Road in Clacton offers a variety of Sport for Confidence Sessions, a programme of activities developed in partnership with health professionals and coaching teams.
The aim of the activities is to reach a larger audience, to promote inclusive physical activity and positively impact on health and wellbeing. Each session costs £3.50 and places are limited so you will need to book in advance either by
- calling 01245 950 502
- emailing info@sportforconfidence.com, or
- completing the Attendee Sign-up form.
You will receive a call from an Occupational Therapist, who will conduct an initial assessment, making sure you get the best support possible. These sessions are very popular, referrals are high so it can take up to 28 days for someone to come back to you.
Here’s what’s on offer at Clacton Leisure Centre:
- Love to Move – a seated exercise class aimed at older adults and people living with dementia on Tuesdays 11am – 11.45am
- Multi Sports on Tuesdays from 12.30 – 1.30pm
- Inclusive Dance on Tuesdays from 1.45 – 2.45pm
- Swimming on Fridays 10-11am
- Boccia (a target indoor sport designed for high support needs and played with soft leather balls) on Fridays 12.30 – 1.30pm
- Fun Fitness on Fridays 2 – 3pm
Walking Groups
Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVST) offer a wide range of activities including walking groups in Clacton, Walton and Harwich.
Their Wellbeing Walks in Clacton are around 30 – 45 minutes long with a refreshment stop at a café at the end of the walk. There are longer walks in Walton lasting 1 ½ to 2 hours. All abilities are welcome.
If you like the outdoors, they are a great way of getting out in the fresh air for a gentle, fun walk, taking in the beautiful Essex coastline and perhaps make a few new friends along the way.
To find out more give CVST a call on 01255 425 692.
