As a university student, keeping up with your fitness is an important part of maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can help reduce stress, boost memory and positively impact your mental health.
For students living in Brisbane, you are lucky to have year-round great weather and a city offering so many options for fitness and exercise. Here is our helpful guide for getting fit (or fitter) in Brisbane!
Gyms
Australia has seen a steady increase in new gym and fitness centres in recent years. For 24-hour gyms you can search for chains like Anytime Fitness, Jetts Gyms and Snap Fitness.
These gyms have many locations throughout Brisbane and offer discounts for students like 10% off or no joining fees (make sure you bring your student ID with you when signing up).
Before you sign up to any gym, make sure you ask staff about student discounts and free trials. Many gyms in Brisbane are franchised, meaning discounts and deals will vary depending on the specific location you sign up at!
Outdoor activities
Gyms are a great way to stay fit, but with Brisbane’s amazing weather, many people would prefer to exercise in the great outdoors. If you are a runner or cycler you have many trails and tracks like Mt Coot-tha trails and the Brisbane Riverwalk track.
Brisbane also hosts a variety of yearly events like triathlons, the Bridge to Brisbane run, as well as True Grit – an annual event where you take on a military-inspired obstacle course. You can enter as an individual or a team and train for the event each year.
More than 170 parks in the city also have free-to-use exercise equipment.
Group classes and community fitness
Being part of a community can really help you stay consistent with your fitness goals. If you are looking for group fitness, you can try Total Fusion or F45 which host a variety of group classes with a flexible schedule.
If you are looking to make friends and stay fit, check out Unfit Run Club. The club was established by a group of friends as a way to stay fit and connected during COVID-19.
It has now blossomed into a thriving community of 300 + runners of all abilities who meet for a run on Saturday mornings finishing at a local cafe. They also meet for a run on Thursday afternoons ending at a local brewery.
Other great options for community fitness are:
- Urban Climb – a community of rock climbing and bouldering enthusiasts.
- Mad Dance House – adult dance classes in a variety of styles from ballet to hip hop.
- Brisbane Rooftop Yoga – a yoga community established to connect neighbours and stay fit.
Sports clubs and university societies
An important part of Australian culture is the love for sport. Community clubs are located all throughout Brisbane in every sport you can think of from AFL to cricket, soccer and more.
Getting involved in a local club is a great way to make friends and stay fit as many adult leagues offer weekly training sessions and games.
There are also social sports facilities like Brisbane Indoor Sports that hold weekly leagues for netball, basketball, beach volleyball, cricket and dodgeball.
Another option is to find sports clubs through your university. On open days, and on the university website you can find information about societies and clubs organised through the student body. For more information check out:
