The holiday season is drawing to a close: that means the baubles can go back in the bottom drawer for another year, and maybe you’re using the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and commit to a New Year’s Resolution. If that’s the case, we’re here to help, with our list of all the best places in Kings Heath to look after your body, mind and soul.
Fitness
Some people choose to start going to the gym in the new year, and here in Kings Heath, we have no shortage of fitness institutions for you to get back into fitness.
The Gym Group is open 24/7 and offers membership from £13.99, which also gives you access to their other gyms around the country.
The Foundry Gym (above Poundland) is also open 24/7, and has the option to pay per session (£7) if you don’t go often. Their annual membership works out at £20.84 per month. The gym features weights, strength training and cardio equipment.
Sports Direct Fitness offers a gym and pool for £20 per month, and you can try it out for free with their free day passes, to see whether their gym suits you.
If you’re less of a gym rat and prefer to get your exercise in some alternative way, there are plenty of options for that as well.
CDCDance offer dance classes for all ages, including Zumba and a DanceFit class for new mothers, as well as classes for children with discounts for siblings.
CircusMASH offer circus arts classes for all ages. You can take the opportunity to perform on the trapeze, silks and more, and stay fit at the same time.
The Karma Centre offers Yoga classes for all ages and levels of experience. As well as your physical health, they can help you look after your mental, emotional and spiritual health with their Mindfulness and Counselling, and even help you learn a language with classes in Sanskrit.
Nutrition
There are plenty of shops on the High Street that offer nutrition products and services to keep your body healthy in the new year.
Ginseng Tang offer traditional Chinese herbal remedies, as well as acupuncture and other traditional medicinal services to keep you healthy. The practice is registered with Birmingham City Council for acupuncture and has been active on the High Street for over 15 years.
Shiffa Home offer herbal products and remedies of all kinds, from essences and tablets to natural skin- and haircare products. Their wares are imported from Turkey from 100% natural ingredients and they offer free consultation on how to make best use of their products as well.
Holland and Barrett are a high street staple, offering vitamins, supplements, health foods and natural beauty products of all kinds. They can help you achieve your New Year’s goals and keep your body going with natural nutritional supplements.
Wellbeing in Kingsfield Road are online only, offering a similar range of natural healthcare products, and if you can’t get to the high street 9-5, this is a great shop-local alternative!
Looking after your health
New Year is the perfect time to see if you need to get your eyes or ears checked. The NHS recommends you get your eyes tested every 2 years, so if you haven’t been in a while, now might be the perfect time. Luckily, there are several places you can get your eyes checked in Kings Heath.
If you do end up getting a new pair of glasses, your old ones can be donated to the Lions Club, where they will be given to people who need them around the world, and recycling of scrap material will be used to support eye health related projects in the UK and across the world.
On the High Street there are Specsavers, Boots Opticians and Scrivens opticians, whilst on Institute Road, there is Portland Opticians, who specialise in diabetic eye screening and glaucoma screening. On Poplar Road we have the local community opticians, Seesaw.
Both Scrivens and Specsavers also offer adult hearing tests, and are also able to offer free NHS hearing tests. It’s recommended that all over 40s get a hearing check done every year, while under 40s are recommended to have one every other year.
The NHS also recommend visiting a dentist once per year. If this is something that’s slipped your mind recently, why not visit the local Bupa Dental Clinic on the High Street or All Saints Dental in All Saints Centre? They offer both NHS and private dental services, for general care, cosmetic and orthodontic care and more.
Veganuary
Whether it’s your first time trying it out or you’re a veteran vegetarian, eating a plant-based diet isn’t a chore in Kings Heath! Here are some of our top picks for eating vegan in Kings Heath:
Plant ‘n’ Plate on the Parade on the High Street is an entirely plant-based restaurant, café and bar, serving all sorts of vegan food including breakfasts, burgers, bao buns and more! Perfect for lunch or a bite to eat with coffee, you can even get vegan pale ale from the Birmingham Brewery there!
Loco Lounge offers an entire vegan menu, featuring meat-free variations on their classic dishes, as well as entirely different recipes such as their falafel flatbread. If you want somewhere you can go for a meal with a carnivore, it might just be the place for you.
Dry January
If you’re trying your hand at Dry January this year, but still want to go for a beer after work, you could try a non-alcoholic beer! Pubs in the local area such as The Station, The Hare and Hounds and The Old Court, as well as our independent bars on York Road such as The Juke and Schooners have non-alcoholic options for the sober among you.
New Job
If you’re looking to switch careers this year, you can visit the Jobcentre Plus on Institute Rd where you can receive advice and guidance for finding a job.
We’ve also got a list of jobs in the local area on our website, which you can see here.
Or, if you’re looking to get involved in some charity work, you could pick up some volunteering. The BID are always in need of volunteers to keep the planters on the High Street neat and tidy, whilst the Litter Pickers are looking for new volunteers to clean up the streets, and charity shops on the High Street could always do with a helping hand.
