Stronger, Healthier, More Fit
Pandemic Brings New Meaning To New Years’ Resolutions
Interviews By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
We asked a few local fitness and gym owners for advice on how to best jump-start the workout in 2021 — and also weigh in on how they’ve been coping for the past year. Here’s what they had to say.
Just Keep Moving
Interview with Jennifer Mercado
Owner/Manager, Koko Fitclub of Denver
Greater Park Hill News: The past year has undoubtedly been rough. Describe some of the ways you have coped as a business, and what adaptations you have made.
Jennifer Mercado: The fitness business is always challenging — new concepts for people to try and new gyms that open nearby. 2020 saw a marked move towards virtual communities for fitness. We continue to move forward each day by strengthening our in-person community. At Koko we are very focused on getting to know our members and helping them be successful—getting stronger, healthier, and more fit. We have added more virtual options as well, for members that are not quite ready to return to in-person exercise. We now stream all of our classes and have built up a library of on-demand workouts. We’ve always kept a very clean and spacious club, so for in-person exercisers we just had to limit access during busy times and be more flexible scheduling appointments.
GPHN: The past year has also been rough on many of us physically, and mentally. What general advice do you have for people to kick-start their physical routines?
JM: My advice is to use this time to make progress towards your fitness goals every single day. I tell my clients that our personal mindset toward exercise needs to be like that of brushing our teeth: we may not always feel like doing it, but we do it every day because it is good for us and we want to keep our adult teeth as long as we can. Some exercise every day is the end goal, but each of us may be starting on the path at a different place. Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. You will always feel better once you have finished your workout—more relaxed and less stressed. Don’t get discouraged by the road bumps—just keep moving.
GPHN: What three best exercises do you recommend people do at home to get ready for heading back into the gym, or to high-intensity activities?
JM: The three pillars of training that we emphasize include strength, cardio and flexibility. Strength training and flexibility training may feel a little daunting if you don’t have the knowledge, experience, and resources to guide you, so let’s start with cardio. This can be as simple as taking a walk/hike, riding a bike, swimming, or going for a run. Second, stretch/lengthen your muscles by a few major groups: legs, arms, chest, back, and glutes. Lastly is strength training. One of my favorite at-home movements is chair squats: rising up and down from a chair, unassisted by momentum or pushing off from the chair. If you can’t do this, it is critical to your long-term health and happiness to have this functionality back. If you can do it, hold a stack/backpack of books close to your chest/on your back to add some extra weight and repeat 8-10 times or more. If you do one or more of these three things 30 minutes each day, you will be ready to get back into the gym or ready for other activities in a month or less.
Koko Fitclub of Denver; 6231 E. 14th Ave.
303-872-8380; kokodenver.com
Breath, Move, Walk
Interview with Deborah Baker
Owner, Park Hill Yoga
Greater Park Hill News: How have you coped as a business, and what adaptations have you made over the past year?
Deborah Baker: Park Hill Yoga switched to online classes via Zoom early in the pandemic. I was amazed to see students adapt to this abrupt change. Many told me that yoga classes have been a lifesaver. Iyengar yoga works well in the online format because it has structure and uses precise language. Students tell me they follow the verbal instructions and do not feel bound to the screen. In the warmer months, we offered small, distanced, outdoor classes on the patio in front of the studio. Most of my students still opted for online classes. When the weather made being outdoors impossible, I made small in-studio classes available to students (masks required) while teaching on the Zoom screen simultaneously. My Zoom classes are live, and provide personalized attention and feedback. Students tell me they feel a sense of community even though they are only meeting one another on-line.
GPHN: What advice do you have for people to kick-start their physical routines?
DB: While yoga continues to be my preferred form of movement, I encourage people to do any variety of exercise this winter. Get out and walk as often as you can. If you do not own hand weights, use soup cans. It is important not to set yourself up for failure by thinking you have to do a lot. Even a little of exercise every day is cumulative and has a big impact. I also think it is important that we connect to our breath. This is a simple way to calm an unquiet mind. A brilliant book, Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor, was written before the pandemic but has made its way to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
GPHN: What three best exercises do you recommend people do at home?
