Archive for the ‘Western Perspectives’ Category

“Spring IN2 Action” was a call to action springing off of the “I Lost It At the Club” program. We have to start by congratulating the top 5 winners of the program. Shout outs go to Debbie G., Jackie B., Jim B., Carla Q., and Dawn J. Congratulations for finishing strong! There were 10 more of you that ended up close behind the top 5. Congratulations on all of your hard work, too.

The initial sign-up for “Spring IN2 Action”was around80 people. We had great feedback on the cooking classes and lectures given throughout the program. I hope you enjoyed it, and more importantly, I hope you learned something new about nutrition and healthy eating. Dont forget that Farmers Market have started. So get out in the sunshine and fill a basket full of local fruits and veggies.

Healthy Eating,
Kat

Ahhh Summer is here! So is the NEW Summer schedule! I am SO excited for the changes thus far and even MORE excited for the changes to come! I thought it would be a great idea to add some early morning classes for the summer. How about 6am early? I know that sometimes your toothbrush even feels heavy that early in the morning so how on earth can you think about a Strength Class?!? Well, let me tell you about Monday Strength with Kat. IT IS AWESOME! I should have named it Glute Camp for the torture she put my glutes through last Monday morning! If you want an outside the box type training, you must hit this class. On Thursday morning we have the infamous Jennifer. How can she NOT put a smile on your face..even at 6am. Great music, great moves, great energy. I loved it! On Wednesday, I thought I would add a 30 minute Bosu Class. I am quite the multi-tasker and have no doubt that you will be working every single Bosu-minute. We are very busy in classMy goal is to get everyone comfortable on the Bosu so they can incorporate it in their own workouts to improve balance, strength, and core. Speaking of minutesI loved Jenny Ahrens new class called In A Minute. Every exercise she created was one minute in length. Who would have thought that a minute could last that long? She had a great combination of cardio and strengthhit every muscle! Finally, Steve and I taught Summer Shred on Thursday nightthis is the class that took the place of Cycling for the Summer. After the first class, we were on a Summer Shred HIGH! We were beyond proud of the members in class that day because that class was not easy but, yet, so much fun! Everyone did a great job of pushing themselves and motivating othersincluding the instructors !

There you have it.the first week of the Summer Schedule! Gotta love it! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, concernsI am always listening!

Kari Merrill
Group Exercise Director

10. You could win some awesome prizes for your employees

9. If you are not yet a member, you’ll get a free membership to Western Racquet & Fitness for approx. 10 weeks!

8. Free Fitnessology Wellness Quotient – not once, but twice

7. Discounted Personal Training packages from Fitnessology

6. Some good, ol’, clean competition – with yourself!

5. Great Nike Dri-Fit T-shirt complete with The Executive Edge Logo – you have no idea how long it took to design that baby!

4. Some goodies from Insight Magazine – we can’t give away all of the surprises.

3. You might even lose a few pounds or inches

2. This is FREE – IT DOES NOT COST YOU A CENT!

1. The best and most rewarding reason of all:  YOU are setting an EXAMPLE of health and wellness for your employees.

Now after that, can you give me one good reason why you wouldn’t want to participate?  Join some of the Green Bay area’s top leaders, including Mayor Jim Schmitt, Chamber President Paul Jadin, Executive Editor of Insight Magazine, Margaret LeBrun, and the VP of Operations for Bayland Buildings, Deb Barlament.  These individuals, along with about 20 others, have chosen to take part in the Executive Edge.  Join us!

Ok…I need to admit that getting up for a 7 a.m. workout is becoming harder with each dropping degree. Just ask my trainer, Sam. In the summer I was here by 6:30 a.m. to make sure that I was warmed up. Now I can barely get here by 7 a.m. What is January or February going to do to me?

That’s why I marched down to the front desk and signed up for the “I Lost It At The Club” weight loss promotion that begins at Western on January 11^th. I figure that although I am not much of a “joiner”, surrounding myself with like-minded people might just help get me out of bed and on my way a few days a week.  We are planning a series of lectures and activities that should help us stay focused on our goals. And now that my broken ribs have healed (long, boring story), I have committed to taking Tennis 101, as well.   I hope that by adding more structure and new activities to my exercise routine, I will stay on course. The fact that I am going to San Juan in early April probably doesn’t hurt either.

If there are any of you out there who need some encouragement/support to continue the progress you have made so far or to get started for the first time, think about joining me in “I Lost It At The Club”. What do we have to lose?!

Okay! I have to confess my struggle at the Cruise party. The struggle comes from putting these two things together-Group Exercise and a bar. And I’m not talking about a weight bar, but a liquor bar.  Combining fitness and booze was  something I’m not used to.  Once the Cruise party started, though, I had to  let go of my personal hang ups and take  time to watch an amazing group of outgoing gals who were talking, sharing and joking  with members. I could see that these instructors have built relationships with these people through the classes that they teach, so there was a lot of laughter and a lot of great conversation.  And yes, it was all taking place around a beer or glass of wine,  but that wasn’t the focus. The focus was on relationships that have been built here at Western.  Not to mention, you get a group of fitness instructors together and anything can turn into a competition.  We were competing against the Tennis Bar as to who could sell the most.  Nothing more fun than a competition with just bragging rights on the line!  Needless to say, I had a great time and I’m very thankful for being a part of this Western team.

Kat VanFossen, Group Exercise Director

P.S.  Group Fitness Won!

They say that 50 is the new 30!  They, whoever they are, say this because Baby Boomers exercise much more than their parents or grandparents ever did…Exercise?  Ask any of my staff…They’ll tell you I hate to exercise.  In my next life, I can only hope to be more like many of you who inspire me to get out of bed and drag myself to the Fitnessology desk each morning.

Finding fitness after 50 is different than stumbling on it in my twenties. Today, I am less concerned about losing inches, except in height. Strength no longer represents a means of defense for a fight – it means that if I fall and I won’t break as easily. Blood pumping to my brain isn’t about the endorphin rush – it’s about helping to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Thanks to all of you 50+ folks who are showing me that with age, comes new wisdom.