turning fitness into fun
DESCRIPTION
Fitness feature - Grand MagazineTRANSCRIPT
JULY | AUGUST 2014 GRAND 71
Strong leaders pump up the workout with humour, camaraderie and shared sense of purpose
TurningfitnessBy Nancy HarperPhotograhy • Tomasz Adamski
The fitness scene may have changed dra
matically since Jane Fonda strapped on her
trademark leotard and leg warmers, teased
up her hair and asked us to feel the burn,
and yet some things never change.
One is the stampede to the gym in the first
weeks of each new year. The other is the
tendency to fall off the bandwagon just as
quickly when life gets in the way.
Thomas Edison was almost certainly right
about genius being one-per-cent inspiration
and 99-per-cent perspiration, and the same
holds true for fitness. Inspiration is eas . It’s
the ongoing perspiration that’s tough to take.
So what is it that makes some people stay
the course while others skulk back to the
comforts of the recliner, the TV and the
potato chips?
Some fitness enthusiasts believe its group
exercise — and the personal magic of the
group leader — that keeps us toeing the
line, even in winter when it’s dark and
cold and 6 a.m.
Here are three examples of local fitnes
class leaders who manage to inspire no
matter the season.
Caroline T answell “I think people come together to do a
class because they want to be connected
to other people. It’s the one place in the
world where you’re really not judged by
what you do, how much money you earn,
how big your house is. Everybody’s on an
equal playing field.” — Ca oline Tanswell
“Live your life and forget your
age” is more than just a catchy
phrase for Caroline Tanswell. It’s
a philosophy to live by.
Caroline has been a volunteer fitness
instructor at the YMCA for a whopping
31 years, starting back in the 1980s when
high-impact aerobics and Olivia Newton-
John soundtracks were de rigeur.
She’s YMCA to the core, and her home
turf is a bit like Cheers — the kind of place
where everybody knows your name.
“It’s a whole community of people and >>
into fun
Caroline Tanswell leads classes at the A.R. Kaufman Family YMCA in Kitchener as well as Club Willowells in Waterloo.
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>> that’s what I love,” Tanswell says. “I
think people come together to do a class
because they want to be connected to other
people. It’s the one place in the world where
you’re really not judged by what you do,
how much money you earn, how big your
house is. Everybody’s on an equal playing
field. Thats the “Y” for me.”
For Tanswell and her loyal band of
followers, the phenomenon of group
exercise is so much more than a workout.
They have cake when it’s someone’s
birthday, sing out loud to their favourite
songs, mark life’s big events together, and
console each other during the hard times.
“I think it’s about knowing people and
making people feel welcome, trying to
make them feel part of the group,” Tanswell
says. “I’m a ‘Y’ person. That’s my experi-
ence, that’s my love, that’s my passion.
For me, it’s about being with people and
helping people be the best they can be. I
always tell my class, ‘This is my class and
I’m just here to guide you. It’s my privilege
to be teaching you and I’m thrilled that I
can walk that journey with you.’
“And it’s wonderful to see an 80-year-old
and an 18-year-old in the same cycle class.”
Tanswell, who also heads classes at Club
Willowells in Waterloo, is savvy enough
to know that getting motivated to start a
fitness egime is one thing, but sticking
with it is a different thing altogether. That’s
why she tries to inspire her students by
creating “a community of spirit.”
“It’s about recognizing spirit and acknowl-
edging that people are getting up that early
in the morning to come to a class, and it
better be something they enjoy, because if
it’s not fun, they’re not going to be there for
long,” she says.
“I always say, ‘Don’t come on full steam.’
It’s about gauging it and doing it slowly so
that you’re not so sore you can’t go back
to the gym the next day. It’s giving yourself
permission to take a day off if you need to.
It’s also about making those connections so
you don’t feel quite so isolated.”
Not getting results right away is one of
the main reasons people end up quitting.
But the critical thing to remember, Tanswell
says, is that nothing happens overnight.
“It’s a long process. You didn’t put weight
on that fast, so it’s not going to come off
that fast. The better aim is not ‘I need to
lose 20 pounds,’ it’s ‘I’m going to the gym
because I need to feel better and as I start to
feel better, I’ll start to look better.”
Her ultimate key to sticking with it? “You
want to be healthy, you want to age well,
Having fun is a given in popular classes, even at 6 a.m. Brenda Klochnyk shows how it’s done at the Athletic Club, where a medical theme celebrates two nurses’ retirements.
you want to look good, you want to feel
good. There’s lots of new trends, lots of new
ideas. But in order to stay the course it has
to be about what’s inside you and what you
want to achieve.”
Brend a Klo Chny K“Some of the quietest people, it’s
amazing how they come out of their shell.
We call it a party on wheels.”
— Brenda Klochnyk
With Tanswell as her mentor,
Brenda Klochnyk began her own
decades-long fitness ca eer as a
volunteer instructor at the Y.
These days, she teaches spin and trekking
(30 minutes of super-tough interval training
on a treadmill) at the Athletic Club in
Waterloo.
Her philosophy is pretty simple: fitness
should be fun because if it’s not, nobody
will stick with it.
Brenda’s 39-bike spin class is often filled t
capacity, and she considers the people on the
bikes much more than her students.
