Fitness
Bill, 96, is making his mark leading fitness classes around Melbourne
It’s 7:30 on a winter Tuesday morning, and at an indoor pool in Melbourne’s east, a 96-year-old instructor is gently revving up his charges to perform an enthusiastic underwater can-can.
Bill Stevens, a fit-as-a-fiddle nonagenarian with a shock of silver hair, likes to inspire others — who are generally a decade or two (or three) younger than him — to get fit.
And today, he’s really turned up the volume, taking more than 20 high-kicking aqua aerobics participants through their paces with a watery homage to the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
There’s no slouching at Stevens’s classes. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
Forget the fanfare and feathers. In Stevens’s class at Aquarena Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Lower Templestowe, it’s all about donning chlorine-resistant bathers, moving to music and having a giggle.
‘A bunch of jellyfish’
Helen Keesman, one of the younger regulars at 61, used to swim in the outside pool, and admits she used to think aqua aerobics participants “just looked like a bunch of jellyfish” bobbing around.
Little did she know she’d wind up loving the splash-filled workouts, which she says are great for core strength and balance. She’s even become part of a dedicated WhatsApp group, where participants check in on each other and share holiday snaps.
Stevens, who started teaching about 25 years ago when he retired from his career as an export marketing manager in the wine industry, says in the beginning, about six or eight people might show up to a class. That’s definitely snowballed.
Aqua aerobics is particularly popular with older people because it’s gentle on the joints. (Danielle Bonica)
“Now we have up to 40 and more if there would be enough pool space,” says Stevens, who conducts at least 10 sessions across four centres each week.
One of the hottest tickets in town
The man is certainly in high demand, but he’s not alone. Classes around the country sometimes fill up within minutes, leaving some aqua aerobics enthusiasts high and dry.
Mandy Metcalf, Aquarena’s group fitness captain, says hundreds of people don their cossies each week across about 20 aqua aerobics classes at the centre.
“It’s really picked up in the last few years,” says Metcalf, who notes a bit of a dip in interest during the cooler months.
“Members, they get their favourite instructors, they have their favourite times … and if they can’t get in, they’re not happy,” she says.
“That’s a regular occurrence at most aquatic centres, as far as I know.”
Metcalf believes the pandemic might still be having a ripple effect when it comes to the instructor shortage.
Stevens started teaching about 25 years ago, after retiring from a career in the wine industry, (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
“There were more instructors out there prior to COVID. And just because the timeframe was so long, they had to look for work elsewhere — and a lot of them stayed with what they were doing.”
Some were starting to return, she says, but then had to update lapsed CPR qualifications, registrations and the like.
Demand is such that Metcalf herself is completing a course to become an aqua aerobics instructor.
According to a new National Aquatic Workforce Framework, a typical aquatic exercise instructor works less than eight hours a week, for more than one organisation across multiple facilities.
A similar report last year, released by Royal Life Saving Australia, found that 78 per cent of aqua exercise instructors were female and that 29 per cent moonlighted as swim teachers.
And while 41 per cent of aqua aerobics instructors around the country left the industry during the pandemic, 57 per cent of those had returned within four to six months.
The 96-year-old instructor says some people come to exercise hard, while others mainly enjoy the social contact. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
RJ Houston, Royal Life Saving Australia’s general manager of capability and industry, says although the general hourly pay rate is quite good (he says anecdotally it’s about $80, but can be less), it can be tricky for aqua aerobics to find enough hours to sustain themselves.
Metcalf agrees the pay can differ between centres, but says around $60 for a 45-minute class is common.
Out of that, instructors often have to pay for their own music, licence and registration, she says. Then there’s the unpaid travel time between different centres.
As for finding enough hours, Houston says in a metropolitan area, nearby centres might be running similar aqua aerobics timetables, making it difficult for instructors to switch between them.
He might be well into his 90s, but Stevens has energy to burn. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
And 58 per cent of Australia’s aquatic facilities are in regional areas, where there’s often just one pool, making it hard for instructors to get enough hours, he says.
Far more than just a workout
Houston says aqua exercise instructors provide a vital role by offering programs to “some of the most vulnerable people in the community”.
