fitness

Meet the entrepreneur opening a boutique workout studio downtown

September 11, 2019 By Dayton937

Looking for a quick, efficient group workout downtown? Lindsey Deck wants her new workout studio, Third Space Fitness, to be just the spot.

Lindsey is building out a boutique fitness studio in the St. Clair Lofts with plans to launch classes in September. Classes offered will include barre, TRX and dance cardio.

Attorney at Taft Law, wife and mother, Lindsey knows how important it is to take care of yourself — and how important it is for those workouts to be time-efficient & require a limited commute.

“As a mom, I take better care of my daughters if I take care of myself,” she said. “But I’ve got to get in, get out and get home.”

Lindsey has been taking group fitness classes since she was a teenager. She likes the community atmosphere & the variety of workouts that hit flexibility, cardio and strength all in one.

“I don’t want to go into the gym and have to figure it out,” she said. “I want to be told what to do, see friends, then go home.”

Lindsey first dreamed of someday owing her own studio when she was in law school in St. Paul, Minnesota. After returning to Dayton, as she started to look for the perfect studio location, she kept being drawn back downtown, where she works.

“I’ve been living in Dayton since I was 6 years old, and I’m super excited about everything going on downtown,” she said. “I feel like a proud parent, I get so excited whenever there is good news about Dayton. I am thrilled we found a spot downtown.”

Her studio offerings will complement other fitness offerings in the downtown area, such as yoga, cross fit, weight lifting, cycling and boxing, she said — & maybe someday, these studios will join forces for a membership that allows people to tap into them all, she added.

In the meantime, she blames her father for her entrepreneurial goals. A general contractor, he launched his business when Lindsey was in elementary school.

“I kept waiting for that feeling to go away, but when I finally talked to my dad, he understood it, this nagging,” she recalled. “It’s very cool to create something of your own.”

Stay tuned on Instagram thirdspacedayton for the latest as Lindsey gets her studio up & running.

Workout outdoors with new fitness startup Honey Active

August 21, 2019 By Dayton937

Heather Allen

Heather Allen has weights, jump ropes and a bluetooth speaker — and she’ll travel to a park near you.

Heather is the founder of Honey Active, recently launched outdoor fitness startup. She leads outdoor group fitness classes in Dayton parks, and offers personal training and corporate fitness event services.

“I like showing people new spots — places they don’t think to workout,” she said. “You really can do it anywhere, and I’m proving that to people.”

Heather is an accountant-turned-fitness guru. She actually got into fitness, specifically running, after her first busy accounting season. A former cheerleader and soccer player, she had always been active, until that that stretch of 60- to 70-hour work weeks behind the desk.

“I started feeling slow and groggy and icky,” she recalled. “So I signed up for a marathon to motivate myself.”

She got addicted to running after that, she added with a laugh.

A few years ago, she helped start an accountability group with a few friends to talk about wellness. The group wound up deciding to do weekly workouts together, and Heather found herself organizing those workouts at Riverscape Metro Park.

Soon, people outside the original accountability group started showing up for the workout classes, so she rented Knack Creative’s Studio 42 and began holding training classes on the side. Requests from personal and corporate clients soon followed.

Sweat Bee is a boot camp style class that is 45 minutes of hard work.

Heather quit her day job and went full-time with Honey Active in March. She runs the bulk of her outdoor group classes at Oak & Ivy Park in the Wright Dunbar neighborhood she calls home. She hasn’t decided what her winter season will look like yet — if she’ll build out a studio or just find a big, open space.

“What drives me is helping people be more confident and energized,” she said. “I’m helping people find a healthy lifestyle, not chase fad diets. It gives me energy, helping others in this specific way, doing something I love and sharing it with people.”

She’s grateful she experienced those periods of inactivity because it helps her relate to her clients, she said.

“I believe in discipline, but I’m not no-excuses,” Heather said. “Life happens, we deal with it, then we move on and build.”

The desire to convey this sentiment shows in her company name — Honey is for natural, local; Active is for fitness, she said.

“I wanted the brand to reflect who I am,” she said. “A little fun, a little cheeky, and I don’t really like rules.”

Your Television is Killing You

December 16, 2015 By Jason Harrison

My wife and I recently watched Jessica Jones, the extraordinary television series on Netflix. The show is weighty, dark, funny, thought-provoking, and fun. I’d read commentary about the female-driven superhero series from people I respect, and the show did not disappoint.

Once we finished Jessica Jones, we couldn’t help but watch another Marvel property on Netflix, Daredevil. If you’re counting that’s roughly 28 hours of television that we binge-watched in a manner of a few weeks. Great for keeping up with the zeitgeist and relaxing.

Terrible for almost everything else.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey (based on 2014 data and released in July 2015), Americans watched television for an average of almost three hours per day. There were weekend days during our Marvel/Netflix binge-watching extravaganza during which we exceeded this average.

Probably the excuse I hear from people who don’t work out and don’t cook at home is lack of time. You see where I’m going with this television thing, right?

The only way to think about health and wellness is this: if you’re not exercising at all and not cooking most of your meals at home, then you have no time to watch television.

If you care at all about your lifelong health and quality of life, then you should construct your daily calendar along these priorities (in this order).

1.) Sleep — Block off 7 to 8 hours

2.) Nutrition — Schedule your grocery trips and build in time for food prep and cleanup.

3.) Exercise — When, where, and how will you be working out?

If you listed your top five priorities based on where you spend your time and what you do most consistently, what would that list look like? For many of the people I coach, initially that list looks something like this:

1.) Work

2.) Television

3.) Social media/online time

4.) Eating out

Candidly, I don’t often attack people’s television habits head on. I tiptoe my way toward the topic, even when I know right away that the person I’m coaching is watching hours of television. I’m wary because hearing that one watches too much television feels like the worst kind of judgmental and condescending rebuke. That’s a recipe for shame—not exactly the kind of relationship I like to have with my clients.

And yet I cannot escape the truth. The amount of television you’re currently watching might actually be detrimental to your health. Those few weeks of binge-watching decreased the amount I cooked, decreased the amount of sleep that I got, and decreased my level of readiness for work.

The difficult thing for someone trying to balance a healthy lifestyle with living a textured existence is we’ve never been in an era with more interesting choices on television. Very good television, like good literature, has the capacity to make us more empathetic, thoughtful souls. That’s not a bad thing. So I’m not here to tell you to give up television completely. But here are some guidelines you can use to make sure that your TV-watching habits don’t interfere with your health.

1.) Cut the cord: Getting rid of your 200+ channels will go a long way toward helping you eliminate the mindless flipping of channels that can suck away an evening better spent cooking, talking, and having sex. You’ll have to be more intentional about your TV-watching choices (by paying specifically for shows on services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu), which is exactly what you’re after. Cut away the fat.

2.) Don’t binge: Shows like Mad Men, Jessica Jones, and Breaking Bad demand binge-watching. Establish a rule for yourself or your house that you’ll never watch more than one show in a row. That way you can grab an hour in front of the television to unwind without losing hours of your life.

