Former real estate agency director and Bachelor in Paradise star Conor Canning's gym, Personal Best Fitness, will run Forever Active PLUS exercise classes for older adults from November 2026, funded by Primary Health Tasmania and offered at no cost.
-- Personal Best Fitness, the North Hobart gym co-owned by entrepreneur and podcast host Conor Canning, will launch Forever Active PLUS in November 2026. The weekly exercise program for older adults is funded by Primary Health Tasmania and offered at no cost to participants.
Classes will run at Margate Hall on Mondays, the Claremont Girl Guide Hall on Wednesdays and the Personal Best Fitness studio in North Hobart on Fridays. The program is open to people aged 60 and over, and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 45 and over. Each participant completes a health assessment on joining and every six months after, so progress can be measured. Classes suit people managing arthritis, diabetes, heart conditions and balance problems, and are led by instructors with Level 4 fitness qualifications and specialist older-adult training. According to the federal Centre for Population, Tasmania remains Australia's oldest state.
"We've run senior classes for more than ten years and we've watched what it does to people," said Canning. "Mobility comes back, confidence comes back, and people who were isolated end up with a whole group of friends. We wanted more people to get that, not just the ones who can afford a gym membership."
Two of the gym's longest-standing members are the program's ambassadors. Julie, 79, had never set foot in a gym until she joined the seniors classes after the death of her husband, Ray. She credits the group with supporting her through that period, and says her doctor recently remarked on how much her mobility had improved. Barb, 71, has trained at the gym for years and says she notices the difference in her mood and mobility whenever she takes time off.
"We're not trying to turn 75-year-olds into athletes," said Canning. "We're trying to keep people on their feet and out of hospital. Most of the people who need this most won't walk into a gym on their own, so we're taking the classes to community halls instead."
Personal Best Fitness has operated in North Hobart since 1998. In August it won the Customer Service Excellence Award at the inaugural Greater Hobart Small Business Excellence Awards, chosen from 21 finalists. Canning also co-owns Health & Leisure, a fitness equipment retailer founded in 1992 that carries the largest range of gym equipment in Tasmania. It supplies commercial gyms and hotels and works with customers from beginners to Olympic athletes.
Before moving into fitness and small business, Canning built an award-winning real estate career. He rose to agency director and won the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania's Large Residential Agency of the Year. He became known to national audiences on Channel Ten's Bachelor in Paradise, where he met his now-wife, Mary Viturino. The couple are raising five children together. He has also appeared in Deadloch, the Amazon Original series that reached the top 10 on Prime Video in more than 165 countries.
"Being in the public eye brings blessings and challenges in equal measure," said Canning. "When you stumble, and I stumbled, there is nowhere to hide. I lost everything. Once the storm cleared I came out a better person, more resilient and grateful for every lesson. Fitness was the foundation that got me through, and that is why this program matters so much to me."
During that period Canning supported JCP Youth's mentoring programs and worked with Anglicare supporting people experiencing homelessness. He serves as a board director of Kids Safe.
His wider work centres on helping Australian small business owners succeed. Through his work with Peninsula AU, Australia's largest provider of employment relations and HR services, he meets business owners every day. He hosts The Better Business Podcast with Conor Canning and publishes The HR Edge, a LinkedIn newsletter read by thousands of subscribers. His combined social audience is nearly 50,000.
"Small business owners are the backbone of this economy," said Canning. "Personal Best is a small business doing what small businesses do best, which is looking after its community. That is the story I tell on the podcast, and it is the one I get to live every day at the gym."
Registrations for Forever Active PLUS are open now by phone or email, and participants can also attend on the day once classes begin. More from Conor Canning is available at personalbestfitness.com.au.
About Personal Best Fitness
Personal Best Fitness has operated in North Hobart since 1998, offering strength training, group classes and seniors programs. It won the Customer Service Excellence Award at the 2026 Greater Hobart Small Business Excellence Awards and is listed on the COTA Tasmania service directory. Its Forever Active PLUS program is funded by Primary Health Tasmania.
About Conor Canning
Conor Canning is an Australian entrepreneur, content creator and small business advocate. A former real estate agency director, he is known to television audiences from Bachelor in Paradise and Amazon Prime Video's Deadloch. He co-owns Personal Best Fitness and Health & Leisure, works with Peninsula AU, hosts The Better Business Podcast with Conor Canning, publishes The HR Edge newsletter and serves as a board director of Kids Safe.
Contact Info:
Name: Conor Canning
Email: Send Email
Organization: Personal Best Fitness
Address: Australia
Website: https://www.personalbestfitness.com.au/
Release ID: 89208855
If there are any problems, discrepancies, or queries related to the content presented in this press release, we kindly ask that you notify us immediately at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our responsive team will be available round-the-clock to address your concerns within 8 hours and take necessary actions to rectify any identified issues or support you with press release takedowns. Ensuring accurate and trustworthy information is our unwavering commitment.
