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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