WalkSmart NI - a combined walking and exercise programme led by a physiotherapist. Pilates classes - Beginner and Improver level What is WalkSmart NI?
If you want to improve your health, fitness and mood - then walking works! If you want to get greater improvements in your fitness and muscle tone and reduce overstrain and injury - then WalkSmart NI works! WalkSmart NI is a unique and innovative series of workshops, that combines advice, tailored exercises and guided walks - all under the instruction of an experienced physiotherapist - with the a
im of improving, not just the quantity of your walking but the quality. The quality of your walking means improving your strength, flexibility, co-ordination, timing and balance to allow you to walk faster, increase your daily step count and - most importantly - avoid overstrain and injury. What is included in the WalkSmart NI workshops?
- Workshops are run in small groups. The workshops include a wealth of information on current walking styles, boosting walking power, how to monitor your improvement and simple exercises to continue at home.
- Workshops include guided walks to put your technique into practice. You can attend the whole series of workshops - or pick and choose the workshop(s) that suit you best. Who is suitable for the WalkSmart NI programme? The WalkSmart NI programme is suitable for anybody who would like to get more out of their walking - whether on the school run; grabbing a walk in your lunch hour or on a bracing weekend walk - by walking smarter, you can make the most of every walk. Who runs the WalkSmart NI programme? The founder and programme lead for WalkSmart NI is Suzie Johnston, a qualified physiotherapist with over 20 years experience in the treatment and management of soft tissue, muscle and joint problems. Suzie has worked as a Physiotherapy Clinical Specialist in England and Northern Ireland and has trained in Pilates with APPI ( The Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute)
' In my experience, there are many reasons why people 'stall' in their attempts to get fitter through walking - they might be troubled by persistent aches and pains; they may lack confidence; they may already be walking but not seeing the changes that they expected in term of fitness or muscle tone - these reasons can cause motivation to wane and the desire to continue walking for fitness fades. I want to provide a fun and informal environment where individuals can learn simple techniques, feel motivated as part of a group and get more out of their walking - so they can manage their aches and pains and prevent further injury and can see better fitness results from their efforts. WalkSmart NI is about making the most of every walk - walk better, walk faster, walk smarter.'
( Suzie Johnston, founder of WalkSmart NI)
Pilates classes in affiliation with WalkSmart NI
WalkSmart NI also offers a series of Pilates classes at both Beginner and Improver level. Pilates is a form of exercise designed to improve your strength, control and body awareness. In affiliation with WalkSmart NI, this Pilates style programme is delivered by an APPI trained Physiotherapist - by using a graded approach to Pilates exercises, the exercises can be tailored to your level of muscle strength and control.