That includes people with disabilities or health conditions, obesity, or those who feel isolated and depend on aqua aerobics to get out and about.
Back at Bill Stevens’s class in suburban Melbourne, there’s plenty of upbeat vibes to go around, as the lyrics of Disco Inferno – “burn, baby, burn” – provide a fitting soundtrack to some of the more challenging moves.
However the agile Stevens, who only gave up running at the age of 94, shows no signs of fatigue.
He says he thrives on the feedback he receives from his class members, and loves helping others stay active and social.
“It keeps you young. It keeps your brain working,” he says.
During a poolside chat after class, Teresa Clarke, 83, says she values the friendships she’s made, and the fitness she’s developed after a hip replacement some years back.
“I’m on no medication — this is my medication,” she says, with a noticeable pep in her step.
“Bill is a great personality. He’s fit and he keeps us fit.”
It’s important to have goals in mind as you set out on your fitness journey, whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle or train for a race.skynesher/Supplied
January is notoriously the busiest time of year at the gym. A survey from Ipsos reported that a third of Canadians made exercise-based resolutions for the new year, with many folks working out for the first time or returning to fitness after some time away. If you’re new to exercise, the gym can feel like an intimidating place. But it doesn’t need to be. Below we’ve put together a few suggestions to help you get started.
Have a plan going in
For success at the gym, it’s crucial to have a plan. Before you start, it’s important to identify your goals. Are you looking to get stronger? Training for a race or competition? Do you want to improve body composition? While almost any consistent exercise is going to improve your overall health, specific results require specific training.
Following a workout program can help you stay committed – here’s how to write your own
Those completely new to working out may want to invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer. A reputable trainer will be able to put together a plan based on your preferences and skill level, while walking you through the proper form for each exercise. If cost is an issue, many gyms offer a free intro training session as a sign-up perk. There are also hundreds of different workout programs you can find online and video tutorials outlining proper form.
If you’re intimidated to exercise on your own, a fitness class allows you to follow along with an instructor while getting some quick pointers on how to properly perform the workout. Many gyms offer discounted or free classes to first-time visitors.
Trying to do too much, too fast will burn you out, leave you injured or both
When you’re motivated by a new year’s resolution, it’s tempting to pencil in long gym sessions multiple times a week. But that kind of regime is rarely sustainable. If you’d like to make exercising a habit beyond January – and you’ll need to for any kind of lasting results – it’s best to think about what you can do in the long term.
“You can either do an hour of weightlifting a few days a week, and actually do it, or you have these imaginary 10-hour training sessions you’ll never actually have time for,” said Dan John, strength coach and author. “I try to focus on [programs that are] doable, repeatable and reasonable.”
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Similarly, trying to immediately push beyond your physical limitations is a great way to get injured. For weightlifting, it’s important to consider proper warm-ups, active mobility exercises and learning the right techniques before trying to lift anything too heavy. For cardio, Canada Running Series offers a Couch to 5K plan that eases newcomers into jogging by starting small and gradually increasing the length/difficulty of each run.
Follow basic gym etiquette
The gym is a shared public space. Everyone there is trying to get in a good workout. That’s harder to do when people are having phone conversations, listening to videos without using headphones and refusing to wipe down their equipment after use.
In March, fitness trainer Paul Landini wrote an article explaining some unofficial rules to follow when going to the gym, including being mindful of other people’s space and making sure you’re not monopolizing equipment during busy hours.
Try to find what you like about the gym
Changes in body composition, strength and overall health take time. They also need upkeep over the long term. Building a consistent fitness habit is something that will help with all those goals. One of the best ways to do that is finding something at the gym you genuinely enjoy doing. That can be working out with a friend to add a social aspect to exercise and accountability to show up. It can entail learning a new fitness-adjacent skill such as boxing or training for a competition like Hyrox. It can be rooted in the sense of accomplishment that comes with getting stronger. Whatever the reason, finding the joy in exercise is going to be key if you want to move beyond short-term motivation.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.
iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.
“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”
When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.
“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”
Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.
“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.
To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.
To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?
Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.
Share your experience
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