Exercising in the fresh air is just too expensive!

Tuesday 23 January 2018

Fitness instructors say they want to run exercise classes in the island’s beautiful public parks and gardens - but they can’t, as using them has become too expensive.

January has arrived so that means the tasty food, booze and parties have been replaced with juices, diets and exercise. But while the shops fill up with the hottest lycra clothes around and memberships to fitness centres soar – the thought of sweating inside a noisy gym, surrounded by mirrors can send some people straight back to the sofa.

But an exercise class in the fresh air could be more appealing, according to fitness instructor Adele Prince, who had a woman in her eighties approach her outdoor exercise session asking if she could, “join in the next one.” This was during one of the impromptu lunchtime classes she held in People’s Park with her office colleagues last summer, just after she qualified as a personal trainer.  

“It was so good to get people out there for half an hour in their lunch hour” said Adele. “I just asked the office if anyone fancied going outside for a bit of exercise. They kept asking for more sessions. It was a good laugh… people want it, people want to train outside, they love it.”

Picture: Adele Prince held a kettlecise class in People's Park last summer to raise money for Jersey Hospice. 

But the circuit sessions didn’t last long as Adele found out she had to pay to use the park: “£50 for an hour’s class in a park that isn’t being used – it’s insane,” she said.

She’s only been back once to hold a kettlecise class to raise money for Jersey Hospice, a session she was once again charged for, but at a reduced rate, as it was for charity.

Calli De La Haye, instructor and owner of Kalimukti Yoga, also held classes in People’s Park last summer to raise money for Macmillan, but wasn’t charged as the charity managed to arrange a free licence for the fundraising event. Calli said the classes were a success: “The charity sessions were a huge hit, it’s a shame we couldn’t continue them. I would very much like to make more Kalimukti classes available outdoors, but it’s simply too expensive for an option that is so unreliable as we have to make sure we have a studio slot as a back-up plan.

“Summer classes can be quite hit and miss so another issue is paying for a licence to then have no people show up, plus paying the teacher... we can easily end up making a loss!” explained Calli.

Picture: Calli holds beach yoga sessions in the summer but says grass is easier with the yoga mats. 

The Parish of St Helier charge £50 for a session to be held in one of their parks and gardens. They also do various licences at discounted rates of £100 for three months, £175 for six months or £300 for an annual fitness licence. Instructors also have to pay a £200 refundable deposit to cover any damage.

Tony Andrews from St. Helier Parks Department said the charges cover: “All the risk assessments and the administration costs to make sure all the boxes are ticked. Officers also have to visit the site to make sure [instructors] are using it properly and they have cleared up afterwards and there’s no damage. The charge is not to make a profit but to cover costs, so parishioners don’t cover a private enterprise.”

But could the health benefits of outdoor exercise pay off? A study by the University of Exeter which compared outdoor activity to indoor activity revealed: “exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalisation and positive engagement, decreases in tension, confusion, anger, and depression, and increased energy. (...) Participants reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and declared a greater intent to repeat the activity at a later date.”

Picture: Research shows exercise outdoors had more health benefits than indoor exercise classes. 

They are findings Calli also stands by: “Outdoor classes are popular in the summer and a great way to spend time amongst nature - also great for wellbeing to breathe in the fresh air and not go from office to studio to home!”

Adele believes outdoor fitness sessions could influence the younger generation and address the health problems facing the island: “When I’m away and you see people doing things like Tai Chi and all sorts [of classes] at the park. It’s good for children to see people exercising so that it becomes a way of life.

“The States really need to do something on the health problems and obesity in Jersey and this would help. Prevention is always better than cure,” added Adele.

The Chief Executive of Jersey Sport, Catriona McAllister, the new independent body set up to maximise physical activity throughout society, said: “Jersey, with its stunning scenery as a backdrop, is simply made for outdoor sport and physical activity. It’s clearly up to the people who run or own venues, whether they be public or private or indoors or outside, to set their own pricing policies but we’d hope they’d be receptive and aware of the huge benefits sport can bring to society.”

“Parks, like any other sports venue, need to be maintained and looked after and that costs money. (…) Jersey Sport would happily meet the various parties involved to discuss a sensible solution. Generally speaking though we don’t want cost to be a barrier to physical activity or healthy living, and we’ll be considering that carefully as we put together the island’s new Active Living Strategy over the next six months.”