Q: What do you like about Outdoor Fitness? Do you normally attend Group X classes?
Tanya: I love the fact it is outside in the fresh air, that it is only half and hour and that I always feel so much better after I have been. I love the socialness of it, especially in lock down and that you can have a workout away from home when the usual Group X classes aren’t on. It is also good fun with relays and encouragement from the other participants, and you work at your own level so it’s open to everyone.
I do usually go to Group X classes such as BodyStep, BodyBalance and BodyPump, so I am loving being able to do a gym class when other regular indoor classes cant be on. I find it difficult to exercise at home with not really the right equipment and too many people being in the house. I like going out of my home to exercise.
Nick: I have never been one for classes and have never liked the thought of going to them. The Outdoor Fitness classes are the first classes I have gone to since attending a yoga class over 20 years ago.
The reason for going is that it is outside and has a totally different feel compared to my experience of an indoor class. As a person who loves outdoor activities, this has been a breath of fresh air (excuse the pun). Another reason I am probably enjoying it is due to the smaller class sizes. Had the classes been larger outwith the COVID restrictions I may have had second thoughts.
Q: What other activities or services have you utilised since Picky's reopening last November?
Tanya: We have been going to family swim sessions, squash and badminton and went to the Picky PE classes as a family which were great while the schools were shut. I have also been going to some personal training sessions in the gym which has been fantastic, and a good thing to do when my usual classes are not on. I would not normally use the gym so it is good to get some help!
Nick: My main use of the Picky since its reopening has been the family swim sessions and Outdoor Fitness.
Q: Have you felt safe returning to Picky with the safety measures that have been put in place?
Tanya: Yes we have all felt safe with clear guidelines, booking in to sessions and videos explaining what to do. It never feels overcrowded in any session. There are always people cleaning areas and the staff are all really helpful. I am so grateful Picky has been open and feel as a family we are using the facilities even more to get some time out of the house and do something fun together. It has certainly made lockdown easier for us all.
Nick: Concur with Tanya
Q: Do you find it difficult for both of you to fit in exercise and physical activities while juggling work and parental responsibilities? Do you feel you have to prioritise exercise to make sure you both get it in?
Tanya: I think it can be difficult to juggle protective time for yourself when you are at work and the kids are at home more now and still have to be taken to lots of their extracurricular activities. It can be hard to go to classes when they are on at certain times and the kids need collecting from an activity elsewhere. But I think if you are mindful of each other and make time to book into classes, then you can usually make some times work for you whether it is going to the early sessions before the kids go to school or straight after work at 5.30 before you go home.
Nick: Tanya has already mentioned the fitting around work and the kids activities. But also because you have to be around for the kids we also have to fit our own activities around each other. We can’t be out at the same time. This is something that we have always done. Before COVID, usually my activities were very much club related with the use of the Picky a part of this, so we tended to have set nights during the week. For example, for years Monday nights had always been a volleyball night for me during the winter so, the Monday night Outdoor Fitness has been my substitute given that this had been affected by COVID.