DB: During this period, we ought to include sensible exercises to promote good posture and increase mobility/flexibility in the shoulders, spine, and hips. Good posture is essential since so many work on a screen. I am a fan of walking, bike riding or even running, since Colorado has great weather. It is imperative to learn more about breathing as a tool for relaxation. I tell clients to be gentle with themselves, and seek out healthy ways to move.
Park Hill Yoga, 2072 Ash St.
303-638-9508, parkhillyoga.com
When People Are Strongest
Interview with Sean Moore
Owner, KickHouse Lowry/Denver
Greater Park Hill News: How did you cope as a business in 2020? What adaptations have you made?
Sean Moore: This past year has been a roller coaster. I purchased the assets of the kickboxing gym on March 1. The previous owner was an absentee owner and allowed the business to have a failing spin. I came with a very strong marketing plan but to my surprise, I had to close the doors 15 days later — after making the investment in the failing business and taking over all the liabilities. This halted the marketing plan, as it was geared through community engagement. Then, I quickly adapted the in-person program and came up with a virtual plan. Unfortunately, we had about 60 percent decrease in memberships. We are still running the virtual program, since in-studio capacities are, as of mid-December, 10 percent of the regular class sizes. Due to my untimely purchase I was not able to acquire much of any COVID-related funding, as I had to be in business prior to Jan. 1, 2020. Throughout the pandemic, I made a point to maintain my staff during this hard time. Prior to the COVID pandemic, the studio was very clean, but as things hit the fan we enhanced our cleaning protocol to using some of the best cleaners in the market, including Anti-3 and power UV lights between classes. We are still checking temperatures as members arrive. All members also must wear masks while in the building.
GPHN: What three best exercises do you recommend people do at home, to get ready for heading back into the gym (or high-intensity activities)?
SM: Burpees, lunges, wide arm-diamond, and regular push-ups. I will say the best thing for people to start heading back to gyms responsibly for not only their physical health but also their mental health. People are strongest when they are surrounded by others with similar goals.
KickHouse Lowry/Denver, 721 Quebec St.
303-355-5576, thekickhouse.com/location/lowry-denver/
Be Kind To Yourself
Interview with Kate Jenulis
Owner, Anytime Fitness Mayfair-Park Hill
Greater Park Hill News: The past year has undoubtedly been rough. Describe some of the ways you have coped as a business, and what adaptations have you made.
Kate Jenulis: Since the start of the pandemic, our team has double-downed on its focus on our members’ health and wellness. To ensure continuity, we worked to keep all our staff employed even through the initial shutdown. Exercise boosts immunity, physical and mental well-being and we want to ensure that everyone continues to have access to fitness resources in-club and at home. We have invested in the health and safety of our members by augmenting the rigorous cleaning our staff maintains with a weekly Virus Vaporizer Service™ and upgraded HVAC filtration. We have a reservation system that allows us to remain open 24/7. Members have improved access to virtual training through digital tools providing workouts as varied as yoga, kettlebell and body-weight workouts and customizable exercise plans. It’s not easy to constantly adapt to the changing mandates but through it all, our focus has remained on coaching, caring and connecting with every member. I want to thank our amazing gym community that has been cooperative and considerate of each other to ensure that everyone can continue to make healthy happen. We are excited to make 2021 a year of health and wellness!
GPHN: The past year has also been rough on many of us physically, and mentally. What general advice do you have for people to kick-start their physical routines?
KJ: Be kind to yourself. The mental stress that has been placed on us all, along with disrupted fitness routines, means that our bodies need a bit of extra care. Create specific goals and map out a realistic plan to get you back on track. Find an accountability buddy or a like-minded exercise community.
GPHN: What three best exercises do you recommend people do at home, to get ready for heading back into the gym or high-intensity activities?
KJ: This really depends on a person’s basic level of fitness. But to get the body re-accustomed to consistent exercise and to prevent injury, everyone can benefit from stretching, walking and stability exercises. Your muscles have good memory and will re-engage as you increase intensity.
Anytime Fitness Mayfair-Park Hill ,
Colfax & Jasmine, 303-876-0997, anyimefitness.com