3.) Quality over quantity: Empty TV calories like terrible mid-season NBA basketball and HGTV reruns featuring wealthy people complaining about the backsplash in $500,000 homes are the equivalent of drinking Kool-Aid for lunch. Your time is better spent elsewhere (I promise).

If you have a team, then watch your team. Check out the Bengals’ game on Sunday, but don’t watch the 1 o’clock, 4 o’clock, and 8 o’clock games.
If you like using television to unwind, choose a show and watch it. But don’t binge, and don’t just turn on HGTV and let some house-flipping show lull you into a drone-like consumeristic sugar coma.

Don’t Read The News If You’re Trying To Get Fit

December 2, 2015 By Jason Harrison

The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times do what they do well, which is report the news on a range of political, economic, international, and social topics. But most newspapers fail consistently to accurately report about fitness. The New York Times–my go-to news source–does a particularly poor job of informing without confusing when it comes to fitness because of its reliance upon academic studies to drive so much of its reporting. My guess is that most people turn to the Times not because they’re interested in the latest science, but because they’re trying to get fit. So we ought to judge the paper’s reporting on the efficacy of the advice offered.

On the face of it, randomized control trials are the lifeblood of learning. Some people consider RCT’s the gold standard of clinical research because their design allows for a control group against which to study a hypothesis. But fitness isn’t something that’s studied to the same degree as say, cancer, so it make sense to view the most recent studies as one tiny blip on a long continuum of developing knowledge.

I’d go so far as to argue that strength coaches working with athletes usually figure things out in the field first before academia confirms a finding. The former governor of California, also known as Arnold Schwarzenegger, is widely considered the greatest bodybuilder ever to walk the planet. He developed his training methods in the late-60s and early 70s, well before exercise science had developed into the sophisticated academic discipline it is today. But researchers have found evidence that his methods, once derided as “bro science,” had a basis in real science whether he knew it at that time or not. All Schwarzenegger knew is that his methods worked in his own lab. The gym. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge here that some of his success came from real labs. He’s an admitted steroid user. The fact remains that Arnold’s methods for building muscle worked and have been confirmed by modern fitness experts.

Think about it this way. There are thousands of coaches and trainers out there who’ve been actually helping people get fit for many years. While they aren’t academics, the best coaches and trainers are in business to get results either for their sports team or their individual clients. The real world is their laboratory and wins, losses, injury rates, and body composition outcomes are their results.

What the New York Times and other mainstream news outlets typically do is cite a very recent study to proclaim one thing or another that may or may not prove to be true over the course of several years. To take but one recent example, the Times Wellblog suggested in a post just before Thanksgiving that a study supported the idea of counting every single bite of food one takes as a mechanism for losing weight. Here’s the lede:

“Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season are famously ruinous to waistlines. But a new study suggests that we might be able to fend off weight gain and even drop a few pounds in the coming weeks by taking note of every time we put teeth to food or drink.”

The blog does point out that this strategy worked as a weight loss strategy only for those who were able to stick with it, but that’s a bit like saying that only the only people who get stronger lifting weights are those who stick with it. It’s just not very helpful advice. The point with fitness writing ought to be to not only point out what works, but also what is sustainable, realistic, and practical.

Imagine if the Times took the same approach to reporting foreign policy that it does to writing about fitness. Its reporters, rather than developing sources among policymakers and on the ground in dangerous places like Syria would simply dial up academics and talk to them about the Assad regime. Understand what I’m saying here—there’s a place for this sort of thing. There are some really fantastic international relations and security experts in academia who by definition have the time and the resources to do excellent deep dives into complex topics. But for following events on the ground, a well-written and useful story compiles sources from a number of different disciplines, perspectives, and experiences.

Health and fitness are far from the frivolous topics one might think they are given the news coverage surrounding them. My advice to fitness bloggers at mainstream news sites is to get out of the newsroom and visit some well-regarded gyms and strength coaches. For those of you reading who aren’t journalists? Go directly to the source to get your information: find good people with proven track records and read what they write. You’ll save yourself some wasted time reading about the latest randomized control trial.

If you’re thinking that 2016 is your year to get fit, think about investigating some of the following resources. These are all people who’ve had to prove their results with clients, competitors, and athletes.

Resources for General Strength:

Jen Sinkler

Negar Fonooni

Tony Gentilcore

Resources for Competitive Strength:

Eric Cressey (This guy is like the professor of shoulder health. His YouTube videos are master classes.)

Juggernaut Training Systems

Local Gyms for Competitive and General Strength:

The Dirty Gym

Dayton Strength and Conditioning (Disclosure: I’m a member there and team up with DSC coaches on occasional projects.)

Resources for Nutrition:

Precision Nutrition (Disclosure: I received my nutrition coaching certification from PN but don’t receive any sort of remuneration from them. I just happen to really love their approach to nutrition coaching.)

Grateful to be in Dayton

November 25, 2015 By Jason Harrison

I moved back to the Dayton area in April this year, and I admit the transition was not without trepidation. I grew up in Huber Heights, studied political science at Ohio State, and with the exception of a two-year stint back in the area during 2003-2005, I’ve lived most of my adult life in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles. It’s safe to say I’m a bit of a big city guy.

Like others that I’ve met who’ve left and come back, I’m here to be closer to family. But since I’ve spent so much of my adult life away from Dayton, I’ve come back as a bit of an outsider. I’m discovering the city as one would any “new” place. This outsider’s status, coupled with a personal training career that I hadn’t even contemplated the last time I lived here, is inspiring in me a feeling I didn’t anticipate back in April.

Gratitude, and not simply because I’m closer to family.

Gratitude for the Dayton community itself. I’m not enjoying myself “despite being in Dayton,” but because of it.

You know by now my approach to fitness is that health and wellness are inextricably linked to the rest of our lives. I want my clients to learn how to pay attention to what matters most in their lives. I don’t want my clients (or readers) to obsess about fitness, but to see it as an avenue toward healthier, more vibrant, more connected living. This sort of life in Dayton includes things like exploring challenging independent movies, creative new art galleries, empowered understanding of our own sensuality, and venerable hometown institutions.

Blush Boudoir’s studio in a historic house downtown.

It’s easy, isn’t it, to ignore these things. We get so locked into our jobs, responsibilities, and commutes that we forget to see what is around us. I’ve been working with a remote client to build “mindful” lunches into her weekly routine. We came up with the concept together after realizing that she often works straight through lunch, picking at food here and there but never stopping to enjoy. She took her first mindful lunch last week, and you know what she found?

Quiet. Peace. Strategic thinking. When she gave herself permission to slow down, unplug, and pay attention to what she was eating, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that she found inspiration.

Dayton’s pace is undeniably slower than New York’s, but with maturity, experience, and more than a few stumbles under my belt, I feel better equipped now to enjoy what my hometown has to offer. Now when I travel to New York (or wherever) I find myself bringing a bit more of Dayton with me.

