THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 3, 1997 TAG: 9702010092
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 238 lines
WHEN MARGARET WALSH works out with weights in a class at New Fitness in Chesapeake, she sees beyond her reflection in the mirror.
Walsh, a fit 59-year-old grandmother is more concerned with how she feels than how she looks.
She is not alone.
People who work out are no longer saying: ``Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fittest of them all?''
We want to feel healthy too.
Clubs have responded be seeking to entice us with everything from one-on-one personal training, mind-body fitness classes such as yoga, and computerized equipment such as ``virtual-reality'' bikes to longer hours, early and late classes, and on-site child care.
Mike Wareing, a part owner of Wareing's Gym in Virginia Beach, calls today's fitness ``a balanced attack.'' For many, looking good is merely a by-product of being fit, he says.
Not that Margaret Walsh doesn't look good. At 5-foot-3 and 118 pounds, she has a glowing complexion and fashionably cropped haircut that convey a youthful image and belie her age.
She attributes her well-being to nearly three decades of aerobics classes and weight-training.
Recently, she signed up for yoga because she'd heard it promotes flexibility and relaxation.
``I used to think it was some type of a religious thing - only the dalai lamas did yoga,'' Walsh says, chuckling.
Now, she thinks of it as another step on the road to better health.
Unlike during the 1980s, when vanity was king (and queen), many of us in the '90s are tuning into the connection between exercise and wellness and longevity, says Jon Jenkins, general manager at Gold's Gym in Virginia Beach.
``Vanity is always going to be there,'' he says. ``Vanity keeps me open.
``But the diet-fad craze seems to be dropping off,'' he says. ``It's not, `Can I get my weight down to this by this time?' It's, `my weight, my cholesterol, my blood pressure.' ''
We're busy but better educated about exercise, says Melvin Coston, general manager at Bally Total Fitness in Virginia Beach. We shop around for the features we want.
The basics are still popular, Coston says.
Aerobics, weight-training, cardiovascular machines.
``People like the cardio equipment,'' he says. ``The treadmills - people just love those.
``We have 10 and probably could use 10 more. They stay filled all day and all night.''
Treadmills are ``extremely popular in health clubs,'' according to a recent report from the Fitness Products Council.
However, stairsteppers and exercycles are in demand too, says Wareing, whose family-owned business was opened in 1960.
``They're not the thrill things,'' he says, ``but the staples.''
At ATC Fitness in Norfolk, as well, those machines stay filled, says John Baker, who co-owns the gym with wife Laurel.
But exercycling has gotten a new spin ATC.
About six months ago, the Bakers added two ``virtual-reality'' recumbent bikes. Each features a video screen, speakers and controls that let the rider traverse a Caribbean island, a snowy ski slope or underwater terrain. Even the seat shifts from side to side as the cyclist negotiates turns.
``This makes it more fun for people to work out,'' John Baker says, zipping through a slalom course. ``Twenty minutes on this feels like five.''
At Lifestyle Health and Fitness Center at Chesapeake General Hospital, a machine called the Transport uses special pedals to follow a runner's motion and cushion his impact.
``It's been so popular, we're going to add another,'' says Jennifer Stampfel, the center's exercise specialist.
Regardless of the machines we choose, we're likely to focus on more than exercise. Most clubs have televisions positioned in front of a slew of cardio equipment.
At the Downtown Athletic Club and the YMCA in Norfolk, viewers can choose a station and listen through headsets.
``You can work out and catch up on the news,'' says Beverley Blount, marketing and communications director for the eight-facility YMCA of South Hampton Roads.
We are, after all, short on time.
So clubs offer a variety of services to help us work in our workouts.
Among them: on-site child care.
``That's been extremely important,'' says Wareing.
``A major draw,'' says Gold's Jenkins.
Only the YMCAs, city-operated recreation centers and a handful of specialized clubs, such as Gymstrada in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, have child memberships.
Gymstrada at Mount Trashmore and the YMCA of South Hampton Roads offer classes for overweight kids.
The Y's - which recently launched a four-year program to help strengthen families - boast a variety of programs for kids and parents, including ``Fun Infant Time'' and ``You and Me Baby,'' an aquacize class for mother and child.
At Chesapeake Lifestyle and Fitness, about 20 teens from ages 11 to 16 take part in a new weekly exercise class designed to teach them about fitness and nutrition.
From circuit-training to aerobics, ``they get to try everything,'' says exercise specialist Stampfel. A second five-week session is scheduled to begin March 3.
Some gyms also offer family days. Downtown Athletic Club has one slated for late February. Bally's has Sunday family swims.
The needs of busy members have driven many clubs to extend their hours.
Several - such as New Fitness and ATC - are open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, with shorter weekend hours.
To help us save time, many clubs offer circuit training, a series of machines designed to efficiently strengthen and tone the whole body, says Gold's Jenkins.
``People want results,'' he says.
And we want knowledge.
Club-based personal trainers have proliferated, both nationally and in Hampton Roads.
Personal trainers help clients set individualized goals, such as losing weight, toning or preparing for a sport or event. Sometimes, they simply help us use equipment.
Members can work out with a certified trainer for about $20 to $40 an hour.
``Personalization is important,'' says Wareing, perhaps because we have less of it elsewhere.
``The world is a little busier,'' he says. ``Our lives are a little more automated.''
Some clubs, including Lifestyle Health and Fitness, offer group weight-training. All clubs provide orientation to familiarize clients with equipment and proper form.
``People want to feel like they know what they're doing,'' says Gold's Jenkins.
And we - baby boomers, especially - are taking more responsibility for our overall health, Wareing says.
That may account for some of the growing interest in mind-body fitness classes, including yoga and tai chi, he says.
