Move To Improve

What is Move To Improve?

If you have knee, hip or lower back pain our Move to Improve class can help you. It’s been designed to reduce pain and improve mobility for people with chronic joint pain or Osteoarthritis.

Why exercise is vital

Exercise can help you improve your health and fitness without casing pain to your joints. Exercises in Move To Improve can help:

Strengthen the muscles around your joints to improve mobility and reduce pain and inflammation
Help you maintain bone strength
Give you more energy to get through the day
Make it easier to get a good night’s sleep
Help you control your weight
Enhance your quality of life and get back to doing the things you enjoy
Improve your balance

You might think that exercise would aggravate your joint pain and stiffness, however this is not the case. In fact, lack of exercise actually can make your joints even more painful and stiff. This is because keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising, weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints.

What type of exercises are in Move to Improve

Range-of-motion exercises Strengthening exercises Aerobic exercise Balance exercises

These exercises relieve stiffness and increase your ability to move your joints through their full range of motion. These exercises might include movements such as raising your arms over your head or rolling your shoulders forward and backward.

These exercises help you build strong muscles that help support and protect your joints. Doing bodyweight exercise such as sit-to-stands and calf raises training is an example of a strengthening exercise that can help you maintain or increase your muscle strength.

Aerobic or endurance exercises help with your overall fitness. They can improve your cardiovascular health, help you control your weight and give you more stamina and energy. Examples of low-impact aerobic exercises that are easier on your joints include walking, cycling and step-ups.

Balancing exercises will work your core muscles, lower back, and legs. Improving balance increases coordination and strength, allowing you to move freely and steadily. Enhancing stability, mobility, and flexibility makes it easier to perform your daily tasks. Focusing on your balance may also help you to focus and clear your mind. Examples of balance exercises include standing on one leg, tightrope walk and side steps.

Classes are suitable for the following people

Adults with chronic or long-term arthritic pain, specifically knee, hip and lower back problems
Adults who want to improve their flexibility, strength, balance and aerobic capacity
Adults unable to exercise standing due to problems with balance.
Adults wanting to exercise as well as socialise in a relaxed, friendly environment

What you need to know

A verbal health check will be conducted by the instructor prior to the session starting to ensure participants are safe to engage in the class
Wear comfortable clothing and footwear (ideally trainers)
Bring water
Classes cost £3.60 per session (pay as you go) booking online is essential before visiting our centres, you can now sign up to our casual Wildcard online to give you access to our online booking portal.
Are you an Everybody Member? You can enjoy this class as part of your membership.

Click here to book