Men living in remote Western Australian mining communities are being encouraged to put their own health and wellbeing at the forefront and take precautions to improve their overall mental health and wellbeing, this Men's Health Week.
Two sites in the Pilbara region of WA last week officially launched Les Mills Virtual group fitness classes, an initiative that aims to provide residents with flexible, convenient and accessible workouts at any time of the day.
Men's Health Week highlights the importance of talking about men's health. Research shows that right from the start, boys suffer more illness, more accidents and die earlier than their female counterparts. Men's Health Week directly focuses on improving the environments for boys and men in Australia, which is why an initiative such as virtual group fitness studios in remote mining communities is so innovative.
Les Mills Asia Pacific Australia General Manager Andrew Taylor says the initiative has so far been a success in these villages, and he is glad to be able to provide a flexible service to help people improve and maintain fitness goals and enhance living environments for males in these remote communities.
"Virtual group fitness is a great supplement to live classes, especially for those people like FIFO and shift workers, who can’t necessarily get to a scheduled live class due to their roster," Andrew said.
"It's great to be able to do our part to contribute to enhancing environments for all Australians. Exercise is such an important part of our overall health and wellbeing; it really does impact on our mental wellbeing," Andrew said. Hamish Johnston, National Manager – Health & Recreation Services, says the virtual group fitness initiative is just one way they hope to improve village life and overall health and wellbeing for FIFO workers, particularly males.
"It's very important for us to be able to provide options and outlets for men to talk and do something about their health and wellbeing. Virtual fitness studios provide an additional stress outlet and we're really hoping it will enhance the environment of these communities."
