Healthy Living Brochure (Click Image)
The Club History
The Indian Gymkhana Club, founded in 1916, is the largest and longest-standing Asian Sports Club in the United Kingdom.
The IGC Ltd is open to members of all races and religions. The message the Club sent when it celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1966 was that it aimed to become a multi-racial centre where old and young alike could meet to play sports, fostering goodwill between people across generations. It runs three sports sections (Hockey, Cricket and Football), all of which provide both adult and youth coaching.
The club is on privately-owned grounds in Osterley, West London. It is conveniently located five minutes from Osterley tube station (on the Piccadilly line) in Hounslow, London. It also has an entertainment hall (with a 400-person capacity) with a fully-licensed bar, separate members bar and a fully air-conditioned restaurant serving the finest Indian food.
The Healthy Living and Wellbeing Project
Since 2004, the Club has hosted Healthy Living fitness classes for people over the age of 50. This Project was born out of the combination of three major considerations that neatly dovetailed:
• Two club members who were over 50 suffered from strokes and their doctors advised them to participate in a regular exercise program. However, there were no such programs available in the community for them to join for long-term aftercare
• The Indian Gymkhana Club was interested in opening up its facilities for the community's general use
• Central government policies were strongly promoting partnerships between health and local social service authorities.
An opportunity arose in 2004 when Hounslow Social Services became interested in starting a project to help the elderly live healthily. A proposal was made to offer regular exercise classes at the Indian Gymkhana Club for this age group, and the program commenced immediately.
Objective
The broad objective of the Project is to provide the over 50 population of the London Borough of Hounslow with regular physical activity through structured exercise sessions.
The aims of the Project are to:
• Create access to physical activities for Hounslow over 50s. Living an active lifestyle is critical to general health in this age group, yet facilities for this are scarce;
• Improve and enhance wellbeing for over 50s in a relaxed, safe and supportive community environment;
• Promote healthy lifestyles, particularly focusing on over 50s with medical conditions. Priority is given to people discharged from hospitals such as post-stroke and heart-condition patients;
• Provide targeted exercise sessions for people experiencing other ailments including back pain, stress, high blood pressure and other conditions;
• Provide over 50s with the means to pursue better health, fitness, aftercare and rehabilitation in a social atmosphere;
• Improve the quality of life for retirees in the community to ensure that their minds and bodies stay active, preventing the onset of other conditions such as depression;
• Improve the social lives of over 50s while positively contributing to their physical health.
Current Activities
• Yoga
• Power walking
• Body conditioning
• Chair-based exercises
Our Instructors
Saroj Vadgama: ‘I am yoga instructor and have been teaching for the last five years. I qualified at Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre and have been teaching at community centres, fitness clubs, etc.
I am pleased to be part of the Indian Gymkhana team and enjoy teaching mature students who benefit tremendously through reducing stress, anxiety and worry. Our classes also help to alleviate insomnia and depression, and increase students’ confidence to cope with life generally through interaction with others. We also place a special emphasis on the importance of diet’.
Rashmi Meswani: ‘The yoga classes at the Indian Gymkhana were started as part of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Project for the 50+ age group. The goal of the classes is to encourage people to adopt yoga as a way of life to remain fit, healthy, stress free and happy.
The classes have been running for a few years now and have grown by leaps and bounds. I remember walking into the first class with just two people attending the first session. Since then there has been no looking back; now we have about thirty to forty people in every class. We have a lovely group of people from various backgrounds, cultures and abilities who enthusiastically look forward to attending the yoga class every Tuesday’.
[Mrs. Rashmi holds a Teaching Diploma from the British Wheel of Yoga and a Teacher’s Training Certificate from The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India.]
Peter Willmott: ‘I am a fitness instructor who has worked in the industry for the last fifteen years. My qualification includes Exercise to Music, Fitness Walking, Body Conditioning and Stretch. It has been my pleasure to work for the Healthy Living Project since its inception. It has been wonderful to see so many people come to us and watch how they have obtained a quality of life through exercise. Individuals have shown remarkable determination in trying to achieve their personal fitness goals. As an instructor I am grateful and honoured to have been part of this journey for them’.
