Climbing the walls: Kristian Thomas helping to keep seated nation moving
This lockdown period may have given me the chance to find some creative ways to get fit, but for some people it has cut off their form of exercise.
And that is why it has been pleasing to see so many extra workouts for older and disabled members of society appear across the internet in recent weeks.
BBC Sport and Joe Wicks have put out short exercise routines for seniors, including from a chair – and British Gymnastics has followed suit, with retired Olympian Kristian Thomas an ambassador for the organisation’s Love to Move programme, which has been made free to watch on YouTube.
The Wolverhampton gymnast, who is now a coach at Park Wrekin in Shropshire, has been encouraging older people to stay physically and mentally active at home during the coronavirus crisis by turning to seated gymnastics.
“The best thing about being involved with Love to Move is seeing people’s quality of life improve,” said Thomas, who won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics. “The impact of the simple seated exercises is phenomenal.
“To see someone moving again, feeding themselves and re-engaging with their loved ones, and to see them visibly appear younger, brighter, more confident and happier is such a privilege.
“British Gymnastics Foundation putting the programme online and making it free will open it up to more people who are self-isolating and who need to keep physically and mentally active the most during these difficult times.”
The Love to Move series – which is supported by Age UK, The Alzheimer’s Society and Sport England – is designed to get older people moving and functioning better by increasing strength, flexibility, co-ordination and stimulating the brain.
The majority of the programme is based on movement patterns, which benefit older people and particularly those living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. It started in 2015 and was trialled in care homes and community groups across the UK – it has since been rolled out across the country and is now free to watch online.
The Love to Move sessions are available to view at britishgymnasticsfoundation.org or via British Gymnastics’ YouTube channel. Additional sessions will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
I want to hear and see what you are up to sporting-wise during lockdown – the good and the bad – so email your pictures and videos to derek.bish@expressandstar.co.uk or contact me on Twitter @DerekBish_Star. I will include the best ones in this column and retweet plenty of ideas that everyone can get involved with.
