Communities across Rhondda Cynon Taff have found the secret to staying motivated and sticking to their fitness goals – making a trip down to their local park and being at yelled at to ‘drop and give 20!’

Through support from the Sports Council for Wales and Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council; Outdoor Fitness Ltd has recruited scores of people across the county to put themselves in the hands of highly motivated and qualified experts to get fit – military style!

Numerous instructors, some ex-military, are taking classes and putting people through their paces in their local parks with a workout mix of cardio, such as running and hiking, and muscle toning – all using equipment that can be found in the great outdoors.

Jeff Webb, Company Director of Outdoor Fitness Ltd, explains the thinking behind this popular fitness method,

"We have a ‘keep it simple’ approach to fitness training that takes you beyond the traditional gym setting. No fancy equipment is needed, we use your bodyweight, a few old-school tools and the natural environment as your gym and by leaving no carbon footprint we are protecting the environment at the same time."

Caroline Spanton, Sports Development Manager at Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council, comments on how it’s working in the area,

"What is inspiring in RCT is the diversity of participants who are taking part, and returning week in week out regardless of rain, cold and snow! We are not only attracting the typical sporty gym goers but also many people who haven’t done any physical activity for a while but want to get fit, lose weight, be outdoors, tone up and meet new people, The social aspect has been key and team morale keeps everyone motivated to push themselves."

And the proof is in the pudding for one of RCT’s residents. Sian-Eleri Jones has historically used aerobics to keep fit and lost a lot of weight in the process, but after a while struggled to keep motivated and found keeping her weight from fluctuating a real struggle – until she joined Outdoor Fitness.

"My boyfriend raved about it for months, about all the people he’d met and the various exercises he’d done, so I had to go along and see, it surely couldn’t be as tough as he was making out – I was wrong," said Sian. "My first session I ran for 20 minutes and walked the rest of the session; it was really hard but I had so much encouragement from the instructor and people around me that I kept going. I went back to more sessions and after a few months realised that I wasn’t lagging behind anymore. I was able to run for the entire session! This gave me a real buzz and I just trained more and more."

"Outdoor Fitness Ltd has a real fun, family atmosphere. You train with like-minded people who all want to keep fit and stay healthy. I have now lost four stone, I train at least three times a week and absolutely love it! Best thing I’ve ever done!"

Outdoor Fitness Ltd has now joined forces with some local authorities in Wales to make getting into shape the military way more accessible. Schemes such as Cardiff’s Stretch programme and RCT’s More scheme are offering reduced rates for the sessions in their areas.

So, if you’re keen to enlist and get whipped into shape, visit www.outdoorfitnessltd.com and see what’s going on around you. You can also sign up for their next event that will take place on 31^st January at Merthyr Mawr sand dunes – are you up to the challenge?