And we thought sweatbands were just for 80’s fancy dress??

The past couple of weeks it seems that summer is suddenly upon us! (Let’s hope this isn’t all we get) The shorts are out and the flip-flops on, and many of us are beginning the quest to ‘get fit for summer’… again. So what sports activities and facilities do students in Liverpool have access to?

If you like to jog, cycle, ‘kick-about’, or if your favourite price is £free then we have some fantastic parks such as Sefton, Calderstones, Greenbank and Princes park, right on the doorstep of much of the cities student accommodation. You could even consider setting yourself a goal and training towards one of Liverpool’s annual runs like the October marathon, The Mersey Tunnel 10k, or the famous ‘Santa Dash’ in December. Find out more about running clubs and events at runliverpool.org.uk.

Liverpool has some great leisure facilities, both government run and private, but a great option for students is to see what their own Universities have on offer. Gym Membership inside of your University will usually beat any deals you’ll find outside, and Liverpool University, John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University all have membership schemes available as well as, in some cases, pay as you go options. Plus, Liverpool and John Moores both have their own swimming pools too!

If you find that your on-campus facilities don’t quite fit your requirements have a look at other options such as the government run lifestyles centres liverpool.gov.uk. Lifestyles offer a special student membership price of £21.20 per month, and that gives you full access to all 15 centres across Liverpool. There are of course more expensive privately run gyms too, such as Greens, LA Fitness and David Lloyd – for those of us feeling especially flush…anyone?

A fun way to maintain your fitness is to start classes. Most gyms also offer a timetable of dance, fitness, martial arts and wellbeing classes, and enjoying your fitness regime will help you stick to it. You don’t always have to be a member to go along to sports centre classes, so it’s worth checking, and regular classes also take places in other venues such as Merseyside Dance Institution mdi.org.uk, or The Black-e, both city centre.

Have a hot, healthy, happy summer everyone!