If you’re gathering with family tomorrow, I hope you’ll take a few moments to contemplate the community we live in. I hope you’ll make it a point in the coming weeks to shop local, buy someone you love a surprise cupcake, or take an interesting yoga class. You want to be healthy? It’s not just about diet, exercise, and sleep–although all three of those things are important. You also need to feel inspired, connected, and stimulated. I’m proud to call myself a Daytonian, but from a health and wellness perspective I’m proud to live in a city in which I know my clients can become the best possible version of themselves.

Find the Right Coach for You

October 7, 2015 By Jason Harrison

There’s a gulf between what serious fitness coaches want for people and what people want from fitness coaches.

A good coach wants to help make someone stronger, more mobile, and better conditioned.

People want to lose weight.

A good coach builds a program progressively, often leaving something in the tank so a client can continue without injury and with proper recovery.

People want to hire someone to “kick their butt.”

A good coach wants to teach you how to eat well for the rest of your life.

People just want a diet to follow.

A good coach wants you to strengthen your trunk.

People just want to be able to see their abs.

There’s usually a divide between coach’s goals and client’s goals.

The difficulty for fitness professionals who want to be the best is that they have to compete with Instagram fitness celebrities posing in booty shorts, Facebook entrepreneurs hawking pyramid-schemey supplements and “cleanses,” and ripped guys at the local gym who are great at training their own bodies but less competent when it comes to working with a 45-year-old mother of three who works full time and has a commute.

And the challenge for consumers is that few people have the time and energy to sift through the noise to get to the signal. So today I want to give you some basic categories you can research when looking for a personal trainer.

1.) Certification: A national certification doesn’t guarantee competence, but it does show a modicum of interest in professional development. This is a VERY low bar.

2.) Equipment: This is a somewhat controversial assertion, but I would argue that the more a trainer uses machines in their work with the general public then the less they probably know about biomechanics—and that’s not a good thing. Run far away from the coach who tells you that they want to “start” you off on machines and then progress to free weights. If you’re not learning how to move, then you’re missing out on half the benefit of working with a coach.

3.) Professionalism: You should never see your trainer’s cell phone during a session. Never. They should be ready for you before you arrive, and they ought to have a plan for your session that builds upon previous sessions and toward future ones. If they can’t answer simple questions about how what you’re doing fits into a larger plan then they’re making it up as they go along.

4.) Focus: I’ve been the personal trainer who’s doing the job to support another career aspiration. And you know what? I wasn’t very good or very focused then. You want a coach whose livelihood depends upon and whose life is fitness. The focused coach is constantly reading, evaluating her own technique, and adding new tools.

5.) They’re willing to say “I don’t know”: A funny thing happens the more experience one gains in fitness—an increased willingness to admit when something is new or foreign or beyond one’s previous experience. The number of times I’ve referred people to other professionals (psychotherapists, physical therapists, certified dietitians, etc.) has increased proportionally with my years of experience. Think about your own work experience. Don’t you trust the people more who are willing to say “I don’t know”? Yeah, me too.

If you don’t ask these questions or pay attention to these cues, you might just find yourself working with a “fitness professional” who views you like an ATM, dumping cash into their pockets week after week irrespective of your progress. They’ll be more than happy to help you “lose weight” before your friend’s wedding with some diet plan they cribbed from the Internet.

The truth is, there ought to be a gulf between what you want and what your coach wants. He knows more about fitness than you do, and so he has a better idea of what’s appropriate, achievable, and sustainable. Whenever I find myself getting a little frustrated by the gulf, I remind myself of this fact: all good coaches are good teachers and view themselves as such. Use the five categories I’ve given you above to help find the right teacher for you.

Five People in Fitness You Ought to be Reading

September 23, 2015 By Jason Harrison

Jason reading up on healthy living

When I say “fitness writing” to you, what usually comes to mind? For many people it’s the glossy magazines in the grocery checkout featuring sexy abs, impossible tiny bikini bottoms, and provocative poses.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. The smartest, strongest people I know in the fitness game hardly ever read those magazines. That’s not to belittle the glossies or dismiss their function: I’ll grab the ten sexy tips men’s magazine for a long flight just like anyone else. But The general point is that busy people with complicated jobs or lives don’t have time to seek out a broader range of information, so they rely on those periodicals. Allow me then to introduce you to a broader range of information.

I’ve compiled a list of the people whose material I find myself most often sharing with clients or using for my own fitness. My hope is that the list isn’t quite what you’re expecting. Sure, you’ll find some exercise tips, but you’ll also find the intersection of economics and food, empathy, and elite-level powerlifting. Try following some of these experts on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and see if the way you think about health and fitness doesn’t evolve. Everyone on this list has made me a better coach through the sheer quantity of free, concise, and thoughtful material they’ve given to the public.

For the record, none of these people could pick me out of a lineup, and I’ve never met any of them. But their public personas at least are helpful, practical, and sometimes even a little soulful.

Kelly McGonigal — McGonigal’s 2013 TED Talk called “How to make stress your friend” dramatically shifted the way I coach my clients. The basic premise behind her research and talk is that how we think about stress can alter its impact on our lives. She emphasizes the positive effect of empathy and caring for others on our own lives and health, and makes a strong claim that “the harmful effects of stress on your health are not inevitable.”

Jen Sinkler — What distinguishes Sinkler from a lot of the fitness crowd is not just her national-level rugby experience, her competitive powerlifting experience, or even the fact that she’s helped puncture the stereotypes of what a sexy woman is “supposed” to look like. What distinguishes Sinkler from the rest of the crowd is that she can write her ass off. Sinkler’s approach to fitness is inclusive, fun, and when the time is right–intense. Not a bad combination.

photo from Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg News

Roberto Ferdman — Ferdman writes about food, culture, and economics for the Washington Post in a way that elevates the discussion surrounding the latest health studies beyond banal attempts at provocation. When he writes about studies—such as in two really fantastic articles about poverty and nutrition here and here—he adds context, nuance, and reporting. You know, journalism. He’s not a “fitness writer,” but if you care about public policy’s impact on health you ought to be reading him.

Chad Wesley Smith

Juggernaut Training Systems — This is where I go when I want to learn how to get stronger. The view I have of my own lane of the road is that I help translate information from guys like Juggernaut founder Chad Wesley Smith—whose carnival-like Instagram feed regularly features him squatting 800 pounds, bench pressing 500 pounds, and deadlifting well over 700 pounds—to regular folks like teachers and lawyers. I borrow heavily from his programming to fuel my own workouts and my efficacy as a coach grew exponentially the day I discovered his material online. If you want to know strong, get to know Juggernaut. You might not get to a 700-pound deadlift, but you can use his training principles nonetheless.

Tony Gentilcore — Like Sinkler, Gentilcore is a strong writer and strong coach with a background in athletic performance. His website regularly features a roundup of solid fitness material he calls “Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work.” His online persona is helpful, detail-oriented, and serious without any of the brotastic bravado you might expect from someone as accomplished and physically strong as he is.