“When I teach a class, it’s not just me
putting on music and people doing the drills
and the room is silent,” Klochnyk says. “It’s
interaction all the way. These people know
each other. I’ve met so many people in these
fitness classes. In my mind, the mo e people
you can meet in this world and the more
friends you have, the better life is going to be.
“Everybody welcomes everybody else.
Fitness for me is like my extended family.”
Clearly it’s a philosophy that keeps her loyal
students coming back for more — and not
just because they want to stay fit. These a e
no ordinary fitness classes. alk in when it’s
someone’s birthday — or there’s a big day
coming like Christmas, Halloween or Easter
— and there’ll be cake, balloons, and dozens
of bikes festooned with bunny ears, deer
antlers, whatever the season calls for.
“At Wednesday spin, we have ‘share
the class’ day,” Klochnyk says. “I’ll have
someone pick a song and teach a drill to
that song. It’s such a supportive atmo-
sphere. Some of the quietest people, it’s
amazing how they come out of their shell.
We call it a party on wheels.” >>
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74 GRAND JULY | AUGUST 2014 JULY | AUGUST 2014 GRAND 75
>> Party days are so popular, in fact, that
even for a 6 a.m. class people will arrive 20
minutes early to make sure they get a bike.
“Fitness is just so important in every
way — physically, mentally. It’s just such
an important part of your life, or it should
be,” Klochnyk adds. “And I think there’s
something to be said about being the best
you can be. There’s too much emphasis on
what you should be, not what you can be.
As long as you’re doing the best you can,
that’s the best you can be.”
As for the trends in fitness, yoga may
never be lost (after all, it’s been around for
more than 5,000 years), and even step class
is having a resurgence. There are so many
options these days, there’s really no excuse
not to exercise.
“Things go through phases, but things
come back again just like clothing going in
and out of style,” Klochnyk says.
Tra Cy Bla Kel y “You really get to know the people you’re
working out with. You hold each account-
able. When you get a room full of people
and they’re hooting and hollering, I don’t
think there’s any better motivation than
that to keep going.” — Tracy Blakely
It’s no easy task inspiring people to get
fit and stay fit. But GoodLif s Tracy
Blakely knows the winning formula:
make it fun and make it fit your lifestyle
Blakely works full time for GoodLife and
oversees the area’s group exercise program
and its instructors. She leads classes in
three GoodLife locations.
She’s certified to teach BodyPump, RPM
(spin), BodyCombat (mixed martial arts)
and CXWorx (sports-inspired and core-
focused) — all part of the ultra-popular,
pre-choreographed Les Mills group fitness
programs being taught in 15,000 clubs in
more than 80 countries.
Blakely puts the phenomenon of group
exercise down to the energy that emanates
from a small space filled with people
working toward the same thing.
Call it the power of much more than one.
“I honestly love what I do and I think that
comes out when I teach,” Blakely says. “I
care about the members achieving their
goals and I think because I live a healthy
lifestyle and I’m in shape, that’s inspiring
to people. They can see that it does work.
I’ve been in that place before where I
wasn’t in the best shape and I started doing
BodyPump, so I know what these classes
can do for people.”
When Blakely recently asked a group of
her students why they keep coming back to
her, they teasingly said, “It’s the music!”
“They tell me it’s so hard,” she says. “But
that is the best compliment you can give
me. They don’t come for ‘easy.’ They come
for results and the fact I’m doing that for
them is pretty great.”
As a group fitness instructo , Blakely gets
that the intimidation factor can leave people
feeling like they’re in over their head,
particularly in the weight room.
That’s why group exercise — as opposed
to braving the weight room alone — is a
great way to start.
“It is way more fun to work out in a
group,” Blakely says. “The music provides
the energy. And you really get to know the
people you’re working out with. You hold
each accountable. When you get a room full
of people and they’re hooting and hollering,
I don’t think there’s any better motivation
than that to keep going.
“Sometimes when you’re working out
alone, it gets tough and you just skip it.
When you get into a group environment, you
think, they’ll notice if I try to sneak out.”
At 35, Blakely has now been teaching for
five years, but shes always been active. She’s
not only a dedicated fitness bu f, but last
fall she became a competitive bodybuilder.
Her best advice? Know that it’s a lifestyle —
and not one that begins and ends in the gym.
“You have to commit to a better lifestyle,
which really does start in the kitchen,” she
says. “You can be very dedicated in the
gym. If you’re not dedicated outside the
gym, you’re counter-balancing everything
— and a lot of people aren’t ready for that.
Finding the balance is key. Keep it healthy,
live the lifestyle, but let yourself have the
treats. It’s about finding that balance.”
Blakely also recommends that newbies try
everything before settling into a routine at
the gym.
“Maybe they come to that one RPM class
that really kicks their butt,” she says.
“Maybe they have a desk job and they’re
really tired at the end of the day, so maybe
try those early mornings or maybe get to
the gym in that 30 minutes at lunch. I’d say
try everything and find an exe cise program
that’s fun.
“It shouldn’t feel like a chore to go the
gym. That’s what’s so great about our
classes: they’re fun and people want to be
there.”
Tracy Blakely, who leads several types of fitness classes at GoodLife, is also a competitive body builder.
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