Do you want to take up a new hobby? Are you bored with your regular gym routine? Or do you simply want to make some friends while getting a little exercise?
For every fitness interest Upper Arlington residents may have, chances are they can find a community club or organization to fit their needs.
Some groups are new to the area and modest in scope and membership, while others have many participants. Most, however, share many of the same goals, of which improved fitness is only one.
A newcomer is The Upper Arlington Fitness Team. The group was created by Laurie Smith, who moved to UA from Boston last spring. Smith formed the group through MomsInMotion.com, a Web site that provides a hub for fitness groups.
Smith says she learned of the Moms in Motion site from its founder, Jamie Allison, during a visit to California. The West Coast has many Moms in Motion clubs, from hiking groups to surfing groups, and their proliferation inspired Smith to organize her own.
“I thought about starting a team back in Boston, but once I moved here I knew it was something I wanted to do,” she says.
Smith isn’t just a casual fitness fan – she’s an exercise physiologist and personal trainer who owns Healthy Investments, Inc., which provides health education and personal training for corporations, community groups and private citizens. Smith uses her background to create weekly workouts for the Moms in Motion club, which currently meets on Saturdays in UA’s Fancyburg Park. These workouts include boot camp-style training, strength and conditioning and more. When warm weather returns, the group will focus on outdoor running and training for running competitions.
The UA Fitness Team started small – six members, Smith included, participated in their first big fitness event in October, the Nationwide Better Health Half Marathon. They have since grown to 10 dues-paying members (the annual membership fee is $65, which includes a special athletic top and Web site access). Eight of those members are participating in the winter fitness program.
The group has been a “breath of fresh air,” literally and figuratively, for Hollie Devine, a 38-year-old mother and registered nurse who moved to UA from St. Louis four years ago. Devine joined the group at the urging of her friend and neighbor Maureen Quigley, who found information about the group online. Since then, it has changed her life.
“I used to be a runner and quite athletic,” Devine says. “But I have twin boys who are 3 years old, and after I was pregnant I stopped all forms of exercising. (Quigley) said, ‘Why don’t you do this with me?’ I told her, ‘If it’s going to be a bunch of people wearing make up going for a walk around the block, I don’t want do this. I want it to be serious exercise time.’ We thought we’d give it a try, and we realized it was a great way to have designated self time. It’s been fabulous.”
Smith says the team welcomes any interested women in the UA area.
“We’re open to mothers and not mothers,” she says. “So many (women) dedicate so much time to their kids, their spouse and their career, and with all these different things going on, they put themselves last and put fitness off. This is really an opportunity to take time for yourself, get healthy, get fit and meet other women with common lifestyles.”
Devine agrees, adding that women of all fitness levels can be a part of the group.
“When I started, I had been a runner before, but it had been many years,” she says. “One of the girls in our group said she’d never even thought about running before, and now she’s one of our top runners. (Smith’s) expertise has just been fabulous. When we started (the group), we were all laughing that we could barely breathe after a half mile, and now we’re out there and we’re continuing to do it.”
Some groups, such as the Moms in Motion club, continue all year with regular members. Others are formed with a specific purpose, such as the half-marathon and marathon training group organized at Frontrunner at 1344 W. Lane Ave.
According to Jay Stanwood, an associate at the store who organizes the training group, Frontrunner has a winter/spring and a summer/fall session for people interested in training for these long-distance events. Each session lasts from 12 to 16 weeks and cost $65 to participate. The price includes a technical shirt, weekly training runs around Central Ohio and mini clinics with Frontrunner associates.
“In our first session, we had 60 people. In the second session, we had 75,” he says. “It’s word of mouth, mostly.”
Runners from UA and around Central Ohio participate in the running group, Stanwood says. Some are members of other local running clubs, while some are casual runners looking for a new challenge.
One of the biggest advantages of the group is the support and accountability that comes with team training, Stanwood says.
“When it’s winter, it’s hard to be your own trainer,” he says. “When you have a group to train with, it’s easier than doing it on your own.”
Smith also says the social aspects of the club make it more compelling than a solo workout.
“For me, meeting other women in the area that are at the same place in life as I am has been wonderful,” she says. “We have that camaraderie. Two of the women hosted a big brunch at the end of the half marathon (in October). That aspect keeps you involved and gives you other reasons to work out and be active. And it’s fun to get everyone outside, even if it is cold.”
Smith and her fitness team also give back to the community with philanthropic efforts (which is part of the overall Moms in Motion philosophy). The team recently donated more than 100 pairs of running and regular shoes to the United Methodist Free Store, located at 1344 Parsons Ave. in Columbus, which provides clothing and household items to low-income families.
Interested in joining these or other fitness groups in and around the UA community? Here are a couple links you might want to check out:
Moms in Motion: UA Fitness Team: www.momsinmotion.com (search for teams in Ohio)
Frontrunner’s Half Marathon and Marathon Training Group: www.frcols.com
GO Kickball: www.gokickball.com
Speedy Sneakers (for women): www.speedysneakers.com
Central Ohio Hiking Club: www.ymcacolumbus.org/hike
Moms in Motion fitness groups: www.momsinmotion.com
Columbus Outdoor Pursuits: www.outdoor-pursuits.org
Columbus Running Club: www.columbusrunningclub.com
Central Ohio Runners: www.centralohiorunners.org
Columbus Roadrunners: www.columbusroadrunners.org
Kate Seegraves is editor of Upper Arlington Magazine.