Trying To Get Healthy? Keep It Simple To Start.

August 12, 2015 By Jason Harrison

I’ve worked as a personal trainer and fitness coach all across this country, from New York to Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. As I return to my roots in the Dayton area, I’ll be using this space to write about health, wellness, and lifestyle with an eye toward the practical, the sustainable, and the efficient. Probably the most important thing that I’ve learned over the last ten years in an exploding industry is that health and fitness have become needlessly complicated for busy people. My goal in my work and in this space is to fix that.

So let’s get started.

If you’re the average American—meaning, you don’t eat the right combination of foods, you don’t get enough exercise, and you’re overweight—then you should start your fitness journey as simply as possible.

What to Put in Your Face: Vegetables and Water

When it comes to healthy body composition, your goal is to find nutrient dense foods as opposed to calorie dense foods. Vegetables are nutrient dense foods packed with things like vitamins and minerals but not calories. They also are full of fiber, which has been shown to play an important role in everything from immune health to digestion. Chances are if you fill half your plate with vegetables at every meal (yes, including breakfast) and eat slowly, you’ll have a built-in portion control.

The rest of your plate should be a combination of a good, lean source of protein like chicken if you’re a meat eater or beans if you’re not; a healthy fat like olive oil or avocado; and a small amount of a starchy carbohydrate like rice, potatoes, or bread (if you must).

And of course, like your grandmama said, drink more water. It will help with proper body function and it will help you avoid mindless consumption of things like soda. If you’re struggling to drink enough, try this: fill a glass of water and put it by your bedside table. When you wake up in the morning drink the entire glass.

What to do with Your Body: Lift, Walk, Love

Many people mistakenly believe that they need to run, bike, jog, dance, or somehow cardio their way to a better body. They buy Fitbits and sign up for brutal bootcamps and hire trainers to kick their butts like they see on reality television. They do all of these things because they believe the goal with exercise is pain and sweat. But if you’re a busy person with limited time, your primary goal with exercise ought to be to build as much muscle mass as possible.

Why? Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the higher the rate of your calorie burning while at rest. People say they want to lose weight, but more often they’re really looking to be leaner. They want to look good naked as opposed to only looking good with their clothes on (the dreaded “skinny fat” aesthetic). Looking good naked requires muscle.

If you’re doing weight-bearing exercise twice a week then you’re already giving yourself a fighting chance of having the body you want. But cardiovascular fitness also is important, so you should try to walk—preferably outside, and preferably with a loved one—several times a week. Outside because it’s more interesting and you’ll get valuable vitamin D from the sun exposure. With a loved one because strong social ties and stress reduction are important foundations for lifelong fitness.

Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t complicated, but that’s not the same thing as easy. Incorporating these simple changes into one’s life is difficult enough. Don’t distract yourself with gadgets, juice cleanses, and diets. Sustainability and efficiency are built upon a foundation of the basics.

Yoga offered at Westminster Presbyterian Church

February 20, 2014 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Interested in calming the mind and feeling your stress melt away? Yes, it IS possible in just an hour. You will practice/learn how to maintain that feeling throughout your day. Yoga will be offered each Tues 12:30-1:30. Beginners Basics. No previous Yoga experience needed. Open to all ages of adults, body types and genders. (Real men do Yoga too)! Yoga isn’t about being flexible or already fit. It’s about breath work, community and allowing the body to release. What to bring: a mat if you have one, (there will be a few loaner mats available), and a light blanket or throw. Most importantly: bring your true self with an open heart AND a friend or two (the community part). Open to the public. Location: Stargazer Theater. Enter the church thru Wilkinson St side. Press intercom button, say you are there for Yoga. When inside head down the stairs. Theater is at bottom of stairs on your left. The theater is on the same side of church you will enter. Each student’s first class is free. $8/class or a 5 class pass for $35. Parking is free – use the church lot (on First across from church) and tell attendant you are going into church. Questions? 937-609-6759 [email protected]

Yoga will also be offered:

Tuesday March 04, 2014
Tuesday March 11, 2014
Tuesday March 18, 2014
Tuesday March 25, 2014

Come out and do something good for your mind, body and spirit!

Courteous Mass Ride @ Fifth Third Field

February 3, 2014 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Trying to stick to that New Year’s resolution to get healthy and fit? Here’s an opportunity!

Come see the city from your bike! Courteous Mass Dayton is a community of bike minded individuals who gather on the first Fridays of the month and take a street ride tour of the city. We do this to raise awareness of bikes as transportation and to raise visibility of cyclist on our streets. Courteous Mass is a bit different from other groups that call themselves Critical Mass. Courteous Mass is dedicated to following the rules of the road to set a rider standard. Courteous Mass is a great way to get yourself familiar with riding your bicycle in the streets. Dayton is recognized as a Bronze-level Bike Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists for its bicycle friendly infrastructure. Dayton is making it easier for the citizens to use the bicycle as a viable means of transportation. No matter if you’re just starting out riding or if you’ve been riding for years, Courteous Mass is the event for you!

When: Friday February 07, 2014 at 5:30 pm and Every First Friday of the Month at 5:30 pm
Where: Fifth Third Field, 220 N. Patterson Blvd., Dayton, OH
Parking: Metered parking is free after 6pm. There are various free parking spots along Monument. There is always the option of parking at 2nd Street Market and the Oregon District then ride your bike to the event.
Email: [email protected]

This month’s route will go through the main streets of downtown and will be shorter in length to accommodate the weather. All tours are free and they welcome any skill level.

Visit their website for more details! www.courteousmassdayton.com

Living Up to Your New Years Resolutions

December 29, 2013 By Kim Estess Leave a Comment

With the final moments of 2013 ticking away as I type, my over-achieving type brain has been focusing on my goals for the coming year for several weeks now. I’m not sure why we, as humans, tend to see the beginning of the new year as the time to re-evaluate our lives and set new goals, but I know I’m not the only one who takes some time to reflect on where I am and where I’m going as another year draws to an end.

What can we all do to set realistic goals for the coming year and make sure we set ourselves up for success? It seems to me that the key to success is really straight forward and probably something you’ve heard a million times before–the key to success is setting SMART goals. You’ve heard of SMART goals before, right? Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-bound. Okay, so we know what it means, but what does it actually mean in practice?

For 2013, I set all sorts of goals for myself. I was new at this whole blogging thing this time last year, and I saw all these other healthy living bloggers posting their 2013 goals on their blogs, so I found myself doing the same. I set personal goals, professional goals and fitness goals. I lived up to a few of them, but the main problem was that I set so many goals, I couldn’t really focus my attention on anything in particular. Aside from the SMART philosophy, if I can give you one piece of advice, it would be to set one or two important goals for yourself, and focus on those and those alone. Save the rest for future years.

I had one primary goal for 2013 though, that I really followed through with. My goal was to complete a virtual challenge called “13 in 2013“, which essentially boiled down to completing 13 running races (of any distance I chose) during the year. I truly believe that the reason I achieved this goal is because it stacked up to the SMART theory on goal setting. Let’s break it down.

