Active Living Fitness

22/09/2026

PHASE TWO IS ON ITS WAY…

When we opened the doors to Active Living Fitness in May 2025, we really didn’t imagine that less than 18 months later we’d have built an amazing team, created such a wonderful community and already be outgrowing our current space.

But here we are!

We’re currently in discussions to secure a second premises, allowing us to take the next step in growing Active Living Fitness.

The plan is for our Pennygillam space to become the main home of our small group training, while our new, slightly smaller space will be dedicated primarily to one-to-one personal training.

And that means one really important thing…

MORE AVAILABILITY.

We know there are people in our community who want to become stronger, healthier and more confident, but need a smaller, more private and supportive environment in which to do it.

The demand is there, so we’re going to respond to it.

There’s still plenty of work to do before we can open those new doors, but we also have some fantastic news to share about funding we’ve secured to help make this next phase possible.

We’ll be telling you much more about that later next week… and we’re definitely going to need a little help from our wonderful community to get us over the finish line!

For now, we just wanted to share the exciting news.

More space means more availability.

More availability means more people we can support.

Phase Two is on its way.

21/09/2026

THIS WEEK’S SMALL GROUP AVAILABILITY

Here are the spaces we currently have available in our Small Group Training sessions this week.

These spaces are perfect for:

• Current members who need to swap a missed session
• Current members who fancy an extra PAYG session
• New members who’d like to come along for a FREE taster and see what we’re all about

A little reminder that these particular spaces are available due to current member holidays or sickness, so they aren’t necessarily permanent weekly spaces.

If you’re looking to join us regularly, please get in touch. We can let you know which sessions currently have permanent availability and help find one that works for you.

And if you’ve been thinking about giving Small Group Training a try… a free taster is a pretty good place to start!

20/09/2026

Exercise is about so much more than just getting stronger.

Yes, we’re here to lift weights, challenge ourselves, build confidence and look after our health.

But we’re also here to have fun.

For us, that’s a really important part of our small group sessions. They’re a chance to exercise alongside other people, have a chat, share a laugh and enjoy being part of a group.

Not every session needs to feel serious. In fact, we’re pretty sure the smiles, laughter and occasional questionable banter are all part of the programme.

Because finding a way to exercise that you genuinely enjoy makes it much easier to keep showing up week after week.

Get stronger. Move more. Have fun.

That sounds like a pretty good hour to us.

18/09/2026

We have a few more weeks to get a few more survey responses.
If you are aged 55 or over and live in Launceston, we want to hear your views!

Can you help shape the future of health and wellbeing in Launceston?

Following our exciting news that Active Living Fitness (Southwest) CIC has received funding from Cornwall Council's Community Chest Fund, we're now asking for your help.

We're carrying out a short survey to understand whether people in Launceston would benefit from more accessible, inclusive strength and resistance training.
This survey is for anyone who:

💙 Is aged 50+
💙 Lives with a long-term health condition
💙 Has reduced mobility or strength
💙 Lacks confidence to exercise in a traditional gym
💙 Feels cost, transport or other barriers make it difficult to be physically active
💙 Simply wants to share their thoughts about improving health opportunities in our community

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete, but your feedback could make a real difference. The results will help us understand local need and support future funding applications to develop services designed around our community.

Complete the survey online here:
🔗 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAMAAZFpElZUNDJTTFlaUDlTUzAwTUhMSktCWkEyOERHRS4u
Or, if you would prefer a paper copy, just get in touch and we'll happily arrange one for you.

Please also consider sharing this post with friends, family, neighbours or anyone who you think might benefit. The more responses we receive, the stronger the evidence we can gather to help bring new opportunities to Launceston.
Thank you for helping us build a healthier, stronger community, one that's shaped by local people, for local people.

If you are a medical or health professional and would like to know more about this project, or provide your views, we have a dedicated professionals survey, so please do get in touch.

17/09/2026

We know our members have been dying to know what exercises are waiting for them in this month’s small group sessions… the suspense is finally over!

So, over the next few weeks, we thought we’d shine a spotlight on one or two of the exercises in this month’s programme.

First up: the seated cable row.

The seated cable row is a fantastic pulling exercise that primarily works the muscles across your upper and middle back, including your lats, rhomboids and trapezius.

