Gregory, 74, talks about his wellness and his zest for life, and how physical activity is key to his longevity.

Gregory, 74, an Evangelical Minister from Partington, has been a customer of Trafford Leisure for decades; from using the gyms and swimming pools at Partington Leisure Centre and move urmston, as well as bringing his six children to swimming lessons at Stretford Leisure Centre.

Here, Gregory talks about his wellness and his zest for life, and how physical activity is key to his longevity.

Gregory says: “I’ve always been interested in fitness and enjoyed football and cricket with my children. After reading an article in a magazine, I became especially aware of the benefits of weight training, particularly as you start to age. I first starting lifting weights nearly 30 years ago and have no intention of giving up anytime soon. I’m a firm believer in you either use it or lose it and I want to be able to stay stronger for longer.”

These days Gregory comes to move Urmston three times a week, where he weight trains in the gym and then swims. He says: “The new move Urmston facility is fantastic.  The pool and the gym are modern, clean and extremely welcoming. I’m so impressed with the centre, especially as I continued to use the facility through much of the construction work.” 

“I can’t explain how much I missed using the leisure centre during the lockdowns. It was agony not to be able to come and use the pool, and even though I set up a ‘gym’ area at my home, it wasn’t the same.  I was thrilled when the centre reopened and I returned straight away.” 

“It was after the lockdowns that I started to question my swimming style. There are slow, medium and fast lanes at move Urmston and I tried to work out why some people, as physically strong as me, could swim much faster than me. I’d never had any proper, formal lessons. When I learnt to swim you were simply thrown into the pool and told to waggle your legs! I asked the team at Trafford Leisure if there were any adult swimming lessons and, after explaining the process, I signed up for three 1:2:1 lessons with their swimming teacher, Jackie.” 

“I absolutely loved the lessons. Jackie asked me to swim a length, where she assessed my breast stroke.  She then gave me options and suggestions to sequence my stroke better in order to improve my technique.  I found my teacher’s insights revolutionary to my swimming style. In my second class she assessed my front crawl and taught me the skills to breath better, and in my third session we studied my back stroke.  Jackie was such a thorough and thoughtful teacher and my swimming has come on significantly. I now have an efficient technique, which doesn’t leave me out of breath, and I’m more streamlined, which allows me to keep up with some of the faster swimmers.  I would recommend the adult lessons to anyone, including those, like me, that can swim, but just not with the best style.”

Gregory concludes: “I love coming down to move Urmston – I’m a really chatty person, and the staff and customers are all so lovely to have a catch up with.  I’m going to keep going with my gym and swim routine for as long as possible – I’m committed to living well and to my successful ageing. I’m in great shape.  My GP says my blood test results are fantastic for someone of my age, and my cholesterol is lower than his! I attribute this to keeping busy, keeping fit and to my longstanding faith.”