Specific. Yep, this goal was very specific and very clear on what I needed to do. I had 12 months and 13 races to complete. Easy enough, and definitely not ambigious.

Measurable: Absolutely, this goal was measurable. I kept track of my races on my blog throughout the year, so I could always check my progress. I knew at any given point in the year how many races I had completed and how many more I had to go to meet my goal.

Attainable: I had never really kept track of how many races I had done before, but I never doubted that this goal was attainable. I thought it might be a stretch, especially pushing myself to get out the door for races during the cold weather months here in Dayton, but that’s what made it a goal. If it wasn’t challenging, it wouldn’t be worth aspiring to achieve. But, it wasn’t so far out there that it seemed impossible.

Relevant: Running 13 races in 2013 was a relevant goal for me as I’ve become something of a fitness junkie and running races is a fun social activity for me. Plus, it keeps me active and gives me something to blog about. Running is a hobby, so this goal fit my lifestyle seamlessly.

Time-bound: Yep, this goal definitely met the time-bound criteria. All 13 races had to be completed between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2013. Done and done.

I can’t remember another new years resolution that I’ve ever followed through on 100% in the past, but I’m proud to have completed the 13 in 2013 challenge. As I look forward to 2014, I’m certainly going to bear this example in mind with my goal setting for the year. Because let’s face it–why bother setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves that are going to leave us feeling like crap when we can’t succeed? Set a goal that is SMART for 2014, and maybe this time next year you’ll be sitting here thinking, “Wow, I actually lived up to my New Years Resolution last year.”

It’s the Perfect Time to Try Baer Fit Chicks Bootcamp

November 14, 2013 By Kim Estess Leave a Comment

If you read my last post for DMM, you already know that I am an advocate of early morning workouts. Keep in mind, however, that until very recently, my idea of an early morning workout was one that began with me rolling out of bed at 6:00 a.m. Not anymore! These days, 5:00 a.m. and I are getting to be good friends–and I’m not even mad about it.

One of the most frequent tips you hear about developing a consistent workout routine is to find something that you truly enjoy doing–and do that. Don’t try to run if you hate it. Don’t try to swim laps if you are afraid of the water. It seems like common sense, but sometimes we get this idea in our head that we have to workout a certain way to see results. That’s not true, and it’s better to do something than nothing at all! There aren’t many things that I’d willingly get out of bed at 5:00 a.m. three mornings a week for, but since I started Baer Fit Chicks Bootcamp, (BFC) I ~~look forward to~~ can tolerate getting out of bed at dark thirty because I genuinely love what I’m waking up to accomplish.

Fellow DMM contributor Stephanie and I after our first Baer Fit Chicks Bootcamp session!

Baer Fit Chicks “proudly offer[s] an exceptional fitness experience catered to women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and fitness levels… Everyday is filled with variety! You will enjoy obstacle courses, strength training, a variety of cardio, yoga based stretching and more!” Speaking from experience, I can say that these statements are 100% accurate. On my first day of camp, I didn’t feel intimidated at all–rather, I felt welcome and immediately was treated like I was part of the “Baer Fit Chicks family.”

The women at camp encourage each other and build each other up, which sometimes provides that extra bit of motivation you need to hold that wall squat for a few more seconds or to do that extra burpee. On top of being a strong community of amazing women, BFC is taught by a fabulous instructor, Katie Ly. Katie is constantly warm and encouraging, and she continually challenges the Chicks through positive motivational techniques. I can honestly say that she pushes me to my limits with every move, just by encouraging me to bring my A Game every morning and give it my all.

Feeling proud after knocking out my first week of Baer Fit Chicks Bootcamp!

Though I was initially skeptical of why anyone would want to get up so early each day to knock out their workout, I’ve quickly become a convert. I’ve found I leave bootcamp each morning on a total adrenaline high (one of the major perks of a killer workout, if you ask me) and I am filled with energy and motivation to tackle my day. Plus, there’s the added benefit of knowing for the rest of the day that you’ve already got your workout out and you didn’t have to worry about it. And in the interest of full disclose, I’ll admit that I love thinking about how much I’ve accomplished before most of the world even got out of bed!

What makes BFC different than any other bootcamp around? Katie says there are three main elements of BFC that sets it apart.

1. FRESH workouts that are challenging, fun, varied, and can be adapted to women of any age, fitness level, or ability.

I think it’s vital to incorporate more than just planks, push ups and burpees into the workouts. At BAER Fit Chicks, we use every kind of equipment you might imagine; from battle ropes to stability balls, to resistance tubes, to medicine balls, to Gliders, jump ropes, and more! We also do plenty of team-based workout routines as well as fun boot camp “games.” All of this keeps the strength training and cardio-based workouts fresh, fun, and challenging! BAER Fit Chicks definitely know how to have fun while getting in a superb workout! What I really love about designing the workouts for BAER Fit Chicks, is that I can be creative and introduce different modalities and formats, beyond boot camp staples like dumbbells, park benches, and typical circuit routines.

2. A sense of COMMUNITY at boot camp and beyond.

BAER Fit Chicks, more than anything, is a community. We are a community of women who come together with an obvious common purpose: to be fit and healthy. You sign up to get fit, and keep coming back because getting fit TOGETHER is so much fun! An essential part of BAER Fit Chicks is the community of women who encourage, support, and inspire each other on a daily basis. The only competition you’ll find at BAER Fit Chicks is women challenging one another to bring out the best in each other. That’s just how we roll! As an instructor, I take care to conduct myself professionally, of course, but I also feel at ease in letting my guard down with my campers. I am invested in these women and our friendships. I encourage and treasure our personal connections in and out of camp. Our community isn’t limited to our workout hour. We regularly get together outside of boot camp so that we can simply enjoy each other’s company. What a concept, eh?

3. BETTER nutritional counseling than what is available at most boot camps.

It’s pretty standard at most boot camps to periodically come up with meal plan ideas, recipes, or general nutritional advice. Good nutrition is probably the most important component with anyone seeking weight loss or improved health. Thanks to Dr. Charles Baerman, BAER Fit Chicks is the ONLY boot camp in southwest Ohio with a Ph.D. on staff who is authorized to create customized Nutrition Plans for its clients. Charles Baerman does this for all of my campers for FREE. It’s a great privilege to be associated with uniquely qualified resources at BAER Fit / Your Personal Best.

If you’re interested in checking out Baer Fit Chicks Bootcamp, contact Katie Ly at [email protected]. Now is a great time to sign up, because Katie is offering 25% off the cost of one month of camp to new Chicks. Baer Fit is also offering a special “Burn the Bird” workout on the Friday after Thanksgiving (November 29) at 7:00 a.m., which is free and open to any woman who is over age 18. All you’ll need is a mat! Finally, if you have any questions about my experiences with BFC so far, I’d me more than happy to answer them.

