Joe Wicks inspires home care workers to keep fit in 12 hour fundraiser

The nation's keep fit guru Joe Wicks has inspired home care workers and their clients to begin a 12-hour exercise challenge to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society

Home care firm County Carers will host the virtual event dubbed ‘Elf Day’ with staff completing different exercises dressed as elves.

Taking place on Friday 4 December, the fundraising event will be live streamed via the County Carers Facebook page every hour from 8.30am until 8.30pm, with home care workers and the people they care for exercising over Zoom.

'We thought we'd copy' Joe Wicks

The care workers got inspired to boost their ‘elf’ after watching Joe Wicks’ 24-hour PE Challenge for Children in Need.

Eloise Wakeford, the founder and managing director of County Carers, said: “We saw Joe Wicks doing his 24 hour challenge for Children in Need and we thought we’d copy that. We always do something every year for Alzheimer’s Society.

“There’s nine of us on the management team who will also do it – but one’s heavily pregnant so she’ll be cheering us on.

"We’ve got a marquee so we can all be outside. We’ve been in a bubble and we have had no cases of COVID-19."

She added: “At least two people at any one time will be exercising continuously during the 12 hours. We will have different clients zooming in to exercise during the 12 hours.”

Dancing, yoga, skipping, cycling on exercise bikes, weight-lifting, treadmill running and high intensity interval training (HITT) are just some of the types of exercises taking place during the 12 hour event.

The care provider’s clients will be doing Joe Wicks’ workout for older people, with support from their home care worker, and will zoom into the virtual event to show their efforts.

Their actions will be seen during the live-streamed event via the County Carers Facebook page.

Joe Wicks has uploaded two 10 minute videos to his popular The Body Coach YouTube channel which are aimed at “seniors or for anyone looking for something a bit lighter.”

The first one is a shorter and less strenuous version of his daily PE lessons, and includes moves like marching and gentle boxing.

The second is a “chair exercises” lesson, and involves moves like shallow squatting onto a chair, and using a can of beans as light dumbbells.

Joe Wicks advises: “Take care when exercising and if you don't already exercise regularly take it slowly at first.”

Eloise Wakeford said: "Last year, we raised £1,400 for Alzheimer’s Society and we hope to beat that this year. “We have a target of £1,500 but we’d like to smash that and get £2,000.

“Especially at the moment because the charities are really struggling in the pandemic.”

County Carers is inviting home care workers and their clients who wish to join in and exercise on 4 December’s Elf Day, to get on the 12-hour timetable by contacting rebecca.king@countycarers.com

click here for more details or to contact County Carers Domiciliary & Live-In Care