Taking lighter steps

Sports Instructor Sari Helminen adjusts the leg press resistance at the Tampere Swimming Centre gym.
– How does this feel to you? she asks from a man trying the machine.
– This is my favourite machine! cries out Kauko Rahko.

Rahko, aged 75, has participated in a group exercise class for seniors at the swimming centre three times. On Mondays, there is a gym group and on Fridays, aquatic exercises.
– I still have room for something on Wednesdays, he says, glancing at Helminen.
Helminen proposes a Nordic walking group and walking dates, which she remembers by heart, while holding Rahko back when he suggests a return to the bat games of his youth.

According to Helminen, the idea behind sports counselling is that the instructors are familiar with local opportunities for physical activity. She sees customers at the Tipotie and Hatanpää health stations, and after an initial meeting, often runs into her customers in group exercise classes or other forms of sports instruction. It was also at the Tipotie health station that Helminen met Rahko for the first time in April. At this meeting, they agreed that time would be right for Rahko to start a new hobby in the autumn after some time had passed from changes in Rahko's life in the summer and new sports groups were about to begin.

– A nurse at the Tipotie health station paid good attention and was able to propose sports counselling to me, Helminen says with satisfaction.
Cooperation is important for guiding people to the path of physical activity.
– People who need advice do not go to sports venues to ask for them. They visit health centres, pharmacies and employment services, says Helminen.

Everything is possible in Tampere

Rahko’s goal is to gain more strength and lose some weight.
– And run the Pyynikki 5 K, he says, explaining that he walked the Pyynikki 10 km race in 2017, before being struck by frequent illnesses. In between, there have been times when just 600 metres has been too much.
– For Kauko, the main thing is that he’s motivated and has been thinking about ways to improve his fitness for a long time, Helminen explains.
 
Meeting people is a large part of group exercises.
– It is better to go there than spend time sitting in an armchair and staring at TV shows that don’t interest you, Rahko, who lives alone, smiles.
– When I was walking here, I was thinking that my steps already feel lighter after just a few sessions.

Most sports counselling can be categorised into three groups. There are people about to retire who suddenly end up with a lot of time during the day. Helminen emphasises that this is a critical stage of life and seeking sports services is an excellent solution. The second group consists of those who have just moved to Tampere and are unable to find the most suitable alternative from the wide range of activities offered by the city. The third group includes people who seek or are referred to sports counselling because of an illness. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and depression are typical diseases that can be alleviated by exercise.
– 80 per cent of the customers are over 60 years old, but they also include more and more people of working age. Increasingly young people have musculoskeletal problems, Helminen explains.

Rahko praises the versatile sports activities available in Tampere.
– Everything is possible here, you just have to seize the opportunity. And that’s what I’ve done now, he says.
He has been positively surprised by the sports counselling and groups.
– I have tremendously high expectations for the future.