So really, what are you waiting for!? Come join us…I hope to see you at camp!

Surviving Holiday Weight Gain

November 13, 2013 By Lauren Smith Leave a Comment

Let’s face it – like it or not, the holidays are quickly approaching. Malls nationwide have had their Christmas decor out for months now, and grocery store meat departments are being inundated with frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving. Soon enough, we’ll be faced with holiday dinners for the office, ugly sweater parties (which are basically just an excuse to get a keg – something you’re never too old for), and Mom’s infamous chocolate snowflake cookies. By the time we get around to kicking off those New Year’s resolutions, we’ll have the added guilt of holiday weight gain to tack on to those pounds we already vow to lose starting in January. But what if we took the steps now to keep the holiday weight gain at bay? It’s totally possible to survive the holidays without gaining weight, and it’s even possible to lose weight during all the festivities. How? Well, start by following these tips:

Make an event calendar. Start by listing all your planned holiday events on a calendar. Include work parties, holiday parties and any other pre-planned events that will involve food and alcohol. If you look at it on the calendar, chances are, it’s not as bad as you thought. On my personal calendar, I’ve got four parties over the next month and a half, plus celebrations on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. That’s what? Eight days? Eight days. A visual breakdown of your events is a helpful reminder that you don’t have to throw your diet out the window for an entire month just because the holidays seem packed full of food-driven events. Enjoy those pre-planned events, and make it a point to eat mindfully the rest of the time.

Compensate. If you know you’re going to indulge (okay, maybe binge eat cookies like you’re auditioning for the next Cookie Monster), compensate with some exercise or healthy choices made previously that day. Knowing you’re going to have a big dinner or dessert should be motivation to eat light early in the day or hit the treadmill to “earn” those indulgences.

Bring a dish. If you’re heading to a holiday party at someone’s house this year, offer to bring a dish or two to share. Food bloggers like Skinnytaste and Emily Bites offer delicious healthy alternatives to some of your favorite holiday dishes, and by doing this, you can guarantee you’ll have something healthy to snack on while you’re there.

Pack a snack. Fighting the crowds at the malls during the holidays is exhausting. Chances are, you’re going to need a coffee break (since drinking wine while holiday shopping, albeit fun, is probably frowned upon) and a serious snack break to refuel before you tackle the crazies at Bath & Body Works. Instead of hitting the food court or snagging a greasy pretzel, pack a snack from home. KIND bars, a banana or some almonds are great ways to refuel without loading your body full of processed sugars and carbohydrates that will leave you passed out behind the discount DVD box at Target in a food coma.

Alcohol or food: pick one. Chances are, both food and alcohol will be in full force during most holiday celebrations. Instead of overloading on both, pick one indulgence. That doesn’t mean you get to binge drink or eat – just keep in mind that those syrupy shots and peppermint schnapps often have just as many calories in them as a plate of buffalo chicken dip. If you’d rather eat all your favorite goodies, go light on the alcohol that night. And if you’d rather drink your dinner (I’m not an advocate for this, but hey – it happens), fill up on something healthy beforehand so you’re not tempted to hover over the crockpot of BBQ weenies.

Find alternative ways to celebrate. Our society is incredibly food-driven, and we’re taught to celebrate with food from an early age. But we don’t have to. Make it a point to organize an event that doesn’t center around eating sugar-laden goodies. Check out Woodland Lights in Centerville and indulge in a cup of hot chocolate to keep warm. Go ice skating at RiverScape and actually burn calories without sacrificing on fun. Hit up Raise Your Brush to paint and drink wine – you’ll get to take home your painting at the end of the night without the added guilt of consuming the extra calories. Dayton has so much to offer and there’s no law that says we have to focus our holiday celebrations around food.

Commit to a fitness plan. In addition to just compensating for your eating choices with some extra exercise, commit to a fitness plan before the resolutioners come walking through the doors in January like deer in headlights. Give yourself the next month to get comfortable with your new gym (or reacquaint yourself if you haven’t gone in awhile) and establish a routine. Check out some new classes and get control over your fitness plan before the bulk of the holidays set in. Once you’re in an established routine, battling the holidays won’t seem as tough. You’ll also feel infinitely more confident come January when you’re already feeling like a rockstar and you can help motivate the “newbies” with resolutions.

It’s all about balance. Last year, I managed to lose weight over the holidays and I plan to make this year just as successful. Balancing real life with maintaining a healthy lifestyle is hard – and definitely more of a challenge when faced with all the temptations of the holidays. The best advice I can give anyone is to not wait until the first of the year to get control of your diet. The holidays are jammed full of impromptu happy hours, reunions with out-of-town friends and celebrating with friends and family. Feeling in control of your diet now will give you confidence to make healthy choices when faced with spur of the moment events. Throwing caution to the wind during the holidays doesn’t change the fact that you’re still overeating and not compensating with exercise. Your body will know the difference, even if you choose not to mentally acknowledge it. Make a decision to be actively engaged with your food and exercise choices this year, and you won’t be looking at the scale in horror come January.

Healthy Living: Where Do I Start?

October 30, 2013 By Lauren Smith 3 Comments

If you’ve perused Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram lately, you’re probably no stranger to the healthy living fad that seems to be popping up all over the place. Lately, it seems like everyone is proudly posting their Nike+ runs to Facebook and sharing their healthy recipes on Instagram (complete with the appropriate filter to make average-looking food seem high class, of course). It’s honestly kind of fantastic. In a society where obesity is becoming the norm, it’s refreshing to see a new demographic changing the standard and raising the bar for how we treat our bodies. It’s amazing to see the transformations people are capable of, and we should absolutely be inspired by it. That being said, if you’re interested in losing weight or adopting a healthier lifestyle, all of this can seem like information overload. Where do I start? What do I eat? How should I workout? Fret not, friends. I’ve broken it down for you as best I can, into what I think are the best tips for starting the journey towards a new, healthier you (sorry, that’s super tacky – but it’s true).

Write down your goals. Are you interested in losing weight or dropping a pant size? You’ll quickly find out those two don’t always go hand in hand. Are you interested in building strength? Eating better? Feeling better? Ideally, if you want a healthy lifestyle to stick, the latter should be the first goal on your list. Whatever your goals may be, write them down. Do it. Now. Pull out the pen and paper. You’ll need them written down so that in three months, when you curse yourself for signing up for this, you can remind yourself of why you started.

Tackle food little by little. A total pantry makeover is a grand idea on paper, but isn’t realistic when starting something new. Start with little goals that are easier to accomplish instead of expecting your body to adjust to a complete change in diet. Are you a fast food fiend at lunchtime? Vow to pack your lunch every day this week. Replace your normal afternoon bag of chips with an apple. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your healthy habits won’t be either.

Run, walk, dance, lift, bike and yoga. Ok, so maybe not all of those. But be willing to try more than one form of activity until you find one that you like. There are always going to be days you’d rather not go to the gym, but for the most part, you should get some kind of enjoyment out of the activity you’re doing. Running isn’t for everyone, and neither is yoga. It doesn’t matter how you get active, just get active.