Wareing's started with two weekly yoga classes about a year ago, and now has six.
New Fitness and the independent YMCA of Portsmouth also teach yoga. Some clubs have dabbled in it, offering occasional classes.
At the downtown Norfolk YMCA, enthusiasts can get their yoga while it's hot - in a room that's heated like a sauna, says spokesman Blount. ``It helps with flexibility.''
Classes in tai chi - a non-contact martial art that uses slow, controlled movements and breathing - are catching on too.
They're offered Tuesday evenings at the Portsmouth Y, says Benn Griffin, executive director.
Lifestyle Health will begin tai chi Feb. 11.
Other popular classes incorporate sports.
Box-aerobics, for example, is a hit at Wareing's, the Downtown Athletic Club and the Indian River and Hilltop Y's.
The Portsmouth Y offers cardio-karate. And at Lifestyle Health and Fitness, ``Self-Defense for Health'' is new this month.
Traditional aerobics classes, such as step, are still hot on local club menus.
Bally's is about to add funk-aerobics, Coston says, adding, ``People still want to burn calories and fat.''
Water aerobics is popular at some clubs such as the YMCAs, which include sessions for arthritis sufferers.
Group exercise can help motivate and inspire participants, says Kathy Manke, aerobics coordinator at the Downtown Athletic Club.
``They feed off each other's energy,'' she says.
Some clubs even send groups outdoors. DAC is organizing one for runners, Manke says. The downtown Norfolk Y offers a walking class, weather permitting.
It goes back to the spiritual, says the Y's Blount. Participants can relax and build friendships as well as fitness.
We want to feel comfortable - both physically and emotionally - and to belong, says Lifestyle Health's Stampfel.
When newcomers call and ask her how to dress for an exercise class, Stampfel tells them to wear whatever they like.
Often, that's a T-shirt and shorts.
``It's not a glamour show here,'' she says.
It's not the image in the mirror that matters.
``Fitness isn't just looking good anymore,'' says Blount. ``People want to feel good.'' MEMO: INSIDE: A SAMPLING OF GYMS AND FITNESS CENTERS IN SOUTH HAMPTON
ROADS/E3
Gyms and fitness centers in South Hampton Roads
HERE'S A sampling of gyms and fitness centers in South Hampton Roads.
Others are listed in the Yellow Pages, under Exercise & Physical Fitness
Programs or Gyms.
If you're interested in joining a gym, call and ask for a tour. Most
also offer visitors passes for $5 or $10, or go as a member's guest.
Most gyms have membership fees, plus monthly dues, which range from
about $20 to $50.
Services vary. Shop around until you find the combination you like.
Some things to consider: convenience of location; cost; contract, if
any; staff training and experience; cleanliness; availability and
variety of classes; amount and types of equipment; child care; hours of
operation; number of members; amount of personal attention you can
expect; and if you would feel comfortable in a particular setting.
Ask questions. Remember, club personnel are there to serve you.
ATC Fitness. 7401 Granby St., Norfolk. 489-1444.
Bally Total Fitness. 3960 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach.
340-4800.
Bayside Wellness and Fitness Center. 1033 Independence Blvd.,
Virginia Beach. 464-3333.
Contemporary Fitness. 306 W. 21st St., in the Palace Shops, Norfolk.
622-9469.
Downtown Athletic Club. 317 Monticello Ave., Norfolk. 625-2222. With
locations in World Trade Center and Dominion Tower in Norfolk.
East Coast Gym. 6655 Indian River Road, Virginia Beach. 424-4167.
Flex Gym. 4020 Bonney Road, Virginia Beach. 631-2445.
Gold's Gym. 829 Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Beach. 486-9700.
Gymstrada. 5644 Parliament Drive, Virginia Beach. 499-8591. With
locations at Hilltop and Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach and Wards
Corner in Norfolk.
Healthy for Life. 5394 Kempsriver Drive, Virginia Beach. 420-1038.
Jewish Community Center of Tidewater. 7300 Newport Ave., Norfolk.
489-1371.
Ladies' Workout Express. 928 Diamond Springs Road, Virginia Beach.
497-7100.
Lifestyle Health and Fitness Center at Chesapeake General Hospital.
800 Battlefield Blvd. North, Chesapeake. 482-6132.
New Fitness. 565 Cedar Road, in the Cedar Lakes Shopping Center,
Chesapeake. 547-2582. With locations at Hilltop and in Kempsville,
Virginia Beach.
Olympian Gym. 2250 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach. 481-7979.
The Powerhouse Gym. 7924 Chesapeake Blvd., Norfolk. 583-5453.
Wareing's. 700 19th St., Virginia Beach. 491-0700.
YMCA of Portsmouth. 4900 High St., Portsmouth. 483-9622.
YMCA of South Hampton Roads. 312 W. Bute St., Norfolk. 622-9622. With
branches at Hilltop, Mount Trashmore and Indian River in Virginia Beach;
Greenbrier Parkway and Old Greenbrier Road in Chesapeake; Effingham
Street in Portsmouth; and Suffolk.
Your Personal Trainer. 1115 Independence Blvd., Virginia Beach.
464-1839. With a location at Great Neck in Virginia Beach. ILLUSTRATION: [Color] Photos by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
John and Laurel Baker use "virtual reality" exercycles at ATC
Fitness in Norfolk. They can simulate terrain of a Caribbean island
ot a ski slope.
AT RIGHT: Roger Arrington, a personal trainer at the Downtown
Athletic Club in Norfolk, helps client Charlie Surran get in shape
to run the Shamrock Marathon in March.
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Ken Nelson takes part in a yoga class at the High Street YMCA in
Portsmouth. Yoga is gaining popularity as a fitness activity.