Burning off the calories

RELATED LINKS: Fitness and Gyms THERE are two major gym groups in Johannesburg - Virgin Active and Planet Fitness. Both offer excellent facilities and stay open long hours, for those early bird or late-night fitness fanatics. There are a number of privately owned gyms and smaller chains. Read more Kickboxing glory at Diepsloot Gym A HUMBLE gym in the poverty-stricken township of Diepsloot is home to some of South Africa's up-and-coming kickboxing stars. Read more Facelift on cards for Pimville sports complex FUNDS have been set aside to renovate and upgrade the Pimville Community Centre and Clubhouse. The main focus will be on tightening security to stop vandalism at the sites, where windows, fences and fixtures have been broken. Read more

Instructors get into the groove

Aerobics keeps Riverlea in shape Regular three-hour aerobics and tae-bo classes keep residents of Joburg’s southern suburbs in shape. A success in Riverlea, the wellness programme is being taken to Soweto next. October 1, 2007 By Tabisa Mntengwana EVERY fortnight, men, women and children gather in the south of Joburg for a three-hour tae-bo and aerobics marathon. The keep fit sessions are part of a wellness programme organised by the Riverlea Gym, which hosted an aerobics session on 22 September at Riverlea Community Hall. Fitness trainer Derrick Lewis began the programme after he realised that Riverlea was infested with gangsters, criminals and drug addicts. "I felt that I should make a difference in the community by starting a gym and wellness programme," he explains. An aerobics session at the Riverlea Community Hall "The programme is also set to give awareness of HIV and Aids, healthy living and eating." He invites fitness trainers from local gyms, including Virgin Active and Planet Fitness, to teach the classes. At Saturday’s session, about 60 men, women and children kicked off with a 10-minute warm up, while background music set the tone. Things started heating up when instructor Enoch Langa got on stage. Langa specialises in tae-bo and he took the participants through their paces with some exercises from American tae-bo expert Billy Blanks. The class catered to beginners and advanced, with participants hailing from Soweto, Riverlea, Horseshoe, Florida, and Southdale, among other areas. "Through this programme many youngsters have changed their way of living and started committing themselves and staying healthy," Lewis says. Langa adds: "The aerobics marathons will help these young people to be better people in the future." The Riverlea Gym was opened in 2006 with a membership of about 10 people and limited resources. "Now the gym boasts various exercise equipment and we train more than 25 people a day," Lewis adds. There is a once-off fee of R90 to join the gym, and monthly membership fees are R40. But Lewis has plans to extend his programme. "I feel that my efforts have reached so many youngsters in our areas … we are also targeting other areas, like Soweto," he says, adding that the next aerobics marathon will be held in Dobsonville on Saturday, 6 October. The venue has not yet been finalised. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za