A few coaching points to think about:

• Sit tall with your chest lifted and shoulders relaxed
• Keep your core engaged and avoid leaning backwards to create momentum
• Pull the handle towards your body, driving your elbows back
• Think about gently squeezing your shoulder blades together as you row
• Control the weight on the way back rather than letting the cable pull you forwards

As always, it’s not about moving the biggest weight possible. Good technique, control and gradually increasing the challenge are what we’re looking for.

We’re looking forward to watching everyone get to grips with this month’s exercises and seeing the progress over the next three weeks. Let’s see where those cable rows end up!

17/09/2026

WE’RE BACK!

We had a lovely break away from the gym last week, and here are a few snaps of what we got up to.

As you can probably imagine, there wasn’t much lounging by the pool in the sunshine for this lot. Apparently, we’re not very good at sitting still!

Becki and Andy visited the New Forest, fitted in some walking along the Avon Valley Way and visited West Wittering Beach, where they even managed to brave a swim.

Kayleigh headed off to South Wales, with a trip to Brecon and plenty of exploring, ticking off a fair few Tors along the way and making friends with lots of the local wildlife.

It was so good to have some time away from the usual routine, the early alarms and the gym, and to enjoy a bit of a change of scenery.

But it’s been equally lovely coming back this week, getting back into the swing of things and, most importantly, seeing you all again.

Batteries recharged. Walking boots well used. Back to lifting heavy things!

14/09/2026

We’re back!

After a lovely closure week, where the whole team enjoyed some well-earned time away from work, we’re back, refreshed and straight into a busy week at Active Living Fitness.

We have a few spaces available in our small group training sessions this week. These can be booked by our current members for swaps or additional pay-as-you-go sessions.

We also have very limited spaces available for new members who would like to come along and experience our small, friendly and supportive approach to strength training.

With a maximum of just six people in each session, there’s plenty of support, plenty of encouragement and, as our members know, usually plenty of laughs too!

Want to grab a space?

Drop us a message to find out what’s available and book your place.

12/09/2026

We still have two spaces available in our Monday morning men’s small group training session.

This is an opportunity for men of any age, strength or ability to take part in structured resistance training in our small, private gym.

Never lifted a weight before? Absolutely fine.

Already a regular gym-goer and looking for an additional strength session? You’ll fit in too.

Our sessions are designed so that exercises can be adapted to suit the individual. We work through a circuit using a mixture of free weights, resistance equipment and bodyweight exercises, with everyone working at a level that is appropriate and challenging for them.

There’s no expectation that you need to be fit or strong before you start. That’s rather the point of coming.

Mondays | 7am
Maximum 6 people
Two spaces currently available

If you’d like to give it a try, get in touch. Your first session is free, so you can come along, meet us and see whether it’s for you. Drop us a message to book your place or find out more.

10/09/2026

If You Know, You Know!

Walk into a mainstream gym and ask:

“Where are the custard creams?”

“Can you pass me the mouse?”

“Has anyone got the Gary Lineker?”

…and there’s a reasonable chance someone will politely show you the door.

At Active Living Fitness, however, these are perfectly sensible questions.

Over time, various pieces of equipment have acquired their own names:

The Jammy Dodger
The Custard Cream
The Mouse
The Gary Lineker
And, of course… The Moustaches.

Are these their technically correct names?

Absolutely not.

Do we all know exactly what we’re talking about?

Absolutely.

Sometimes making exercise feel accessible is about removing some of the complicated terminology. Funny names become familiar, familiar things become easier to remember, and suddenly the gym feels a little less intimidating.

You don’t need to know the technical name of every piece of equipment.

You just need to know where we keep the custard creams.

Swipe through to meet the gang…

07/09/2026

One of the exercises that has featured in our small group training this month is the incline dumbbell bench press.

So, what are we actually working?

The incline position puts a little more emphasis on the upper chest compared to a flat bench press.

And why dumbbells rather than a barbell?

Using two separate weights means each arm has to do its own share of the work. It also requires more control and stability as we lower and press the weights, rather than having both hands connected to one bar.

Pressing movements are an important part of building a strong, capable upper body. They can help with everyday tasks that involve pushing, lifting and controlling objects away from the body.

And, as with everything we do, the weight is relative.

For one person, that might mean learning the movement with a pair of 2kg dumbbells.

For someone else, it might mean discovering that the dumbbells they used last month are suddenly feeling suspiciously light. Here is Natalie showing us how it's done.

Same exercise. Different starting points. Plenty of room to get stronger.