Building More than Muscle: How the Gym Builds Community and Connections

We have some big news that we are very excited to share…we now have a dedicated gym space for our participants!

This is a huge milestone for us as it provides tremendous growth potential for not only the business, but our clients.

OVERCOMING ISOLATION…

Typically, when people think of the gym, they picture lifting weights, running on the treadmill or doing dynamic activities like jumping jacks to get a sweat on!

But a very important and often overlooked benefit of accessing a gym is the social value that it delivers, especially to those with disabilities.

According to the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, 19% of people with disabilities aged 15-64 experienced social isolation (more than double the rate of people without disabilities). Furthermore, people with intellectual disabilities are 2.8 times more likely to experience feelings of loneliness than members of the public without a disability.

These statistics highlight the importance of inclusive community settings such as gyms, which can play a significant role in reducing feelings of isolation.

FLEXING OUR SOCIAL MUSCLES…

A positive feature of the new Bright Wellness gym is that we can utilise our space to accommodate a small number of participants training at the same time.

My hope is that the gym will bring like-minded participants together and be a catalyst for new relationships.

In the gym space, we will be able to cheer on our peers during their workouts and provide encouragement when others may be feeling down. There will be opportunities to take breaks within our workouts and chat to each other about how much we dislike burpees! After all, there is something bonding about sharing the exercise experience.

These shared experiences are gold for people who might struggle navigating traditional social settings.

The time spent in the gym will allow our participants to practice socialising in a safe, non-judgemental environment and be somewhere they can build their social confidence.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS…

My pledge to our customers present and future is that our new gym space will be built with community as the central pillar - a place where our participants feel a sense of belonging.

Want to know more about our new gym or our services? Please reach out – we’d love to have a chat with you about what we are building.

Sources:

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-17936-w?