Young at Heart (YAH) is a City of London scheme for people aged 50
and over which provides a specially devised programme of physical
activities, health checks and advice for its members. Originally
launched in October 2005, the scheme has grown in both size and
stature across the City, with many members travelling from other
London boroughs to participate.
View the Young at Heart message board
The annual membership fee is just £15 for City Residents and
City of London estate residents, and £20 for residents of other
London boroughs. Membership runs from May to April, and
includes
- Home exercise pack including stretch band, exercises and muscle
stretches
- Official YAH membership card
- Access to a wide range of designated activity sessions
- New style Young at Heart shopper bag
- Pedometer and steps record sheet
- Bi-monthly newsletter
- New easy-to-read activity timetable
- Monthly guided walks with City Sidewalks to various places in
and around the City and surrounding areas
- Subsidised access to specified Adult and Community Learning
courses (ACL)
- Quarterly health checks where we will measure your Body Mass
Index and blood pressure.
- Health and nutrition advice
- Christmas cards
- Information on volunteering opportunities with both Sports
Development and City RSVP
- Invitation to Summer Outing
- Invitation to Anniversary Party
You can download our activity timetable, showing all the
activities on offer, and the latest Young at Heart newsletter
Activity Timetable (157kb)
Young at Heart newsletter (299kb)
There is a substantial amount of scientific evidence that
indicates regular physical activity can bring benefits to people of
all ages and abilities. The evidence increasingly indicates that as
well as the widely publicised benefits such as prevention of
Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity, extending into
later life, physical activity can also extend years of independent
living, reduce disability and improve quality of life. (ACSM 1998,
WHO 2002, DOH 2005, Young & Dinon 2006)
All the activities in Young at Heart are designed to help with
strength, flexibility and coordination, as well as the enjoyment of
participation and meeting people. For those who do not wish to, or
are unable to partake in the more physical activities, we offer an
alternative aspect to the scheme. Each member is given a pedometer
- a step counter - to record the number of steps they take each
day. For some this may only be 2,000 steps, others may achieve
6,000 a day, depending on your level of mobility. The aim is to
increase the number of steps taken each day by at least 50, so that
over a week, you increase your total by 350. On the health side of
the programme, members are asked to participate in free health
checks where the City of London Sports Development Team measures
their height and weight to gain their Body Mass Index, (BMI) and
Blood Pressure. BMI is a ratio of weight to height and helps to
show if a person is within the normal weight category in relation
the general population.
Young at Heart members are given a copy of their results to take
home and also have the option to record and view their results on
our specially designed Young at Heart health check pages of our
website. To view the health check page, click the link on the left
hand side.
To sign up to the scheme, you can
download a registration form (29kb) or alternatively
contact Sports Development on 020 7332 3899 or email
sportsdevelopment@cityoflondon.gov.uk