Zest Physical Activity Referral Scheme.

Zest Physical Activity Referral Scheme is a community based scheme based in our friendly down to earth centre. In our centre you will find:

• Library
• Café
• Swimming pool with excellent disabled access
• Gym
• Exercise classes
• Other health services and community groups

We are very proud of our non intimidating environment, friendly atmosphere and professional staff.

Once we have received your referral we will book an appointment with you to see one of our qualified Exercise Referral instructors.

During this appointment we will discuss the reason for your referral and discuss the best type of activity for you. Everybody is different! What might work for one person may not necessarily work for the other. We are committed to developing the best physical activity programme for you.

Below are some of the services we offer, you may decide to do a combination of these things or simply choose one e.g swimming.

What we can offer  -  Cardiac Rehabilitation  

Gym sessions (for Cardiac Rehabilitation):

Every Tuesday we have our Cardiac Rehabilitation only session in the gym. This provides a friendly atmosphere with people in similar situations to your own. We also run gym sessions for Cardiac Rehabilitation patient’s at a number of sessions during the week, all of which are supervised by a qualified Cardiac Rehabilitation instructor

Group circuit sessions (for Cardiac Rehabilitation):

Every Wed at 12:30pm we have a circuit session. This gives you the opportunity to vary the type of exercise you are doing as well as keeping it interesting. Alternatively it means that there is a different type of exercise available to those who may not enjoy the gym setting. This is particularly good for those with mobility issues or those lacking in confidence/motivation. There is a huge social aspect to our Cardiac Rehabilitation circuit; we have hot drinks afterwards which gives you the opportunity to have a chat with the Cardiac Rehabilitation instructor and others who have been through similar experiences. 

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is gentle exercise that is good for relaxation, co-ordination, strengthening and balance. Our Tai Chi class at Zest is taught by a specialist Tai Chi instructor who has trained specifically for Tai Chi and arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, falls prevention, osteoporosis and back pain. The classes are tailored to those who attend and their specific health conditions.

Warm water swimming / aerobics / disabled sessions

Here at Zest we keep our pool water warmer due to our high percentage of disabled users. We have a low gradient sloping ramp into the pool as well as a DDA compliant hoist into the water, ideal for wheelchair access or for those who struggle to access a pool using the ladders found in most public pools. We offer aqua aerobics which is a fantastic way of doing aerobic exercise whilst putting minimal stress on the joints.

Gym programmes

All gym programmes are written on a 1-1 basis, the referral instructor will go round and set a programme specifically for you based on the reason for your referral, many pieces of gym equipment are particularly good for those with mobility issues including the Power Plate which has been proven to be beneficial for gaining muscular strength without taking the joint through a range of movements, which can help those with limited mobility. It also improves flexibility and circulation.

During our gym programmes you may not even use any of our gym equipment, we often design programmes that are chair based or exercises that don’t require any equipment at all! It will all be aimed at your own level, starting off gently and progression is made at the individual’s pace. You will be highly supported throughout your programme with regular re-assessment appointments and constant supervision from highly qualified gym staff, there to help you.

Obesity /diabetes referrals 

Gym programme (with an obesity and diabetes exercise specialist)

All gym programmes are written on a 1-1 basis, the referral instructor will go round and set a programme specifically for the patient based on the reason for referral, we have many pieces of gym equipment which are particularly good for those with mobility issues including the Power Plate.

Chair aerobics

Safe and effective exercise all done from a seated position. This can improve strength, mobility and flexibility, perfect for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility. Some people prefer to exercise as a group; it is a good opportunity for socialising and getting to know people here at Zest.

Details and times of all of the above can be found within our website or speak to a member of our friendly reception team.