Fitness instructor Michele Wilson, 63, knows very well how exercise can improve heart health and reverse some heart disease risk factors. She shares her enthusiasm for an active lifestyle with Stephanie Fsadni.
The benefit of exercise for our heart’s proper functioning has been highlighted in various studies. The heart becomes stronger with exercise, so it can pump more blood through the body with every beat and continues working with less strain.
A Swedish research just released this week revealed that four out of five heart attacks in men could be prevented by adopting a super-healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise besides not smoking and avoiding junk food.
Fitness instructor Michele Wilson, 63, knows about the importance of physical activity all too well.
“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Michele, who opened a fitness centre in Mosta last year.
The centre is aimed at people of all ages but it has proven to be particularly popular with older people.
“It is not a conventional gym. I have attracted many ladies who are inspired by my age and feel comfortable in a welcoming atmosphere,” points out Michele. “The most mature lady is 83 years young!”
She explains that older adults need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. Her centre in fact offers various classes aimed at these specific activities, such as walking workouts, step classes and body toning.
Her classes are mostly attended by women, but she has had a few men participating in the walking workout, which mainly involves walking around the studio. According to Michele, one can burn off some 300 calories and cover four kilometres in 45 minutes.
“All men are welcome, but I guess they feel that the dancing aspect is not for them.”
She adds, however, that they would perhaps feel more comfortable with a male coach such as qualified personal trainer Vince Stivala, who lately joined Michele’s team of professionals, to offer circuit classes aimed at strengthening and conditioning muscles.
Since opening, the centre has gone from strength to strength. Over the past year, Michele introduced various qualified instructors to teach yoga, pre- and post-natal pregnancy classes, zumba and kickboxing sessions, among others. Dance classes and a slimming programme are also on offer.
The studio is now fully equipped with stability balls, toning tubes and ‘fun apparatus’ such as hula hoops, skipping ropes, trampoline, weights and bicycles, that are used for circuit training.
If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented
Michele believes that exercise must also be fun and for this purpose, she projects her “crazy sense of humour” into the classes. She also organises theme classes on certain festivities.
“During carnival we wore silly hats and on St Patrick’s Day, we exercised to Irish music and wore green.”
On Monday, the centre is celebrating its first anniversary with a special Funky Fitness Party class which will be open to everyone for free.
“We will be dressed in outrageous, wild, colourful exercise gear and enjoy a super fun workout,” she quips.
Originally from Kent, the UK, Michele settled in Malta with her husband Miles in 1999 after falling in love with the island while on holiday. She says that running the centre and keeping fit keeps her young and stimulated. She encourages others to follow in her footsteps.
“We all need to get more active. Our heart is a major muscle in our body, let’s get it pumping and enjoy a better lifestyle.”
For more information, visit http://maltaaerobicsclasses.com .