The Cycling Development Foundation (CDF) seeks to grow cycling as a sport and exercise. Recently we have commenced initiatives with Hope2day in providing support and education for those in need, through cycling related programs. Our ‘Veris Racing’ team athletes are active in roles as facilitators, with these programs aiming to engage and assist diverse community groups, with the purpose of tying ‘community’ together.
Sport is considered a structured form of exercise, while exercise itself is movement for fun or health related benefits. Cycling represents a low impact form of exercise suitable for active and sedentary people alike. Recently members and Veris Racing athletes were able to assist in implementing exercise training programs for female and male students at Clontarf Aboriginal College and for employee’s at South 32, a locally owned public company that employees a global workforce and is administered from it’s head office in Perth.
Clontarf Aboriginal College
Through funding from key providers, such as Australian Stock Exchanged listed Veris Limited, our programs can reach a variety of community groups, such as Clontarf College.
The Academy, at Clontarf Aboriginal College, engages in numerous activities to instill positive behaviors through leadership and well-being programs, mentoring classes with local primary schools, workplace training assistance, training regimes and a renowned football program. More recently they have expanded to provide women’s service. We were privileged to be able to provide a cycling testing service for all students, that explored their peak fitness variables and offered insight into how to train optimally for health, fitness and even sports performance.
Each student was able to complete testing of their own fitness characteristics
All individuals completed the test, with a subsequent follow-up testing session to be concluded in several weeks time to track the success of their own fitness training programs. These individuals can then use this data to improve their own health, fitness and well-being through the modality of exercise.
Fitness attributes were measured and recorded for future comparison and reference
South 32 Employee Training Sessions
CDF’s training provider, Exercise Institute, also conducted testing and training sessions for employee’s of the Australian Stock Exchange listed resource firm South 32 through a private program aimed at improving employee health, well-being and productivity. Individuals completed testing on a cycle-bike indoors at the South 32 offices. Analogue mood scales, blood pressure and cardiovascular fitness measures were taken across 20 individuals. These results were discussed inline with recent advances in cardiovascular fitness training, from Martin Gibala and associates, whereby 40 mins of moderate activity can be adequately collapsed into 10 minutes of structured and targeted interval training.
Of particular interest was the increase in mood pre and post exercise testing resulting in a 15% increase in mood scores across our population sample: of which an already high mood score was detected at baseline! This is in line with our previous data samples where an on average 20% improvement in mood was detected pre/post exercise. Mood also correlates well with improvements in productivity and employee happiness, with both variables desirable in work environment settings.
Using the individual testing data, participants have been placed into fitness groups of similar ability, and undergo 3 x 10 minute interval workouts a week, utilising a staircase, to complete a short bout of moderate-high intensity intervals. This form of exercise replicates cycle training, has a low risk of injury, is time efficient, and can be completed in most office environments. This program is designed to deliver a sustainable exercise solution to improve health, mood and productivity in the workplace.
South 32 employees navigate the stairs, 3 times a week, for just 10 mins’ to improve a raft of personal health metrics
The CDF facilitates and encourages its partners, members and supported athletes to explore mutually beneficial partnerships in the community and beyond with cycling and exercise a central point for synergy. Our athletes are tasked with the roles of spearheading these campaigns such that they may learn from, and potentially impact, others from diverse community environments. We understand a strong community facilitates strength in many other areas, not just limited to sport.
