Club Active Dee Why: Over-50s fitness hub opened for ‘grandparent training’

Focused on training “Baby Boomers” to stay active and healthy for their grandchildren, an exclusive over-50s fitness hub has opened its doors on the northern beaches.

Sydney’s most exclusive new over 50s fitness hub, Club Active, has recently opened its doors in Dee Why.

The gym is all about “grandparent training”, which helps the ageing population physically keep up with their grandchildren and stay fit during their retirement.

Club Active founder Jonathan Freeman, exercise physiologist and personal fitness trainer for Chris Hemsworth, said it was important for “Baby Boomers” to go to the gym to enhance their personal lives.

“[It’s about] making sure that you can continue to get better and play with your grandkids, making sure that you can live a happy, active retirement,” he said.

Kim Garrett, aged 63, is preparing for when her children have kids and has been training at Club Active in Castle Hill since April. She said the gym environment was welcoming and safe and had a certain “community feel” to it.

Club Active founder and exercise physiologist Jonathan Freeman.

“You feel like you should be there and you belong,” Ms Garrett said. “It’s just that [type of] space they’ve created.”
Ms Garrett said she was determined to keep her physical health a priority. With her mother having passed away last year as a “prisoner in her own body”, she plans to keep using Club Active to stay in shape.

Kim Garrett at Castle Hill Club Active with receptionist Donna King.

“I’m running away from old age,” Ms Garrett said. “It ain’t gonna catch me.”

For Ms Garrett, she plans on being “absolutely hands on” and active with her future grandchildren.

“I want to be one of those grandmothers that can get down on the ground and play with the kids,” Ms Garrett said. “And I want to be able to go to a park. I want to be able to have the strength to be able to pick them up.”

Mr Freeman said this generation of grandparents will be different and more active because it’s no longer just about “baking for grandkids”.

“Now the days are: Grandma’s gonna go for a walk with you, Grandma’s gonna go to the gym with you,” Mr Freeman said. “I think that’s the future of our lives.”

According to the founder, every new member that joins Club Active goes through an initial health screening with an exercise physiologist who will determine the best type of exercise program and the most suitable classes to support their “needs and wants.”
To learn more about Club Active, click here.