Group dynamics spark fitness fun

Amber by Living Gems’ local resident and hole-in-one golf champion Marjie Graham, enjoys her bi-weekly chance to get physical with a group of vibrant residents who love staying fit.

Marjie couldn’t be prouder of the exercise group she has established at this over-50s lifestyle resort, but she is quick to correct us with a proper name for the group.

“It’s not actually an aerobics class. We call it an over-50s fitness class because we cover so much more than just aerobics,” Marjie tells us.

“We run classes every Monday and Wednesday at 9am for an hour and everyone is welcome, men too.”

Currently, the class consists of up to 20 participants, but the group is very excited about the new Country Club coming soon and cannot wait until they have more room to work out in, as they are currently using the temporary clubhouse on site.

“We have a small temporary clubhouse to use while the proper Country Club is being constructed, but hope the class grows once we have the room,” she says.

Before moving to Amber, Marjie was going to an exercise class on the Gold Coast for several years. She says it provided such a great workout, that she was inspired to replicate a lot of the exercises at the Amber classes.

“I asked my old trainer whether she thought I would suit teaching, and she said absolutely, and gave me some really good pointers on how to put the class together and advised me to find a video on YouTube that had all the exercises on it.” she says.

“I incorporated some warm-up and cool down stretching exercises and then we use the 20-minute video in between,” Marjie tells us.

“We also use 1kg weights in the class, do sit ups and work on our balance and breathing exercises, and everyone is really enjoying it, so the classes have become a real necessity for all of us.”

Marjie has always been very active as her husband Neil is a professional cyclist and has always pushed herself to keep up with him.

“I was a professional golfer and competed a lot, and at 44, I managed to win a hole-in-one title, which means you hit off on a par 3 and get the ball in the hole straight away. I’m very proud of my hole-in-one trophy!” she says.

“I was a member of the Surfers Paradise Golf Club for many years, but still haven’t found a club up here, so I’ll stick to the fitness class.”

Although she has no plans to return to golf, Marjie is keen to try her skills on the golf simulator when the new Country Club opens.

“I’m looking forward to the golf simulator coming to Amber and plan to use that a lot, but our weekly exercise classes are doing the trick and we’re excited about more residents joining us as time goes on.”