Super opportunities to help older Kiwis stay strong and prevent falls
A Kiwi social enterprise with fitness at its heart, SuperCue Seniors is growing, and looking to expand its team of dedicated instructors New Zealand-wide.
Building on its reputation for providing an exciting approach to fitness for retirement villages, rest homes, social services and community groups – and with a busy year ahead – it’s seeking keen Kiwis looking to qualify as SuperCue trainers. The two-day course, suitable for anyone with an interest in fitness, runs in June, with another intake in August, and introductory online training options available later in 2021.
SuperCue Seniors offers its very own DVD, written tutorials, resources and rehabilitation programmes, all designed to provide users with access to fitness options that help keep them strong and prevent falls. The material is customised, carefully crafted and unrivalled here in New Zealand, and the workouts meet the approval criteria of the ACC Live Stronger for Longer initiative.
Co-founder Rebekah Charlton, a Hawke’s Bay-based fitness instructor, active living and wellness coach, says with falls a major contributor to hospitalisation and physical decline for those aged 60-plus, it’s more important than ever that SuperCue Seniors remains adequately resourced to protect and enhance the lives of our older New Zealanders.
“We’re incredibly excited to be offering this opportunity to enthusiastic people who are looking for a new challenge this year,” says Rebekah of the not-for-profit. “This is a great chance to give back to the community, supporting our older Kiwis to remain active and social for as long as possible.
“We know from our experiences to date how amazing it is to see clients’ improvements in strength, balance and mobility while using our programme. And it’s really rewarding for our instructors, too, who love being able to help lift the energy and engagement of their older participants.”
The SuperCue fitness format brings together elements of strength training, movement to music and physiotherapy and all the exercises can be done either standing or completely seated. Full training and ongoing support are provided, along with new material and moves, licensed music, education and tips to keep clients motivated and attaining outstanding results. The choreographed notes also include detailed cueing instructions to provide a deeper learning experience for instructors as well as participants.
Co-founder, Marya Hopman, who brings corrective exercise specialist and personal training experience to SuperCue, says the opportunity to join SuperCue would suit both seasoned and budding fitness instructors, as well as retirement village activities coordinators – anyone with a passion to really make a difference.
“We’ll provide a specialised training course as well as ongoing support to continuously improve class delivery, along with licensed, effective, safe, choreographed class content and music. With a growing aging population, there is ample opportunity to develop classes or contracts in instructors’ local areas in partnership with organisations, retirement villages and rest homes, and develop a solid income stream and business.
“Our unique content aligns with the Live Stronger for Longer initiative under its Strength and Balance approval criteria. New members of the team are given access to an instructor portal enabling individual access to all content and choreographed workouts, and there’s a private Instructor Hub on our website for support, questions and fitness inspiration.”
The SuperCue Seniors course is registered as Continuing Education on the Registered Exercise Professionals (REPS) website – the very first training option specifically targeted at seniors.
“It’s so important to seek specialised training when working with the older age group,” says Rebekah. “It’s not unusual to see unqualified or poorly-trained instructors delivering exercise instruction to seniors around the country, which seems quite irresponsible.
"Seniors are a population with a higher risk of injury than the general public, but at the same time are a group for whom regular exercise should be a priority. SuperCue instructors – whether they’ve been fitness professionals in the past or not – learn to work with seniors safely and confidently.”
SuperCue offers a cost-effective annual license starting from $28 a month. Training takes place in a private studio in Hawke’s Bay on June 26/27 and August 21/22. For more information about how to become a SuperCue instructor in your area, please visit https://www.supercue.nz/instructor-information
