Friday, 22nd February 2019
Last week, the Mayor attended an Aquarhythmics class at Pendle Wavelengths, where class instructor Christine Britton promised to put him through his paces in this energetic class.
Gym Manager, Luke Allwood, who has been helping to coordinate Councillor James Starkie’s new fitness programme said, “The Aquarhythmics classes are really effective, as it uses water as resistance and helps to improve stamina, strength and suppleness without any strain or impact.
“I wanted to add classes to the Mayor’s exercise routine to mix things up a bit. Adding classes to your regular gym routine can be really beneficial to achieving your targets and I knew Christine wouldn’t go easy on him. It’s a really popular class with lots of regular members attending, so it was the perfect class for him to try.”
Before heading into the pool, we caught up with Councillor Starkie to see how he’s finding his fitness challenge. He said:
“Going to regular gym sessions with Pendle Leisure Trust instructors has really helped. It’s kept me motivated and I’m feeling determined. I even came to the gym on my own the other day for an hour. It would’ve been easy not to bother without an instructor with me, but I was determined to do it and I’m glad I went.
“I also went to an event recently where new trees were being planted in Pendle. It was quite a walk from where we parked the car to where they were being planted and once upon a time I wouldn’t have walked there, but I did – I wouldn’t have been able to before starting this challenge.”
So far, Councillor Starkie had lost over a stone in weight and is on track to reach his three stone target. As well as aiming to lose weight and improve his fitness levels, the Mayor is also aiming to raise £1,000 to help local children who need a little extra help with learning how to swim.
