Published on Tuesday, 23 September 2025 at 11:58:42 AM

A regular in our aqua classes, Michel has been getting in the pool come rain, hail or shine!

We spoke to her about why she loves the pool and why more people should try aqua fitness.

How long have you been a member and what made you start coming? 

I've been a member since 2014. 

We moved from the northern suburbs to North Perth, and when we first arrived, the pool was closed because they had renovations. I thought, oh, that's good, I don't have to go because I don't want anyone to see me in my bathers! I remember my doctor saying, no one's looking at you!

As soon as it opened again, I had to come because I'd had Ross River virus, I'd also had breast cancer, and I thought, I've got to get in and do something and stop wallowing.

Ross River hit me hard for months. It was like rheumatoid arthritis times 20. When you got up from bed and your legs, the pain going through your shins.

The joints, every joint, it was awful, but then other people have got it, and they've never had an issue, so it's crazy. So I thought, let's do this, so that's what I did. 

What has your exercise journey been like?

Over the years, I've done boot camps and gyms, but it's never been for me.

I'm not that sort of person, I like being out in the water. Actually, it's the first exercise I've ever done that I enjoy.

I initially booked 20 aqua classes to see how it was, and thought, right, I'll become a member. 

I came home, I said, I finally found something that I can go back to, because I'm not a big exercise person.

I generally do four classes a week. On a Monday, I'll often do two.

I like Aqua Zumba and Aqua HIIT. It's good to keep your mind active as well, you know. Got to fight off Alzheimer's and dementia.

I also do dancing twice a week and I walk the dog. 

Are there any social benefits for you?

Yes, there is. Everybody knows each other, and Sally, who's been a long-time member, she organises a lunch every so often.

So, we do that, and generally, sometimes we stop once a week and have a coffee.

Some of us have also formed a WhatsApp group. 

What would you say to anyone – any age or gender – considering aqua classes? 

It's not just for old ladies! It's a challenging, energetic workout. 

And people, when they do come, they love it.

It's great resistance with the water. Sometimes I use the noodles or the weights, which you can really feel in the water. I noticed a huge difference in my arms last year

Plus, it’s fantastic in all weather.

Yesterday, the steam was coming off the pool. It was so beautiful.

And the sun was peeping through the clouds and we're there thinking, wow. It was gorgeous. We've done it in hail. We've done it in torrential rain. We're in the water and we're wet anyway. And in the summer, it’s beautiful. You get your exercise done before the peak of the heat. 

I often lie on my back and look at the sky and think, how lucky am I? And I say to everyone, aren't we lucky that we can do this? 

What’s kept you coming back for 11 years? 

It's close and I really enjoy it. Everybody’s so nice here. It's just a lovely atmosphere.

It is a very beautiful centre in the city. The fact that we're in the city and you've got a bit of grass, you've got the beautiful pools, but then it's the open scape as well.

In the summer there’s so many people and it feels like a resort, everyone on the sun loungers. If we happen to be doing aqua and the instructor plays Latin American music, we feel like we're in the Caribbean. We just need to have a walk-up bar serving cocktails!

It's great for kids. It's great for parents, grandparents. Because then there's that opportunity to burn off some energy. Our son spent a lot of time here over this, because he came for Christmas. Him and his partner were outside sunning all the time. 

I bring my granddaughter when she visits. She's six. The first time I took her, she wouldn't get out of the pool. My son had to put her over his shoulder, screaming and yelling all the way walking home. She didn't want to leave!

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