The Hits Don't Lie!

23 Jul 2020

Charity goes online with lockdown exercise videos- including Belly Dancing!

A charity which usually supports breast cancer survivors is opening its doors to everyone during the coronavirus pandemic with easy online exercise videos that can be done at home. Supporting Confidence Through Exercise is using its Facebook page to inspire people who want to stay fit though lockdown with free, short films presented by its teachers. The Leicestershire-based charity, which operates across the East Midlands, has uploaded videos of Pilates, mini-circuits, mindfulness, tai chi and even belly dance. 

Mandy Geary, a trustee for the charity, said: “Lockdown has been a time when many of us have seen our exercise routine go out of the window. The videos are a way of saying: ‘okay, you can’t go to the gym or a class – but you can do 10 minutes of tai chi in your kitchen or living room. We’ve had a terrific response and it’s great to know that at a really difficult time, people are enjoying the films, staying fit – and even trying new activities that they haven’t done before."

SCTE runs In the Pink, a free Pilates-based exercise programme which helps women who have survived breast cancer get back to physical fitness. She added: ‘As a charity, we recognised early in lockdown that the women we work with might be shielding, or self-isolating, for long periods of time and that they might also be experiencing anxiety. 

“We decided that the videos would be a good way of supporting them and also giving them a sense of normality by seeing the familiar faces of our teachers. But we also felt a duty to try and open up our content to anyone else who needed us.”

The films are presented by SCTE’s professional teachers and guest teachers, who specialise in other forms of exercise. The charity started loading them to its Facebook page one week after lockdown began. It was made possible by a grant from Leicestershire County Council’s Communities Fund Covid-19 Initiative. 

Michelle Scott-Worthington, one of the charity’s regular teachers, said: “It’s been a team effort for all of us teachers. Filming has been a learning curve because we’re all doing it from home and none of us have done anything like this before. There’s been a few moments for all of us when a car has gone by on the road or someone has been unloading the dishwasher in the kitchen and you’ve just had to grit your teeth and get on with it! But it’s good to know that we can offer support and our professional experience at this time. The high number of hits on our Facebook demonstrate their popularity.”

Nick Rushton, leader of the county council, said: “It’s great to see that groups have been doing all they can to keep communities thriving during these challenging times and I’m proud that we’ve been a part of it. These awards have helped groups such as Supporting Confidence Through Exercise to continue their crucial work and step up activities to support vulnerable people and those isolating. I’d like to thank our volunteers and community groups for their fantastic work and for keeping the community spirit going.”

Lockdown exercise tips from SCTE:

• Exercise outside if you can. You’ll be getting the benefits of mood-boosting vitamin D at the same time, which helps bone strength
• If you’re home schooling or working from home and finding it hard to exercise with family around, try doing it in 10-minute chunks instead of one long session
• Make daily exercise part of your routine. Try exercising at the same time every day. You’ll find if it’s part of your routine, it will be easier to stick to
• It doesn’t matter what you do, just keep moving! Stretches while your cleaning your teeth or stand up and do some squats when you’re watching the TV
• Don’t beat yourself up. It can be hard to stay motivated right now, So concentrate on what you do, not what you don’t do

Watch all SCTE’s videos on their Facebook page, by clicking on the videos section at the side of the page
@scte.charity
Find out more about SCTE and In the Pink at their website:
https://www.scte-activities.org.uk

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