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Class planning. The eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Armistice Day, the end to the First World War when we remember all those who gave their lives in service to their country since 1914. My alarm was set for 10.50 my music was ready to 'wind down'. I connected my phone to my speaker, and at 10.59 we will sat or stood, heads bowed, as silence descended, a silence like no other. In the 25 years I have been teaching every class has a connection to November 11th, from code breakers to the land army, parents, brothers and sisters, great uncles and great nephews, nieces, grand parents. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them,” (Laurence Binyon)  If we look back, personal trainers, keep fit teachers, and exercise teachers are qualified through a variety of organisations. But some were better than others.
There have been many attempts to professionalise 'what we do', and on September 10th, CIMSPA's Professional Status went live, and I got a shiny new 'Digital Badge' (click here) that displays my 'professional standard'. What is it? It is an evidence-based 'classification' based on qualifications according to experience as well as qualifications. It recognises the specific competencies and knowledge of sport and physical activity professionals. We, the practitioners, gain professional status by evidencing our endorsed training and CPD following a structured pathway, allowing progression from entry-level roles to management and leadership positions, and even to chartered recognition. Who gives CIMSPA permission to do this? CIMSPA is the Chartered Institute of Sport and Physical Activity, and is the professional development body for the UK sport and physical activity sector workforce. If you want to know more, then click here: https://www.cimspa.co.uk/professional-status-and-recognition-whats-it-all-about/ Hello! Sorry I have been away for so long. I am here...just doing stuff...like online CPD and watering the flowers and counting the bees! I have also worked out the class dates until CHRISTMAS! BUT...the nicest piece of news was celebrating the Monday class birthday- 20 years of joyous exercise and songs! I can't promise to post more, too busy doing stuff in 'real life!'
Spring is on the way which means the birds are my alarm clock!
It also means I begin the day with an early morning wander around the garden. Yesterday I dug up a bush that was in the wrong place and re-arranged the pots. I have visited every garden centre and picked up some plants for early colour. Wallflowers have been ordered and seeds bought and cosmos seeds have germinated! So, when I arrive at class with garden fingernails you will know that I have been digging about in the ground, re-potting or weeding and enjoying the birdsong!  Who would have known that so much activity would have arisen from so much sitting down! I am astonished that the 'bright idea' that I had all those years ago has been picked up and taken forwards by so many- including the fabulous Angela Rippon. My work is but just one small cog in a huge project, but I am exceptionally proud to be that one small cog surrounded by the many important parts that make up 'Let's Dance'. We wanted a day for dance- but had been told it was practically impossible to organise a National Day for dance- but Angela Rippon did it! And so, the week before the biggest dance event we could have ever dreamed of, I am preparing my own local classes- nothing huge- just a celebration of 'what we do' and the fun, friendship- and health benefits that dancing and moving together brings us.
 Will she be wearing her chain?
Will she be carrying her sword? Yes to both. Thank you to Annie Brewster JP for joining us, it was a joyous visit, and a joyous hoop class. 'Can I still come to your class when I am 99?' asked one of my ladies. Of course. The following year she asked if she could come when she was 100...and today we celebrated her 101st birthday! It just so happens that today a participant (in her late 90's) returned after several weeks of recuperation after a very nasty fall. The ladies are a bit camera shy, and not dressed for a photo, but were happy to share a hand of friendship- as that is what the class is all about!  Let's Dance! Way back in November 2018, at Dr Ann Hutchinson Guest 100th birthday hosted by the Language of dance, I had a chat with Angela Rippon, and told her that I encourage the ladies in my classes to imagine they have Angela Rippon legs! Click here to see the clip. That made her smile. Scroll forwards and thanks to her enthusiasm we are now working towards good health and feeling better through dance. A lot will be happening on and around the week of 2nd March 2025, but keep my class dates in you diary as they will be a bit special! Click here to hear with Angela has to say.  Thank you to my Wednesday classes for giving me the 'day off' (the classes will be made up later in the term) to attend the CIMSPA AGM. AGMs are really important, not just to receive the accounts and hear about past and future plans but also to ask questions and network. This was my first time in front of the 'live webinar camera'. Being live streamed into strangers homes and offices was a huge learning experience, and a bit different to attending a meeting on Zoom from the box bedroom! Sitting still for so long, trying to blend into the background, is not as easy as it looks, especially as we were surrounded by branded banners, which made the small space quite warm. Thankfully, someone rescued us with cold bottles of water. I knew I could relax when I could see we had been taken off of view, and I was able to scratch the itch I had been trying so hard to ignore and then sitting 'up' as beautifully as I could when we returned 'on-screen' - not easy on a high stool when your feet can't reach the footrest. I thought there would be a whole IT department to stream the event, but it was just one person and a camera (a good one) connected to a huge screen (a good one) managed via a standard laptop. It was just like a teacher might use to deliver an online class but with higher specifications! From where I was sitting, I could see the 'team' dive into laptops to manage the meeting, counting the members to ensure a quorum was reached and managing the questions. Next time you receive an invitation to an AGM, please consider attending before deciding to deep-file the invitation. It might give you more insight than you think. If you are on LinkedIn you read my post AGM post here I was asked to do a 30 second piece to camera (thank you to my Wednesday morning class for their inspirational words) and that can be found here The school holidays are coming to an end. The garden has been looking so lovely and my husband remembered to water the pots while I was away, so I came home to a kaleidoscope of colour and not shades of brown. My week away (Norwegian cruise) was just what the doctor ordered. Norway was beautiful, and we had blue sky every port day and just 10 minutes of rain! You either love or hate sea days (we had just two) and you need to be super organised to allocate several consecutive hours to relaxing and have strong will power to keep away from the cocktails and cakes! There is nothing quite like watching your favourite film under the stars snuggled under several blankets with a hot chocolate and popcorn. However and wherever you spent your summer day, pottering about in the garden, strolling around the park exploring or having a mad adventure- with ice creams or scones, I hope you see everyone back at class sometime soon.
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Exercise With TracyEXTEND Exercise and Medau Movement teacher. Keeping the muscles working, the joints mobile and having fun! Archives
November 2025
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