Behind the scenes at Atlantis
December 2021: Another year draws to a close!
Covid has ensured this has been another challenging year for us all but as we wrap up 2021, life at Atlantis passes another significant milestone, which indicates 2022 might look a little more like what we remember as normal.
Read on to find out what’s been happening, in this month’s gym-exclusive Behind The Scenes:
Gym move
After over a year in its temporary location, we moved the gym back to its permanent home this month. We first moved the gym into the sports hall as part of our phased reopening plan following the easing of restrictions as it allowed the most social-distancing for what is arguably our most popular facility. It worked well but took up a large amount of the hall. This meant that lots of other activities and community sports have been unable to return in the same way.
Now that the gym is back in its purpose-lit, air-conditioned space, we’re able to welcome back sports such as community football, badminton and athletics as well as increasing the capacity of our PlaySport programme. We’ve done so with immediate effect - our local footballers have returned to their evening sessions straight after the move. We’re also able to host community events and offer one of the largest spaces available in Oban for non-sporting activities. We do all this while continuing to keep a careful eye on what Covid is doing locally as well as the enduring possibility of national restrictions changing.
New gym equipment
The gym move comes as we consider the facility as a whole, giving particular thought to how we renew our faithful exercise machines and gym equipment, some of which are now more than 12 years old. Whilst now showing its age, our equipment has stood the test of time and endured years of enthusiastic workouts.
As we consider how to renew the kit, we want to make sure we do so in as sustainable a way as possible, making sure the new equipment is as robust and good quality as the last. We particularly want to make sure they have as low a carbon footprint as possible (some of the machines are even self-powered!). We also want to move with the times, recognising that the accessibility needs of our gym users have changed in recent years.
You’ll notice new pieces of equipment being added over the next few months as we put all this learning into place. The new kit takes up a lot less room than the old gear, with some of the new equipment including five new running machines, two new recline bikes, two new conventional bikes, three new cross trainers, SkiErg, new weights benches and a new shoulder press and back machine.
Atlantis Health and Wellness Zone
You’ll also notice how we’ve used this time to consider how we use Atlantis’ space more widely. During the past month, we started a new project in the old Back Studio area to configure a new Health and Wellness Zone. The new space will be completed in the coming weeks and features an additional dance studio, a new training room and a new assessment room. The space caters for the increasing demand for health and wellness provision at Atlantis, with partners such as Healthy Options, Max Buchanan and the NHS Physiotherapy Department of the Lorn and Islands District General Hospital already set to make use of the new facilities.
Healthy Options – Adapt and Thrive
The changes to the physical building are happening alongside changes to the programmes that we offer, with particular regard to our changing partnership with Lorn and Oban Healthy Options. In the next few months, Healthy Options will complete a restructuring that will condense their programme offer into two main seams: Adapt and Thrive.
Adapt continues to work closely with GP referrals, offering a 12-week programme that works alongside clients to help them incorporate healthy habits into their lifestyles.
Healthy Options Thrive is where we see the biggest change at Atlantis. From early 2022, Thrive takes over from our previous StayActive programme, offering an onward programme for previous Adapt graduates whilst also providing a destination service for self-referral clients. As part of this new chapter, Healthy Options and Atlantis have pooled resources to form a hybrid Healthy Living Team made up of staff from both organisations. On the Atlantis side, that’s meant a recent focus on training and upskilling, with Claire and Cameron completing their Level 3 Gym Instructor training in the next few weeks and Donna starting out on her Level 4 qualification. Healthy Options do a power of work for the local community. We’re looking forward to seeing how this new way of working together, combined with the recent changes we’ve made to the centre, paves the way for more positive change for Oban.