Girls Learn Exercises To Look And Feel Good

By Tanjua Damon

Middle school girls are learning about the healthy way to look good and feel good at Karen’s Fitness Studio through a Newtown Youth Services after school program.

Six middle schoolers are participating in the six-week program that provides instruction about becoming fit safely and how to stay healthy. The girls meet twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays until March 22.

Karen Finlayson, owner of Karen’s Fitness Studio, and trainer Elsa Kaye are instructing the girls at the studio. Mrs Finlayson started a workout program for her daughter and thought it would also be a good program for other young girls.

“I do a program for my daughter and her friends,” she said. “That’s when I realized it is an awesome program for these students.”

Helping the students understand the importance of getting in shape and staying healthy the right way is something Ms Finlayson has been stressing to the girls.

“Oftentimes they think skinny is better,” she said. “I try to teach them muscle is good. That’s part of this whole process – how to use weights properly.”

The hour-long classes provide insight on cardio fitness, heart rate, treadmill safety, warming up, weights, and what each piece of equipment is used for and how to use it.

Many of the girls play spring sports and were looking for something to help them get ready for it during the winter.

“I’m a soccer player and there is no season during the winter. I thought I’d do this to keep me in shape,” Sarah Salbu said. “I’m learning form and how to lift weights and what is bad for your muscles.”

Kristene Salbu finds the after school activity fun and challenging.

“I thought this would be a really fun activity,” she said. “The leg pressure is kind of hard on your legs. But it is also fun because you know you are getting a good leg workout.”

The hard work involved in caring for horses is one reason Logan Allison decided to try the class, but enjoying exercise also brought her to the studio to build her arms and legs.

“I liked working with weights and stuff. I like to challenge my muscles,” Logan said. “We have horses and when you lift the shaving bags sometimes it hurts. I also want to build my legs for riding.”

Ms Finlayson reminds the girls what particular parts of equipment do for specific muscle groups.

“Hamstrings are weak in women,” she said. “We tend to be strong in our quads and weak in the hamstrings. The butterfly works your chest – pectorious major.”

Sometimes people use exercise to straighten their bodies for other things in their lives. Lucy Young is doing just that as she learns what her body is made up of and how to strengthen each area.

“I wanted to get my legs stronger for riding,” she said. “I didn’t know we had so many muscles. The arms are challenging.”

Exercising can be a social activity too, so friends can get together.

“I thought it seemed really neat and I had a lot of other friends doing it,” Andrea Hoyt said. “The butterfly is most challenging because you have to squeeze both arms at the same time.”

Coordination is something the girls are learning about with their workouts and learning how to focus on the area of muscle a particular piece of equipment is used for.

“I got a pamphlet from school and it sounds really fun. Something I would like,” Karen Whippie said.

For more information about Newtown Youth Services programs, call 270-4335.