Tell someone. The only thing harder than losing weight is doing it alone. “Going public” with your weight loss and health plans is often hard to do, but totally worth it. The support system you gain from friends and family, not to mention the accountability of people wanting to see you succeed, is limitless once you’re willing to open up about your goals. Vocalizing them is important, and you’ll probably find a new gym buddy in the process.

This is me, circa 2008 during my senior year of college, and the "after" me taken post-race of the USAF half marathon in September 2013. Crazy, right?

This is me, circa 2008 during my senior year of college, and the “after” me taken post-race at the USAF half marathon in September 2013. Crazy, right?

Be inspired. Over and over again. It is your job to motivate yourself. Don’t expect anyone else to hold your hand. Do what you need to do to feel inspired – Google before and after pictures, make a motivational board on Pinterest, post those goals you wrote down to the front of your refrigerator to keep you from snacking. Do it over and over again, as needed. Repeat.

Set yourself up for success. Be realistic. Be smart. Don’t try to wake up on your very first day and eat “clean,” run 5 miles, get a strength training session in and still find time to bake cookies for your kids and fold the laundry. It’s not going to happen. Unless you’re a super hero, in which case, we should chat. Set small, attainable goals you know you can reach. Once you build the habit, you’ll feel confident and in control – and that is the golden combination for building better habits upon better habits.

It’s not rocket science, but it is hard. I know, how should I know? Because I’m a professional weight-loser, of course. I struggle to find balance each and every day, but I’ve lost 70 pounds and I’m not stopping yet. Stick around, friends. Because I promise you to inundate you with the information, motivation and general kick-in-the-pants you need to succeed.

Dance It Out

January 4, 2011 By J.T. Ryder Leave a Comment

Hip-Hop Dance Fitness Class For Youth

There are many problems facing today’s youth, not the least of which childhood obesity as well as being in the viselike grip of an apathetic technology. It is not enough to buy your children yet another diversion from the real world, such a Wii Fit, or to try and interest them in an activity that holds little charm against the instant gratification of a computer screen and a bag of Doritos. There has to be something that will not only hold a short attention span, but is uniquely positive, not only to build a physically fit body, but also to build a sense of confidence and character as well.

While you cannot deny the physicality of hip-hop dance, most people would not consider it a exercise regime, but when put all your preconceived notions aside, what better vehicle could you think of to get your kids off the couch and moving? Such a class has been created by Geborah Stephen for the City of Dayton Recreation and Youth Services. She has designed a program that not only teaches teens between the ages of thirteen and eighteen the fundamentals of hip-hop (which incorporates a lot of elements from jazz, step and even ballet.), but also subtly guides the youth into having more self confidence to raise their self esteem. Having dealt with dance/fitness instructor Geborah Stephen before, I can personally vouch for her talent, her determination as well as her positive spirit. We were able to have a lengthly discussion about the class and what she hopes the teens will take from the experience.

J.T.: What kind of things does the class encompass?
Geborah: The Hip-Hop Dance Class entails movements that range from jazz and into some more modern dance movements, like pop and locking, but on a little more faster pace.

J.T.: What do you hope that the kids will get out of this?
Geborah: I am hoping that with the experience that I have, I can naturally encourage and empower the youth that attend and I hope that they can walk away with a better grasp of hip-hop, range of motion and general dance movements. I want them to have a better outlook as far as their self esteem and a pride in their inner talents.

J.T.: Do you think that this could lead them to pursue other forms of dance?
Geborah: Yes, absolutely! Hip-hop stems from jazz and modern movements and even some ballet movements. I think that this would be a really nice transition to other classes and types of dance. You don’t even necessarily need to be a dancer. You can use dance as a way of expression using it during your own free time or as a fitness tool. You don’t have to use what you learn to become some type of entertainer. So, yes, it could take several different avenues, but all of them are positive paths.

J.T.: With the issue of childhood obesity being in the forefront of news reports, would this type of activity help them get moving and active?
Geborah: Absolutely! I think that hip-hop is an excellent way to get youth involved in fitness. I think that it is something that they can relate to and so I think that it is an easier way to get them active. It’s a very enjoyable form of exercise and kids love to jump around and express themselves through dance. With a lot of the youth having issue with their weight and trying to stay healthy, I think that my class will be a good tool to possibly get them on track and keep them on track.

J.T.: Well, it’s has real world applications whereas there are not too many instances where you can break out an exercise ball outside of the gym. Do you think that it will get the kids out there for more social interactions instead of in front of the television or the computer?
Geborah: Hopefully, but kids today are really into technology, so I’m hoping that it might spark an interest in getting up and moving more, but I think that technology will always hold sway, unfortunately. Hip-hop dance is evolving and it’s definitely becoming a bit more mainstream and I think it is a very good tool, especially for. I just think it is going to be a really good thing all the way around for the youth in Dayton to get involved in the hip-hop classes.

J.T.: If these premier classes go well, what could you see this thing branching into?
Geborah: Well, hopefully my class takes off in the community. I definitely see myself in the future running my own program that will involve hip-hop dance as well as some jazz movement in an atmosphere where youth can build their self esteem and character through dance and also incorporating some life skills and different things like that. I do have my own ultimate vision for a major project in the future, and I do want to produce and promote more projects like this.

The classes begin on January 5^th, but you can sign up anytime as it is a ten week course running every Wednesday and Friday until March 11^th. The cost is $25 for Dayton residents and $35 for non-residents and the price includes classes plus a recital and a final showcase at the end of the program. For more information or to find out the times for sign ups, call (937) 333-8336. The classes will be held at the Dayton Bomberger Teen Center located at 1306 E. Fifth St.

Reaching For The Brass Pole

October 27, 2010 By J.T. Ryder 24 Comments

Pole Vixens Xtreme Takes Exercise To New Heights

Light streams in from the massive, industrial windows, highlighting the pastel purple and pinks of the décor, glinting off of the poles that shoot down from the ceiling, like metallic stalactites that securely anchored themselves into the floor. The light also plays off the forms of several women, glinting off of their perspiring bodies as they enthusiastically work out to a high energy deep bass groove. Laughter and congratulatory catcalls can be heard over the music as Geneva Duncan’s voice is heard over the cacophony, instructing her class in a cajoling tone, demonstrating to all what the next moves will be and what she hopes to achieve with them. In between classes, I was able to talk to Geneva Duncan, owner and instructor for Pole Vixens Xtreme. The first thing I wanted to know was how she hoped to overcome the common perceptions that immediately leap to people’s minds when their hear the words, “pole dancing.” To my surprise, instead of completely distancing herself from the more tawdry aspects associated with strip clubs, Geneva has chosen to embrace some of those features and mold them into her own vision, thereby taking away any of the negative connotations that some may have.

