Well-being activities in Leeds. Take a fresh look at keeping healthy and happy, and having fun!
Well-being means something different to all of us, but chances are, if you think wellbeing, you think of activities like yoga, meditation, getting enough sleep or staying hydrated?
Well I’ve got news for you, well-being doesn’t have to be holier than thou, it can be loud and noisy and best of all fun!
To give you some ideas I’ve searched high and low and compiled a list of some well-being activities in Leeds that might just surprise you.
Splash it out - Swimfinity
Swimming in the great outdoors seems to be the go-to wellbeing activity of the moment, and for good reason! It is said to benefit depression and improve all sorts of symptoms from menopause to high blood pressure, so it’s no wonder that people are taking to the water in their hundreds.
If you’re swim-curious, but you’re not sure where to start, or if you want to work on your swim skills to feel more confident, then take a look at what Leeds-based Swimfinity have to offer. Claire is passionate about getting women of all ages into the water, honing their swimming style or splashing out for the first time.
She also works with Love Open Water who have a regular Friday and Saturday morning dips and swims at Leeds Dock!
Kit – Swimsuit & towel, other equipment is available to hire where needed.
Cost – Saturday morning with Love Open Water Leeds Dock session is £6. Swimfinity sessions range in price.
Commitment – Claire can offer a swimfinity program for beginners or improvers, how many sessions is up to you.
Electrify yourself – Feel Electric EMS
This is a whole new approach to exercise! If you’re looking to reframe your workout to get the maximum benefit, you’ll be interested to know that Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) delivers the same benefit as a 2 hour HIIT class in just 20 minutes!
More importantly, the team at Feel Electric studios aim to deliver quick results that are more than just physical. To them the mental benefits are just as important, they want to help you engage those wonderful endorphins and get a real sense of inner well-being. Regular users of EMS even report an improvement in posture, balance and sleeping patterns, and all this without spending hours on the treadmill or lifting weights. I’m in!
The sessions are fully guided throughout, with a qualified member of staff taking you through the movements to make sure you’re getting maximum benefit. EMS can be used to target specific areas of the body, to sculpt & tone, or even to speed up injury rehabilitation.
Currently the Leeds studio is in Roundhay, and there is a second studio about to open in Horsforth, so there has never been a better time to turbo-charge your workout and your well-being!
Kit – You just need gym kit, Feel Electric supply the rest
Cost – Free trials are available, book online
Commitment – A 13 week course is available to really see results.
Shake it out - TRE®
You may not have heard of TRE (tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) but if you are looking for a simple stress management tool that calms your responses to stress, tension or trauma, one of the newest well-being activities in Leeds, TRE® may be worth exploring.
TRE practitioner Kate operates at the Align centre in Horsforth, offering private or group sessions. In the sessions, Kate guides you through an innovative series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. Created by Dr. David Berceli, PhD, TRE safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system.
Now this may sound strange, but the exercises make you shake, and the shaking releases deep, chronic tension held in the muscles. The practice is recommended for overcoming emotional stress, PTSD and childhood trauma, but even if you don’t suffer with any of these the sessions can leave you with a deep sense of calm. I know I always finished a session at least 5 notches lower on the stress-o-meter. This stuff is for real!
If you want something a little bit more than yoga or meditation, this could be the answer. Contact Kate via her website, link below
Kit – None required, I found my gym kit was very comfortable for the sessions
Cost – Group sessions start at £15 for 75 minutes
Commitment – TRE® is designed to be a self-help tool that, once learned, can be used independently. Kate’s aim is to teach you the fundamentals so that you can continue to practice whenever you need it.
Take to the open road – GOAT Roadtrip
Have you ever dreamed of just packing a bag, throwing it in the back of the camper and just heading off?
Except you don’t have a camper?
Or are you like me and you’d love to buy a camper, but you’d like to try the idea before you take the plunge?
Look no further – GOAT Roadtrip in Kirkstall supply rental camper vans in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some sleep up to 6 people, so lots of room to bring everyone along. If you’re excited about the idea but not sure where to start with the planning, don’t worry, they’ve got that covered too! They’ve pulled together roadtrip guides and planned routes in different areas of the UK and they even arrange the campsite bookings for you.
Getting out into nature and clearing your head has never been easier.
Kit – Some kitchen equipment and bedding is required but you can add that to your hire package if you need to.
Cost – Off-peak long weekends start at £330
Commitment – 3 night is the minimum hire
Revisit your childhood – Roller Girl Gang
How much fun did you have on your skates as a child? The wind in your hair, the breeze on your face, racing down the tarmac, it was joy on a different level!
Now it’s so easy to recapture that with Mel and the Roller Girl Gang. Roller Girl Gang has gone from strength to strength, bringing roller disco to the Leeds faithful.
If you’re thinking of taking to skates for the first time or you want to revisit some of that youthful glee, Mel will be able to help. Take a look at the timetable, there is a class to suit everyone, beginners, families, even private tuition. You can join the gang every Monday evening to improve your footwork and strut your funky stuff at the Roller Dance session at the Sikh Centre on Chapeltown Road. This has got to be one of the most fun activities in Leeds to help boost your well-being!
Kit – Skates available for hire for some sessions, but be sure to check in advance. If you’re in the market to buy your own skates check out the Roller Girl Gang store in the Corn Exchange
Cost – Roller Dance tickets £10
Commitment – None, book sessions as you go along
Hang Loose – Leeds Aerial Arts
Leeds Aerial Arts is a wonderful way to have fun, to lose yourself in the moment and connect with your body on a whole new level.
At their fantastic, fully kitted out studio in Kirkstall they offer several options, hanging out on the aerial hoops, or glamorously dangling on red silks as well as handstands, stretch and aerial yoga.
With private lessons and group sessions, Lorna and the team aim to ‘inspire women to step out of their comfort zone and realise just what they are capable of’. They believe that developing your skills on the silks or hoops empowers you to have more courage, confidence, and strength in every area of life, and I agree! New for this year, there’s the Intro to Trapeze, which sounds thrilling, yet scary. I must give it a try!
After just one session on the hoops, I walked out feeling exhilarated, with a sense that I had really achieved something. I recommend it wholeheartedly, and it’s a great mother/daughter activity. My 18-year-old daughter loved the hoops and she’s planning to try the silks soon!
If you’re interested but you’d like to know what to expect, check out the website, link below, there are lots of videos and tutorials available on there.
Kit – Gym gear is perfect
Cost – Aerial sessions are £15, floor classes £7
Commitment – One off sessions are available, but you will get most benefit from regular practice
The Good Hour – Lush Spa
A more traditional approach to wellbeing here, The Good Hour is a firm and relaxing full body massage with trigger pointing techniques to relieve muscular tension. As you would expect from LUSH, they use only cruelty-free products in the Lush Spa, one of Leeds city centre’s best kept secrets!
The real beauty of the Good Hour is the setting! You are transported through sea mist to a ships quarters, where a sea shanty accompanies your massage. It really is another world entirely, with all the bustling activity of the Leeds city centre store above, but totally unheard and forgotten.
Your massage is followed by a cup of tea with ships biscuits! So cute, and the perfect antidote to a days shopping. The ‘ships quarters’ is equipped for two, it’s a great treat for a couples massage.
Kit – None needed, you undress in private, down to your underwear and snuggle under a cosy towel
Cost – the 70 minute Good Hour is £110
Commitment – None, but be warned, it’s addictive!
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