Starting a fitness regime can be daunting at the best of times – but when you’re suffering from chronic illness, walking into a gym can feel even more intimidating.
Now a Tayside charity is working to change this by providing tailored exercise classes for patients, including those with cancer – one of the first programmes of its kind in Scotland.
Xrcize has been running the initiatives for around a year and currently has over 60 service users in Dundee, Perth and Monifieth, with scope for expansion.
Founder Valerie Duguid, a clinical exercise specialist, said: “There is a widespread belief that people with cancer and other chronic illnesses can’t exercise, but in fact exercise is very important and beneficial for recovery and wellbeing, both during and after treatment.
“Six or seven years ago people with cancer had difficulties accessing mainstream gyms and exercise classes – in fact one of our previous board members was refused access to a walking group.
“That led us to look at what we can do to change this.
“Xrcize aims to offer classes to people with all long term chronic illnesses.
“At the moment we’re focusing on cancer but by the end of this year we hope to have a diabetes exercise classes in Dundee and Perth.”
Valerie explained that the classes are safe spaces and are held away from the eyes of the general public, so that service users can feel more relaxed.
She added: “If you have cancer for example, and you’re in a mainstream class, you might not want to have to keep explaining that you’re ill and that you’re struggling to keep up.
“Also, many women wear a wig if they’ve lost their hair due to cancer treatment, and exercising in a wig is really uncomfortable.
“But they might not want to take it off in front of everybody, so being in a group where everyone else has cancer makes this easier.
“It is also difficult to find instructors who are qualified to take people with illnesses in their class, as this is a very new area.”
No referral is needed to join the Xrcize classes and service users can come and go as they please.
The service is also free of charge, although donations are welcomed.
Classes run on Mondays at 11.15am in the Apex Hotel, Dundee, Tuesdays at 1pm in Letham St Mark’s Church, Perth, and Wednesdays at 10.30am in the Lodge in Dalhouse Street, Monifieth.
For more information, e-mail xrcize@mail.com.
