Exercise brings friends – chats in the changing room are an important part of over-75s’ physical activity

Article

12.5.2026 09.05

The exercise group is a nice reason to leave the house and meet other people. Balance and muscle strength are maintained as a side effect; the most important thing is spending time together and having a chat. Mirja Lumia has over 20 years of experience of the city’s exercise groups.

In the Wellbeing for Tampere Residents series, people from Tampere talk about activities that bring joy and a sense of well-being to their everyday lives.

Two senior-aged women are sitting on exercise balls and stretching a resistance band in their hands. — Mirja Lumia and Päivi Petäjä have become friends in a city-run exercise group. These days they check the evening before to make sure the other one is coming too.

A balance group run by the city’s sports services is about to begin in the gym at Nääshalli. On the programme are, among other things, resistance-band stretches while balancing on a gym ball, step exercises both straight ahead and with turns, and accuracy throwing with beanbags.

Veteran participant in the city’s exercise groups, Mirja Lumia, has made new friends through the activities over the years. One of them is Päivi Petäjä. The pair have now been attending the balance group together for around six years.

– This is a social event. We talk about everything here, Lumia says.

– It’s really important that activities like this are organised. There are many of us who live alone, and here you get to meet other people, Petäjä explains.

Of people in this age group living in Tampere, 90 per cent live independently, so there is a clear need for community. Minna Niemelä, the city of Tampere’s lead fitness instructor, says that the importance of meeting other people is also reflected in customer surveys.

– We recently received 60 responses from our gym users. Only one mentioned that they don’t go to the gym because of other people or a sense of community, Niemelä says.

– Many people who join a group stay with it for years. Friendships are formed, and even if you don’t know everyone by name, their faces become familiar.

Seniors gymnastics to the rhythm of two instructors in dark clothing. — Students from Varala Sports Institute’s vocational qualification in sports instruction enliven the group with their visits. Reeta Taskila and Kiia Luoto completed their adult exercise instruction assessment with the balance group.

Balance training and effective brain exercise

The majority of Tampere residents aged over 75 feel that their quality of life is good and that their lives are meaningful. As it is important to prevent falls in this age group, the city supports the wellbeing of over-75s in particular by increasing exercise services for this age group and improving their accessibility.

According to fitness instructor Marika Mäkipää, who leads the exercise groups, staying upright becomes easier when the strength of the lower limbs is good. In the balance group, both muscles and the brain are put to work.

– You can join the group on your own or together with a friend, partner or assistant. There are men in all the groups as well, although fewer than women, Mäkipää says.

Erkki Lakervi, who has attended the city’s exercise groups for years, reflects that many men may be more performance-oriented than women, which may influence their exercise habits.

– These groups are enjoyable, and we always have good chats in the changing room. Regular exercise sessions provide a nice structure to a pensioner’s week, Lakervi says.

For him, the balance group is an important part of the week and not just about an hour of exercise.

– I always come here on foot or by bike. I sit down in the café and have a coffee before the group starts. Even changing clothes is a sporting performance in itself, Lakervi says.

– Spending time in the changing room and catching up together is an important part of it too.

Three seniors are standing outside in their winter coats, chatting. — Erkki Lakervi, Mirja Lumia and Päivi Petäjä consider the city’s exercise groups to be an important service. They provide a pleasant rhythm to a pensioner’s week and encourage people to get out of the house.

A wide range of exercisers involved

Exercise entered Erkki Lakervi’s life in middle age. Cycling and skiing trips have been favourites of his, but these have gradually come to an end as he has grown older. Weekly exercise groups are now important to him.

– I started at a more demanding level and have gradually moved towards something lighter as I’ve aged.

The city’s sports services organise exercise groups at different levels, supervised gym sessions and water aerobics for all Tampere residents aged over 65. Marika Mäkipää emphasises that it is never too late to start exercising and looking after your own wellbeing.

– From our exercise groups, everyone can find a suitable option based on physical fitness, not age, Mäkipää says.

Mirja Lumia has always been physically active. In addition to the balance group, she still goes to the gym every week. Päivi Petäjä, on the other hand, is among those who only discovered group exercise after retiring. She wants to encourage others to come along and give it a try.

– You can always come once just to see whether it’s your sort of thing or not.

A group of seniors in a bright gym doing gymnastics. — Erkki Lakervi is an active participant in the city’s exercise groups. He has been attending the balance group for five years.

It is never too late to start an active life

Work to promote health and wellbeing is carried out jointly by the city, the wellbeing services county and the voluntary sector. To ensure that everyone can find enjoyable exercise groups, the city also trains people from sports clubs to lead groups for those aged over 65.

Tuula Holappa, Executive Director of Nääsville Association, sees purposeful cooperation as a prerequisite for success.

– Each actor has its own important role in the field of promoting health and wellbeing, but our goals are shared, Holappa says.

Nääsville has been carrying out preventive work to promote the health and wellbeing of people over 65 for 25 years. The association is familiar to many through the outdoor exercise sessions it organises around Tampere. With support from the city of Tampere, the association runs the Salhojankatu gym and physiotherapists’ home-visit exercise counselling. The Tampere Channel’s exercise sessions and nutrition lectures, which residents can access freely, are also produced by Nääsville.

Holappa says that Nääsville’s physiotherapist can also be invited to visit, for example, a housing association. Together with the physiotherapist, residents can come up with ideas to get activities started, and one of them may then take on the role of group leader.

– We also train volunteers to lead exercise and brain-training groups. It is never too late to start an active life. When nutrition and physical activity are brought into balance, life can gain a completely new kind of joy and vitality, Holappa says.

What is the wellbeing plan?

The City of Tampere monitors the wellbeing of its residents using a variety of indicators. These have helped to identify the strengths of different age groups, as well as the challenges that undermine well-being.

The City of Tampere’s wellbeing plan brings together age group–specific objectives and examples of actions to promote the wellbeing of Tampere residents during the years 2026–2029. The city promotes wellbeing in cooperation with, among others, the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa and civil society organisations.