Turning fitness into fun
Strong leaders pump up the workout with humour, camaraderie and shared sense of purpose
The fitness scene may have changed dramatically 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 easy. 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 it’s 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 fitness class leaders who manage to inspire no matter the season.
CAROLINE TANSWELL
“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.” — Caroline Tanswell
“L ive 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 >>
>> 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. That’s 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 experience, 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 regime 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 acknowledging 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,
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.”
BRENDA KLOCHNYK
“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 career 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 to 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 more 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 are no ordinary fitness classes. Walk 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 atmosphere. Some of the quietest people, it’s amazing how they come out of their shell. We call it a party on wheels.” >>
>> 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.
TRACY BLAKELY
“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.” — Tracy Blakely
It’s no easy task inspiring people to get fit and stay fit. But GoodLife’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 corefocused) — 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 instructor, 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 she’s always been active. She’s not only a dedicated fitness buff, 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 exercise 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.”