Joanna Poynter: ‘A colleague and I have been visiting the Indian Gymkhana for regular monthly sessions since 2005 to help raise awareness of blood pressure and its associated problems, and to offer advice on healthy living. By so doing, members learn about the physical and mental benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.
We have monitored members' blood pressure and weight during this period and identified problems requiring input from their General Practitioner. In collaboration with the exercise programs offered at the Gymkhana, there have been some very positive outcomes. Being aware of blood pressure levels and the need to control dietary intake, weight loss and lowered blood pressure has been achieved by several club members. Members have also spoken of low mood improving, a reduced number of visits to their doctor and new friendships developing. We feel the Indian Gymkhana offers a valuable service to the wellbeing of older people in the community’.
Members
The Healthy Living and Wellbeing Project members come from diverse backgrounds and speak a variety of first languages (for instance Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, East European languages and Sri Lankan languages). There are no language barriers, however, as the sessions are all conducted in English and all ethnic groups are welcome to participate in the classes. If instructors are able to provide extra explanations in other languages for participants requiring additional help, they may do so. However, English is the primary language of all the classes.
A review of the Project was held at the beginning of 2009 due to the high demand for classes. It was determined that the Monday class, which was a stretch and relax session, could be split into two body conditioning classes: one for people who require gentle chair-based exercises and another for more able and active members. This recommendation was incorporated and as a result has provided members with more targeted classes, allowing the physically-constrained members to receive greater attention in the chair-based classes.
Classes conform to a strict schedule with a clear start time. Each class runs for 45 minutes and they are all running at full capacity.
Survey Report 2008
A recent member survey indicates that there is more demand for the Project from the over 60 population, particularly those in the 65-75 age category. Therefore the Project will cater future activities more to this group of over 60s (rather than over 50) since these members seem to benefit the most from the program.
The following results and themes were obtained from a survey of members attending:
[Please read notes at the end of this document]
Member’s Comments
‘I live in Osterley. I came to know of this organisation through a monthly magazine circulated by the Hounslow Council. I joined about two years ago. Since then, I have been attending most sessions on regular basis. I found the person in charge welcoming and helpful. All sessions are attended by both men and women, white, black and Asian. This organisation is popular due to its positive effect on a person’s health and wellbeing. Personally, I can say with confidence that sessions such as yoga, body conditioning, relaxation, etc., have greatly improved my posture and mobility. Tutors are very understanding, knowledgeable and encourage us to do our best.
The monthly blood pressure checks and weight checks available are also useful. Any irregularities can be picked up at an early stage.
Both the indoor and outdoor facilities are good at the Indian Gymkhana. It is centrally located and well served by public transport.
Health experts advise men and women who are 50+ to be more active. This organisation helps people to achieve just that. The Council has supported this excellent cause in the past and I hope it will continue “to promote good health in the borough” through this organisation in the future as we need more sessions’.
—Mrs. Harjit Kaur Gill
‘I joined the exercise club at the Indian Gymkhana about three months ago and attend three times a week. I needed to get myself fitter, reduce weight and get myself into a proper exercise routine.
I have seen a marked drop in my weight since I joined and I find myself much fitter and healthier as a result of the exercises I do at the club and the yoga classes I attend.
The staff and the organisers of this exercise club are doing a wonderful job and I appreciate all their hard work and effort’.
—Mrs. Ishrat Syed
Additional comments from the Survey Report 2008:
—‘I am looking forward to the next class’.
—‘These exercise classes are a blessing in disguise. Keep up the good work’.
—‘The teachers are lively, jolly, friendly and knowledgeable’.
—‘I enjoy the exercise classes two days a week, but the yoga mats should be cleaned twice a year’.
Conclusion
The four years' experience of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Project for Hounslow over 50s has provided evidence of the importance of exercise programs for mature community members and is a testament to their popularity. The Project offers three levels of benefits:
- At an Individual level it assists the recovery of people who already suffer from medical conditions and require rehabilitation, and it serves as a preventative measure for the preservation of health - both physical and mental - of older adults
- At a societal level it helps build stronger community linkages and helps families to cope with aging relatives
- At the governmental level it aids by improving overall health and fitness for over 50s, thereby reducing medical expenses, which ultimately reduces the burden on government health and social resources.
For further information, please contact
Mrs. Smita Patel, Indian Gymkhana Club
Thornbury Avenue, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 4NQ