Doing exercises that strengthen your leg and core muscles and improve balance, reduce the risk of falling. It’s that simple.

So it’s no surprise that the significant growth of the Raumanga Strength and Balance class is due to the awesome community spirit of the members who attend. The participants, who can’t sing the praises of the class enough, have been encouraging friends, neighbours, and the local community to join them each week. 

When asked by Samantha Jones, the class facilitator, what is it that makes the class so enjoyable? one of the regular class participants Ruth says, “This is a community-based class, it is excellent and fills a social need, mental need, a keeping active/ fit need, builds confidence and feeling that you are not alone in your older age”.

The class, which meets every Tuesday morning at 10am at Te Wananga Aotearoa campus, has recently incorporated morning tea at the end of each month at the NorthTec campus Café. 
Sport Northland is the lead agency for Community Strength and Balance and supports community providers to incorporate exercises that strengthen leg and core muscles and improve balance, which reduces the risk of falling.
  
You don't have to wear lycra or special clothing
You don't need exercise clothes unless you want to of course! Classes are run by people in your community for the people in your community. Comfortable clothes that you can move in, and flat, comfortable shoes should be the only pre-requisite.

You'll be able to keep up
Each class incorporates exercises that reduce falls and meet a set of nine assessment criteria. Once a class can do these things they'll then be entitled to carry the ACC approved strength & balance 'tick'.

So, don’t worry about keeping up – although these classes may make you breathe a little harder, they won’t involve any exercises that can do harm.

Who can attend a class 
If you are aged 65+ and at risk of falling, or have a history of falling, give it a go. 

For more details about this class or other Strength & Balance classes in the area please contact Sam at Sport Northland on 0800 (ACTIVE) 22 84 83.