WEST SIDE RESIDENTS KICK OFF EIGHT-WEEK HEALTH AND FITNESS CHALLENGE WITH GARFIELD PARK GROUP
A few West Side residents added something fast and furious to their Monday evening routine on this week: a cardio kickboxing class.
The 20 adults are among those taking part in an eight-week health and fitness challenge starting this week in Garfield Park.
Each week includes two fitness classes, a healthy cooking class and a group therapy session. It’s hosted by the Garfield Park Community Council’s Rite to Wellness Campaign.
The full program costs $5 for all eight weeks, and all 20 slots already have been filled.
At the start, those 20 people had several health indicators measured, including blood pressure, blood glucose levels and body circumference.
At the end, they will check their progress — though Rivers added it wasn’t a “biggest loser” challenge.
“It’s about healthy living, and that looks different for everybody,” she said.
Organizers hope to buck some health trends on the West Side; adults in both East and West Garfield Park experience some of the highest rates of physical inactivity compared to anywhere else in the city, according to the Chicago Health Atlas.
“The main thing about this challenge is, it’s all about Garfield Park and Chicago residents figuring out a way to live healthy lifestyles for them,” said Seobia Rivers, the woman running the program.
Even those not able to take part in the full program can still participate; the fitness classes are open to the public, and free, though donations to Rite to Wellness are accepted. Classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. through Nov. 16 at the Garfield Fieldhouse, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
The cooking classes will be held at the Hatchery in Garfield Park and therapy sessions via Zoom.
On Mondays, Rivers — cofounder of a gym in Pilsen — will alternate between a cardio kickboxing course and a circuit training course; on Wednesdays, certified yoga instructor Jasmin Graham will alternate between yoga and
jump rope cardio classes.
Graham, a West Side native, said many in the community have long had to go to the North Side or Near West Side to take those kinds of classes. When she was getting certified, she couldn’t find any courses close to home.
“For me, born and raised in West Garfield Park, I’ve never known
anything specifically geared toward the health and wellness of the community like this.”