Swimming is cornerstone of free activities on offer for National Fitness Day
The ‘Better’ leisure centres in South London are supporting National Fitness Day on Wednesday by offering a range of free activities to local residents in Croydon, Greenwich, Lewisham and Kensington and Chelsea.
Now in its 13th year, National Fitness Day is run by leisure industry body UKActive and aims to encourage the nation to get moving and shine a light on the many benefits that being active can offer.
This year, National Fitness Day will continue under the overall theme, ‘Your Health is Your Life’, highlighting the many ways that physical activity can and does have a positive contribution on an individual’s physical and mental health.
Although Better leisure centres across south London will be offering a range of free classes and activities on the day – such as yoga, HIIT, pickleball, group cycling, aquarobics, badminton and table tennis – there will be a particular focus on the benefits of swimming.
As the largest operator of public swimming pools in the UK, Better has a lot of expertise in this area, offering swimming lessons for adults and children and tailored programmes for customers with health conditions.
On National Fitness Day, at South Norwood Leisure Centre from 10am-2pm, swimming teacher and Healthwise Coordinator Rob will be on-hand at the pool to answer any questions people have about swimming and to tell people about adult swimming lessons across the borough.
Leisure centres in the boroughs of Croydon, Greenwich, Lewisham, Kensington and Chelsea are run by charitable social enterprise GLL under the ‘Better’ brand.
Phil Kemp, GLL’s partnership manager in Croydon said: “It has never been more important for the public to embrace activity and fitness as an aid to mental and physical health. Swimming, in particular, is a great way for people of all ages to boost their wellbeing.”
In 2023, National Fitness Day saw the participation of an estimated 11 million people, including over four million children and young people.
To join in with any of Better’s free activities on National Fitness Day, readers need to register for their free pass at https://www.better.org.uk/national-fitness-day
Picture: GLL