When area classrooms fill up, sometimes fitness centers do the opposite.
“We recognize it: Kids start going back to school, parents’ time is stretched thin, routines often change,” said Randall Hill, vice president of fitness at GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.
“But it’s important to make time to stay active — even if it’s 20 or 30 minutes for exercise — because if you don’t, it makes it that much harder to start up again.”
GreatLIFE is making it even simpler to have fun and work fitness into your day this back-to-school season. Check out these six ways to stay fit as a family this fall.
Family fitness
Sometimes, families come to the gym together but don’t stay together once they’re through the front door.
With popular programs like GreatKids, it’s understandable, “but we’ve really been working to find more options families can do together instead of dropping the kids off or working out on your own,” Hill said.
A new family fitness area at Woodlake Athletic Club offers kids age 5 and up the chance to work out alongside adults in their family.
“We have a lot of cool equipment up there — things all fitness levels can do,” Hill said. “For kids, it’s all about moving. So we have things they can push, pull, climb over, climb under, just be as active as possible. Even our pullup bars start really low, so a 5-year-old could go in and pull up without needing someone to lift them up.”
Find it right outside the cycle studio, available whenever Woodlake is open other than Tuesday and Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. when the space hosts a senior fitness class.
“We’ve gotten quite a few people who have tried it already, and the feedback has been really good,” Hill said. “People appreciate how we’ve made it so that kids have a great experience as well as adults, and they can do it together.”
Strategize your stops
Are you that parent sitting in the car for 30 minutes killing time on your phone as you wait for your child? Try this search instead: Look for the GreatLIFE fitness center closest to school, practice, lessons or wherever else you’re shuttling for the day.
Chances are, with 17 fitness centers, there’s a GreatLIFE close to wherever you find yourself.
“That way, your fitness routine doesn’t get derailed, and you can fit in a short workout that works with the rest of your day,” Hill said.
“Sometimes, it means trying out a new location, where our team is always happy to help you if you’d like someone to show you equipment or suggest a short workout.”
Work out and win
Families will have another incentive to visit GreatLIFE this September. Anyone who attends a class that month will receive a ticket to enter drawings for weekly prizes leading up to a grand prize.
“We did this last year, and it was popular,” said Gail Flaa, group fitness team lead.
“Often, we will add an incentive if you come with multiple people from your household or try a new class.”
Prizes have included shirts, hats, free passes for GreatLIFE’s recovery lounge and gift certificates.
Try a new class — and watch for pop-up classes
Just as students are taking on new subjects, it’s a great time for trying out a new fitness class.
Flaa recommends the Les Mills Shapes class, which blends barre, Pilates and power yoga.
“We use gliders and light weights and loop bands,” she said. “They do a really nice job with the choreography and routines. The burn is more than anything I’ve experienced in any other class, and it’s become very popular.”
GreatLIFE also has added Les Mills Body Pump Heavy, which differs from the classic course “in that we use slower tempos, fewer reps, heavier weights and longer recovery periods, with more of a focus on building strength,” Flaa said. “I teach it on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. at Avera, and it’s been a really fun add.”
Plus, keep an eye on the GreatLIFE app for pop-up Sunday classes.
“While we don’t normally offer classes on Sundays, often we will have an instructor available and be able to do a pop-up class,” Flaa said. “We’ve done everything from Body Pump to a class called Cowboy Cardio that incorporates line dancing.”
Check out recent renovations
GreatLIFE continually is improving its facilities, and back-to-school season offers newly renovated spaces.
The strength area at 41st Street and Sertoma Avenue recently was updated with refreshed flooring and more room for free weights.
“We’re doing a similar update at 69th Street and Minnesota Avenue, looking at new flooring and new equipment coming in the next few weeks to enhance our cardio section along with various other pieces,” Hill said.
Give back
The spirit of GreatLIFE is all about community, and that extends to the classroom. Members can donate school supplies during September that will be provided to neighborhood schools.
Flaa, a retired teacher, knows it’s needed.
“Teachers take supply donations all year, not just at the beginning,” she said. “I remember halfway through the year kids needing a new box of crayons because they were broken, so we encourage people to donate.”