Classes Led by Inspiring Women
Fernie is home to some truly inspirational people. It seems this little town not only attracts talent, but allows talent to flourish as well. In this month’s issue I picked three inspirational women who lead popular fitness classes in Fernie.
Up first is Julie Kelly and her TRX/Spin class. Julie is a very talented marathon and ultra marathon mountain biker. While most people ride their bike for an hour or two, Julie races her bike for twenty-four hours, nonstop and she’s pretty fantastic at it too, with national and international races and titles to her name! Julie leads a spin/TRX class out of Evolution Gym. Half the class is a typical spin class, each week having a slightly different focus. Julie will mix it up using everything from time trials to under-over intervals, all focused on getting the most out of your time on the bike. The second half of the class is focused on getting a strong core. Julie uses the TRX system to aid this. If you’re unfamiliar with TRX it can only be described as a sling type devise that supports your body weight while Julie guides you through different moves to build core strength. This class is great for anyone who wants to improve their overall fitness but it’s also perfect for any keen mountain biker, as it will improve your power output on the climbs and make you stronger to handle those technical descents.
Early bird gets the worm, right? Well if that’s the case then Dr Eden Magregor’s early morning HIIT class is something everyone should check out. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. In recent years research has shown that high intensity, short duration training is one of the most effective ways of training, a quality over quantity approach. As a Chiropractor and outdoor enthusiast Dr. Eden likes to incorporate different kinds of fitness into her weekly routine. She focuses on exercises to strengthen muscles and boost your metabolism and is sure to get you going helping you to start your week off on the right foot! Still not sure that this is for you? Vitality Gym (where Eden is based out of) offers a free trial class, what have you got to lose?
Last but certainly not least, we have Kim Shopland and her classes at CrossFit Fernie. A lot of people are intimated when they hear CrossFit. They think it’s too hard, worry they are not fit enough to try it out, or they’ve heard they will get injured doing CrossFit. They may have googled it and saw some crazy looking fit people doing some crazy workouts with crazy speed and crazy weight. CrossFit can be categorized into two styles. There is the “Sport of Fitness CrossFit” and the general core strength and conditioning methodology of CrossFit. Kim trains strength and conditioning for better fitness, fat loss, lean muscle building, more energy, better nutrition habits, and general feeling of awesomeness that comes from treating ourselves right. BaseCamp trains both strength and conditioning (think cardio) but there is no technical barbell movements and it’s open to anyone. BaseCamp is like beginner strength and conditioning class, it is open to anyone, is a great workout for all fitness levels and no previous experience is needed. Before and throughout the class, Kim provides proper movement instruction to ensure everyone is getting a great workout.
One thing is for sure, these three classes and the women behind them will surely inspire and leave a lasting impression… and an acute awareness of muscle groups you may have long forgotten or not have felt in some time!