More than 300 local women have taken part in a yearlong exercise pilot to combat symptoms of menopause.
They have hailed the scheme a huge success – citing reduced symptoms, and better overall health and wellbeing.
The pilot scheme, created by registered charity BH Live, is called Beat the Pause.
Taking place in leisure centres, local parks and community settings, BH Live, supported by activity providers, has delivered more than 200 hours of targeted activities to more than 300 women aged between 41 to 65 years old. Participants live in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, and are living with symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
Activities included forest bathing, trampolining, swimming and techniques, paddle boarding, spinning, pelvic floor workshops, Pilates and outdoor circuits. Regular weekly fitness classes took place across Kinson, Southbourne & Christchurch. Furthermore a ‘Get Ready Run’ class ran twice a week teaching introduction to running techniques and building up stamina for people to run up to 5K.
All of the Beat the Pause activities were subsidised by BH Live and National Lottery funding awarded through Sport England, as part of their ‘This Girl Can Community Funding’.
To monitor the success of the programme, people who took part were asked to score the severity of their menopause symptoms. The most common symptoms that people reported were low confidence, anxiety, low mood, weight gain and joint pain. There was also a reduced belief in ability and themselves.
By the end of the scheme, everyone had reported a significant reduction in the severity of their symptoms.
One participant who took part said:
“I haven’t been to any exercise classes like this for many years and I have really enjoyed them. The classes have been great fun and I can’t believe sometimes that we are actually exercising as well as having fun! Being among like-minded ladies while exercising has been brilliant. I took part in walks and swimming improvement lessons which were extremely beneficial to me – we had Heather who was a wonderful teacher.
“I have now joined the Littledown Centre through the referral scheme and am determined to improve my fitness further. Thank you, Viv, and BH Live for running the sessions.”
Even though the initial funding from Sport England has now ended, as a charity, BH Live plans to continue running the subsidised activities to promote better community health.
Viv Galpin, BH Live’s Health and Wellbeing manager, coordinated the programme in conjunction with Sport England. She said:
“It’s so important for women in their 40s and 50s to exercise. During perimenopause and menopause, it’s common for people to lose their confidence. Fear is often one of the biggest factors as it can prevent people from exercising. There’s a worry of looking hot and sweaty, the anxiety of judgement, apprehension about not being fit enough, a concern of hurting themselves or feeling nervous about starting something new. People in their 40s and 50s are often also prioritising other things including family responsibilities and work. Perimenopause and menopause can magnify these feelings further.
“As a team, and being in the age group ourselves, we recognise a lot of these challenges so we wanted to use our knowledge, training and expertise to help local people get back into physical activity and work towards good mental health.
“To do this we have a big focus on having fun. Beat the Pause is all about meeting like–minded others in small groups. There’s no judgement in our sessions, there’s lots of support, and a real sororal atmosphere, recognising symptoms and building each other back up again. We have a Beat the Pause Facebook group and regularly share useful information with links to reading, TV programmes, healthy tips, publicising events and sessions, and sharing experiences.
“Our Get Ready Run group continues to meet regularly. Some smaller groups are also now meeting up socially after making connections with new friends.
“Some participants have built up enough confidence to take out a BH Live Active membership at Littledown now they realise coming to a gym isn’t as scary as they thought. People are still regularly forest bathing. Some have even bought paddleboards and are continuing to learn.”
Three regular weekly fitness classes are continuing to run every week across Kinson, Southbourne & Christchurch.
Cllr Jane Kelly, BCP Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Health and Communities adds,
“It’s so good to hear about the fantastic effects that taking part in activities during the Beat the Pause pilot has had on these ladies! Health and wellbeing are so important to everyone and being able to confront health challenges and overcome them has a massive impact on how we feel about ourselves and on good relationships with family and friends.
“I want to congratulate all the women taking part in the programme and wish them all the best for the future.
“Huge thanks to the funders, to BH Live and the staff leading the sessions. It will be wonderful to hear that the programme can continue and help more local people to take part and improve their fitness and stamina.’’
For more information and to book email BH Live at communityclasses@bhlive.org.uk.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
Photo-caption: Local participants of Beat the Pause.
Beat the Pause exercise classes take place at:
- Kinson – St Andrews Church Hall Thursday 6pm
- Southbourne – Beaufort Community Centre Mondays 6.15pm
- Christchurch – The Hall on the Hill, St Catherine’s Hill – Wednesday at 9.30am
Classes are £3.50 per session
For more information and to book – communityclasses@bhlive.org.uk
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Elizabeth Symmons, PR, Communications and Marketing Manager
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
T: (01202) 055562
About BH Live
BH Live is a leading operator of leisure and event venues; a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
Across Dorset, BH Live runs local leisure centres and event venues in partnership with BCP Council.
Our social objectives are to:
- Encourage more people to take part in physical activity– by providing leisure facilities to encourage active communities and improve health and wellbeing.
- Attract bigger entertainment audiences– with a diverse range of cultural and artistic events that appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
- Deliver economic benefit– by hosting major conferences, exhibitions and events that benefit the local, regional and international economy.
With more than five million visits a year we are changing lives and are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us:
LinkedIn and Twitter @BHLIVE_UK
Facebook @SocialEnterpriseBHLive
BH Live is a leisure and cultural trust, established in 2010 as a ‘non-profit distributing organisation’ (NPDO) for public benefit to promote participation in leisure and cultural events. BH Live is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity. Charity No: 1138311. Company No: 07092112. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. BH Live (Enterprises) Ltd, is a Private Company Limited by Shares and a wholly owned subsidiary of BH Live. Company No: 07175626. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. Registered Office: Bournemouth International Centre, Exeter Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5BH. Registered in England and Wales.
About National Lottery
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About Sport England
Sport England is a public body and invests up to £300 million in National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sports.
It wants everyone in England, regardless of age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to engage in sports and physical activity. That’s why a lot of its work is specifically focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active – like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes.