From yoga to boxing Stockland raises the bar with free fitness initiatives for all ages

Stockland is leading the charge for creating healthy communities in Melbourne with free outdoor fitness sessions which have helped residents shed more than 300 kilograms in 12 months.

The free sessions are just part of a range of activities and exercise-focussed initiatives that form the foundations of every Stockland community, encouraging residents to lead healthy, active lifestyles.

Residents and visitors are invited to join in the outdoor exercise program coordinated Live Life Get Active, which offers daily 45-minute sessions of boxing, cross training and yoga, with participants also able to access handy information on health and nutrition.

The classes are being held each weekday during the school term in communities at Highlands in Craigieburn and Cloverton at Kalkallo.

James Westh, Project Director at Stockland, said Highlands also hosted a free parkrun every Saturday morning, in addition to featuring 21 kilometres of walking trails and a total of 696,000 square metres dedicated to recreational and sports land within the community.

Cloverton will ultimately have 17 local parks, one city park, and 46 hectares of sporting fields including five sports precincts.

“Health and wellbeing is important to our residents which is why we encourage active lifestyles in the design of our masterplanned communities,’’ Mr Westh said.

“Stockland is a leader in community creation and through our focus on creating highly liveable, sustainable communities we are putting initiatives in place now that will benefit generations to come.

“All of our communities throughout Melbourne have been designed to include a network of cycling and walking paths to encourage health and fitness, and all homes are located within walking distance of a park and playground.’’

According to the national 2018 Stockland Liveability Survey, 86 per cent of residents agree that health and fitness is an important part of their lives.

More than 200 participants are actively involved in the Live Life Get Active sessions at Highlands and Cloverton, shedding a total of more than 340 centimetres from their waistlines in the space of a year.

Amanda King, Chief Executive Officer of Live Life Get Active, said that the daily sessions were designed to be fun and were attracting people of all ages and fitness levels.

“Live Life Get Active was set up to improve the fitness, health and happiness of communities across Australia, with a specific objective to address issues such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, mental health and illness recovery,’’ Ms King said.

“The sessions are popular because they offer a variety of exercises as well as an opportunity to meet new people in a welcoming environment.

“Together with easy-to-follow video recipes and budget guidelines, we provide people with a free nutrition plan that makes meal preparation fun and easy.’’

Anyone interested in taking part in the program can register online at www.livelifegetactive.com and start booking sessions.

To find out more about Stockland’s Victorian communities, visit the Sales and Information Centre at your chosen community, call 13 5263, or go to www.stockland.com.au/vic.