SOME HOWARD COUNTY EXERCISERS LEAVE THE GYM BEHIND
STORY BY Elizabeth Heubeck PHOTOGRAPHY BY André Chung and Meredith Tankersley
For Marla Peoples, exercising outdoors just makes sense. “There’s nothing more heart lifting than to set the tone of your day by getting outside and appreciating nature,” she says.
Peoples is co-owner of The Still Point, a wellness spa and yoga studio in Clarksville with a deck overlooking a half-acre of greenery. The 200-square-foot space was built expressly for outdoor group fitness classes. To date, Peoples has offered outdoor classes in Qigong (Pronounced chee-gong, it’s an ancient Chinese practice combining breathing techniques, gentle movements and meditation.); Tai Chi, a Chinese form of martial arts with similarities to Qigong; and yoga. As she prepares the upcoming season’s schedule, Peoples plans to add more classes on the deck.
Her clients love the outdoor classes, she says – even when the weather doesn’t turn out as expected. “One day, it started pouring. They were dripping and laughing, in the best mood,” Peoples recalls.
There have long been plenty of opportunities for group fitness in Howard County – at gyms and health clubs, dance and yoga studios. And these days an increasing number of classes are being offered outside. Whether you’re a mother with a small child in tow looking to get in shape, a hard-core runner who craves the camaraderie of others, a no-nonsense exerciser who wants a military-style workout, or someone who’s not afraid to jump into the latest trends, you can find an outdoor group exercise class to suit your needs. And regardless of the type of workout you’re after, the beauty and spontaneity you’ll find outdoors can take the experience to a new level.
Joy Emery, who leads Stroller Strides classes in Centennial Park, agrees with Peoples about the draw of the outdoors when it comes to exercise. And it’s doubly important, she says, when little ones are involved. The group – usually between 10 and 20 mothers – works out in intervals, with stroller-pushing runs (or walks) of between three and five minutes interspersed with stations of calisthenics and resistance at Swansfield Pool, this wildly popular Latin-inspired dance fitness class propelled the association to add additional dates this summer.
The “hybrid” class starts on the grassy area surrounding the pool at 7 p.m. Then, as the sun starts to dip, so too do the participants — into the heated pool. They continue their Aqua Zumba workout with certified instructor Megan Cooperman until 8:30 p.m., at which time the stars are out in full force, weather permitting.
Zumba in the water is as much fun as Zumba on solid ground, says Cooperman. “You can shake it, but the movements are different.” The water adds resistance, yet the buoyancy eliminates impact, making the workout easier on the joints.
Running the trails and streets of Columbia may not be easy on the joints, but group runs draw a lot of followers nonetheless. Year round, on Saturdays at 7:00 a.m., 100 or so adults gather in front of the Wilde Lake Village Center’s Columbia Swim Center ready to run. Sponsored by the Howard County Striders, the event is dubbed the bagel run because it originally started in front of the Bagel Bin in Columbia. Though the starting point has changed, the premise behind the organized group run, which travels along well-marked routes that extend anywhere from eight to 20 miles and includes water stops, hasn’t.
If these distances sound daunting, the Striders also offers programs to support novice runners. Females in Training, or FIT, is a 12-week program from April through July and prepares women to run or walk a 5k race. The program is open to all members of the Howard County Striders.
“Through the Striders, I found this amazing group of women. Now they’re my regular training partners and best friends,” says Amanda Loudin, an avid runner and resident of Howard County who serves as the Striders’ spokesperson
.
Early risers who don’t mind braving the elements may find fitness companions at the Columbia Association’s Basic Training program, held outdoors throughout the year. The military-style workouts emphasize endurance and interval running and include calisthenics and stretching. They meet at two locations: the Columbia Gym in Clarksville’s River Hill Village Center and Owen Brown’s Supreme Sports Club.
“It’s a real mix of people. They’re large, fun classes. Everybody’s welcome,” says Vicki Burns, regional group fitness director for the Columbia Association.
The workouts, which Burns describes as fairly intense, are not recommended for people with chronic back or knee problems. The other caveat, of course, is that you must be ready to move early in the morning.
“It’s popular year round. These guys love it. They don’t stop,” Burns says.
No wonder. Whether it’s the dead of winter, with the wind and the crisp air biting at your cheeks, or in the middle of the summer, when the humidity and high temperatures wrap around your body, loosening limbs and forcing you to work up a great sweat, there’s nothing quite like a good workout in the great outdoors.
