Health experts say the best exercise is whatever exercise you’ll actually do.
For some people that’s taking their dog for a walk every day, for others it’s running a half marathon. But for a growing group of Noosa locals it’s roller skating. They’re getting their endorphin hit and burning calories by roller skating at the Noosa Leisure Centre.
Noosa hairdresser Tanya was looking for a way to stay fit and have fun when she decided to take up roller skating again, a hobby she’d enjoyed as a teenager. But kids, work and the general busyness of life meant she hadn’t skated in years.
In 2015 she asked her family to buy her a pair of roller skates for Christmas. She found it was like riding a bike and in no time, she was skating around her neighborhood a couple of days a week.
But she soon discovered skating on uneven pavements was risky, and even carparks that were empty on Sundays in her youth were no longer an option as they are full of cars seven days a week these days. After hitting a gum nut and injuring herself, she knew she needed to find a safer option.
Enter Cathy and her team at the Noosa Leisure Centre which has an indoor stadium with huge, smooth, timber floors. Tanya and Cathy put their heads together and started a fortnightly roller skating group where Noosa locals could roller skate in a safe, indoor space, have fun and get fit at the same time.
“We found that roller skating was becoming really popular again and that the idea of skating inside where it’s warm in winter and cool in summer really appealed to people. We have men and women and a range of ages,” said Tanya. “I think the most senior skater was 84 years old which is amazing!”
The group meets every second Sunday from 1-3pm and pays $12 each for two hours of skating. You can even hire roller skates if you don’t have your own pair.
“People are surprised to learn what a great core and cardio workout it is,” said Cathy, Noosa Leisure Centre coordinator.
“They come to have fun but they find that it’s great for their overall fitness and mental health. With so many new residents to the Coast, it’s also a fun way to meet new people and make friends,” she said.
Keen to try roller skating? Contact the NLC on 5329 6550 or visit their website at noosaleisurecentre.com.au/whats-on-at-the-noosa-leisure-centre
