Free FitSteps Classes

As the country faces tougher Covid restrictions, and many will find their fitness and dance classes cancelled, I wanted to highlight a little gem which has been running since lockdown began back in March.

Many people will be aware of FitSteps, the fitness programme set up by former pros Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe with former Strictly participant Mark Foster.

What you might not know is that Ian Waite has been running free FitSteps classes every Tuesday and Thursday on Instagram and Facebook.

A lot of the pros did excellent work to keep people entertained during lockdown - Oti and Karen's Home Festival of Fun being the best example - but most stopped in June when restrictions were eased.

Ian, however, decided to continue. Many FitSteps instructors have been unable to re-start their classes, and Ian has been there to keep everyone going. I have never been to a FitSteps class personally, as there has never been one convenient for me to get to. I have dabbled with the classes on DVD before. But there is something comforting about attending a virtual class. I love the live element. You can see other names popping up in the chat, so it kind of feels like seeing people you know. I used to walk a lot in the morning to get to work, but working from home has meant I have had to consciously build exercise into my routine.

I prefer to watch on Instagram, as I find the feed is less prone to sticking or being out of sync, but if you want a shout-out, Facebook is the way to go. I think it's Ian's preference and that's the camera he tends to address when he is talking.

The classes are suitable for anyone. The choreography isn't too challenging, and you soon get to know the routines - I definitely notice when Ian goes wrong changes something. Like with any fitness class, they are as challenging or easy as you make them, depending on how much effort you put in. My favourites are the quickstep for cardio and the paso for a bit of upper body toning. They last about 35 mins or so and feature a range of routines, which change depending on what Ian fancies teaching.

I can't express how grateful I am to Ian for giving up his time to go online and present these classes. I really appreciate how dedicated he has been to something he gets no real reward for. THANK YOU, IAN!!