Geneva Duncan and Crystal Sullivan ~Photo by Brooke Medlin

“My goal is to actually incorporate some of the stripper moves and make it more elegant. With that in mind, we have created a whole workout regime while keeping the sensuality of the movements.” Geneva went on to outline her reasoning for incorporating the pole into her exercise routine. “Every woman, I don’t care who you are, has a yearning to be a sensual creature. We, as women, always criticize ourselves and we are not 100% confident or comfortable with our looks. Out goal is to get you out of that mode and to try something different and something out of the ordinary.”

Geneva went on to address the perceptions of pole dancing by stating;

“A lot of men get the idea twisted. I can’t say all men, but a lot of men. When you say ‘pole dancing’ they automatically think strippers, go-go dancing and women hustling for money.” To counteract that, Geneva explains that, “What we’re trying to do is to change the mind frame of people who think like that, so you can feel comfortable sending your wife to a class because it can only enhance your intimacy. It can also enhance her figure and enhance her confidence level and it can bring back a spark to your relationship.”

I asked Geborah, Pole Vixen’s Zumba instructor, the same question about overcoming people’s perception of the poles.

“Well, the only way that people can get over the controversial idea of pole fitness is to come through here and see what we are doing. I think it is definitely important for people to get their knowledge firsthand as far as what pole fitness is all about.” Geborah add rather succinctly that, “We do not strip in here…absolutely not. We are very classy and tasteful women who love to work out and feel sexy while we are doing it.”

Mardi McNeil ~Photo by Frank Coleman

As the group got ready for Geborah’s Zumba class, I spoke with Mardi McNeil, Pole Vixen’s business manager about how they were marketing the programs, who was their target demographics and what were some of the classes that are available and what kind of classes may be available in the future.

“Right now, most of our marketing is online, through Facebook and our website as well as by word of mouth. We have posted some flyers and signs, like for this event and we just shot a commercial today. Our target audience is every woman of every size, every fitness level and from ages eighteen to ninety-nine.” As for the classes available, Mardi said, “Well, right now we have the Polercise classes, which is basically the pole fitness which incorporates the use of the pole predominantly. We also have Zumba classes with Geborah as well as target classes, like the Absolutely Abs class and the Booty-Max class, that target a specific area that someone might want to work on. We’ve got some other things in the works, like getting some punching bags in for kickboxing and we are looking at potentially adding yoga and massage therapy classes.”

I watched as Lady Geborah led the ladies through a distinctive Zumba routine, interspersed with standard stretching exercises, repetitive movement exercises and gently laced with Latin and jazz dance movements. The women were enjoying themselves so much, it didn’t seem like a workout at all…except for the perspiration and the satisfied exhaustion afterwards. Was Zumba a definitive workout?

Geborah ~Photo by Brooke Medlin

“Oh yes, definitely! The Zumba class format combines both slow and fast rhythms that tone and sculpt the body. You can get a full body workout when you’re doing Zumba. You can burn from 250 up to 1,000 calories based on how hard you want to work out in a Zumba class. It will help you tone your muscles as well as help you lose inches. Zumba is the new way to work out.” Geborah said, emphatically.

It seemed as if I was witnessing a choreograph dance routine rather than a regular workout. It looked effortless and sensual, unlike other Zumba classes that looked very rigid and brittle. It just didn’t appear to be what one would envision when one would picture a regular gym workout.

“No, it doesn’t and that is one of the reasons that I love it because, being that I love dance and fitness and dance is the easiest way for me to exercise.” Geborah said, with a laugh. “I love to share the opportunity for other people to dance as well as work out and also to learn different techniques while they’re dancing and get a good workout. You gain so much when you get involved in Zumba fitness.”

I asked Geborah about her conspicuous incorporation of dance rhythms and movements into her program and the sensual eroticism that it conveys.

“It does. I mean, as a lady, you love to move and shake your hips. It’s a natural thing for a woman to move her body gracefully and to move her hips. There is a sensual nature to it.” As for the dance movements, Geborah said, “With Zumba, you can do Latin dance moves, ranging from Salsa to the rumba. You can do hip-hop dance moves, but I like to incorporate jazz as well as some more modern movements as well. I’m all about movement.”

Geneva Duncan and Crystal Sullivan ~Photo by Brooke Medlin

During a break, I was able to speak to one of students, Crystal Sullivan, to ask her why she had picked Pole Vixens Xtreme.

“I picked Pole Vixens Xtreme, first of all, because of the safe environment: I feel comfortable there. It’s just a very warm and welcoming atmosphere because I am kind of self conscious about my body…” After a pause, Crystal continued by saying, “I have issues with how big I have gotten, but here, I feel comfortable. Here, I’m not embarrassed. I feel open and free to actually work out so that it will really benefit my body versus going to a gym and not giving it 100% because I’m kind of worrying about what the person next to me is thinking. I guess, just overall, I love the comfort level here at Pole Vixens.”

I wondered if there was a ‘feel good’ aspect to the classes, over and above the general yearning to stay fit.

“Oh absolutely! Working out here doesn’t become tedious because there is always laughter, the friendship, the camaraderie…it’s just like hanging out with your girlfriends.” Crustal added that, “We mentally encourage one another, we emotionally encourage one another and we support each other no matter what size, shape, complexion or age.”

After the classes were over, Geneva and I got to sit down for a moment. The first thing I needed was for her to define some of the things about her unique approach to exercise, such as what to call it.

“Polercise. That is a signature type of exercise routine that was created by my mother, Miss Sue, and that is a signature type of class that also goes along with our other signature classes.” Geneva explained further that, “Polercise is like full fledged cardio, with a warm up and a cool down at the end, but the main thing about Polercise is that we are doing a full cardio workout incorporating the poles. It’s a lot of swings on the pole and stances utilizing the pole. We’ve got 1,200 square feet to workout in, so we’re definitely going to get that cardio pumping.”

Geneva Duncan and Denise Brookshire ~Photo by Brooke Medlin

From what I had seen, it also looked as if utilizing the poles also created a demanding muscular workout as well, using kinetic energy as well as adaptations of some familiar isometric exercises.

“Oh yes, we are definitely training your muscles, and here’s the thing: Every class is different! It’s muscle confusion to the max. We confuse the muscles by having you do things one way and then switch it up or energize it another way.” I had to have Geneva explain to me what ‘muscle confusion’ was. “Muscle confusion, to those that don’t know the term, are when your muscles are getting worked one way one day, and then the next day, it’s totally different. If you do the same routines and work the same muscles, you end up on a plateau and your body ends up conditioned to it and the exercise stops being relevant. So, we need to confuse your muscles where they are getting stretched in every way possible.”

Although there are several layers to this, albeit the obvious one being the fitness aspect and the running undercurrent of sensuality that the classes imbue, there is one thing that seems to sum up the differences between Pole Vixens and other larger box-type gyms: a unified camaraderie. Crystal seemed to encapsulate that best when she said;

“We are literally all in this together. It’s not a workout because you’re hanging out with your friends. That’s exactly what it feels like.”

To check out all Pole Vixens Xtreme has to offer, go online to their website.