An increasing number of staff employed within the Westside BID area are taking up the offer to join live weekly wellness classes on YouTube.
Instructors from Coaches for Change have been running the one-hour sessions since the end of 2023, but the past few months has seen a welcome increase in the number of people logging on to take part.
The YouTube classes form part of the BID’s overall wellness programme aimed at improving the health and welfare of people employed within the Westside district.
Instructors Harriette Luscombe and Jamie Cullen from Coaches for Change together run sessions in Circuits, Pilates, Tabata (a Japanese form of circuit exercises) and Yoga.
Jamie, who takes the classes in Tabata and Circuits, said: “We have definitely noticed a significant increase in the number of people taking part in the sessions over the last few months, certainly since the back end of last year.
“The live sessions, which take place between 1pm and 2pm every Wednesday, are only open to Westside BID staff, but anyone can then join the recorded session once it is opened to the general public on YouTube. And we are definitely getting more engagement after the live workout.”
The Circuits sessions involve a full body workout comprising several different exercises such as squats or lunges for up to 10 or 15 minutes at a time, while Tabata concentrates three or four steps of one exercise before moving onto the next discipline.
Added Jamie: “The idea, together with Pilates and Yoga, is that all the classes can be done in the office or at home. No equipment is required.”
Luisa Huggins, the BID’s communications Manager, said: “We are really pleased that an increasing number of BID staff, as well as the wider public, are taking up the range of fantastic sessions that we offer.
“The whole idea of the free virtual fitness and wellness classes on YouTube is to enhance the wellbeing of staff working within the district, so we are delighted that more people are tuning in.”
