It’s never too late to make improvements to your physical and mental wellbeing, says award winning Cheshire gym founder Gareth Preston. Just follow his expert tips.
The key to staying fit as you age
From a young age, Gareth Preston was very sporty and competed at a national level at the 100 metres and long jump.
So, when he was diagnosed with a heart condition at the age of 14, he was devastated.
“That drew a line under my sporting career right away,” he grimaces. “I had to come up with another plan.”
He decided to get into sports coaching and the gym industry and, after a number of years running a gym for someone else, he set up his own.
Aptitude Health & Fitness launched in Farndon, Cheshire, in December 2020 and won an award last year for being the Best Health & Fitness Business in the county at the English Business Awards.
“I’d always wanted to run my own gym and the pandemic was, surprisingly, a brilliant time to do it,” he says.
“I created online classes for members and ran a lot of outdoor classes. We’re in a very beautiful rural setting in the middle of the Cheshire countryside with views across to the Welsh hills, which gives people a very different gym experience.”
Here he gives his tips for people new to the gym and looking to stay strong as they age.
Keep your kit simple
Don’t put pressure on yourself to buy the latest fancy gym kit. You don’t need it. As long as you have comfortable clothes, a good pair of sports trainers, shorts or leggings and a breathable top, you’re fine. I have had someone turn up to train in jeans once, but I wouldn’t recommend it!.
Build a good routine
Ideally, you want to be exercising at least three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes, but this doesn’t all have to be done in a gym environment. You could also try walking, running, swimming or cycling. Aim to exercise at high intensity for 45 minutes or if you want to take it steadier or build in weights, aim for sixty minutes.
Keep your expectations low
I see a lot of people power into the gym and expect to see incredible and instant results after only a few months. They often get demotivated. It’s far better to lower your expectations.
We recommend that people have a goal that challenges them but to keep it simple and start small. If you do that, then when you achieve your goals, you can simply increase your expectations and develop them. This way you stay motivated. We always ask people what their long-term goal is – it could be anything from losing weight to running a 10km – and then break that down into short and medium-term goals.
Mix it up
Don’t just head straight for your favourite machine in the gym. Force yourself to try different equipment (ask for help if you’re not sure how to use it) or sign up for a class.
Feel-good classes with music are great fun and have a good atmosphere. We get people of all ages and abilities joining in. Spin classes and dance classes are very popular and yoga is brilliant for improving flexibility and balance and lowering stress.
Work on your mental health too
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. We are seeing an increasing number of people turning to the gym to help improve their mental wellbeing.
Working from home – staring at a screen and checking phones – has had a massive impact. People have lost their social interaction, the benefits of being face-to-face with a real, not a screen, person.
It’s one of the reasons why our classes are so popular – people want to get out of the house for an hour, let off steam, de-stress and be with likeminded people.
We all want flat stomachs and toned abs, but it’s seeing the buzz as people leave the gym when they have worked out that is the most important. We’ve recently introduced a class with a live DJ playing a set and it’s a fantastic feel-good atmosphere. Such fun.
What to do if you fall off the exercise wagon?
Get back up and don’t worry about it. It’s extremely common and we see it all the time, even with the most motivated people. Sometimes instructors find it hard to workout all the time!
Keep in your mind that there is no such thing as a bad workout and whatever you do to get yourself moving will always make you feel better.
You could go for a walk or pop into your gym for a short workout on the treadmill or rowing machine, some light weights or take part in a class. If you’re still struggling to motivate yourself, book yourself into a fun class and drag a friend along with you or have a one-to-one PT session.
What sort of success stories have you seen?
We’ve had a lot. I remember a chap who had put on weight during lockdown. When he joined, he was 16 stone, a big drinker and smoked. Today, he has stopped smoking, cut back his drinking and has lost three stone. He’s now competing in events. Great achievement.
We see lots of mums who have had babies and want to get fit after their pregnancy and we’re working with the inspirational paratriathlete Lizzie Tench helping to train her to scale Yr Wyddfa in a specially adapted wheelchair this summer.
