It’s been a long, cold winter, and I’m ready for warm weather. Somehow, it seems easier for me to get in shape and stay active when the weather is warm. I have to admit, it’s not just about health ... spring also means that soon we’ll be wearing shorts and bathing suits. Yikes!

Luckily, Brecksville has a wonderful Community Center with lots of amenities. Taking classes regularly seems to keep me motivated more than just working out solo, but lately I’ve been slacking, so I picked up a fitness schedule to get updated.

Exercise classes at the Community Center are open to everyone, whether you’re a member, a non-member or even if you’re not a resident of Brecksville. 

You can either drop in and pay as you go, or buy a fitness pass for a certain number of classes or for an unlimited quarterly pass. The classes run on an on-going basis and you can join at any time.

Here are some of the classes in their current schedule, but check the fitness brochure on the Community Center's website for days and times, as well as pricing for fitness passes. The descriptions are based on the center's schedule:

• "Arm Chair Exercise": Combination of stretching and chair exercises put to music. This class is a free class designed for seniors. 
• "Body-Toning Circuit": Weights, cardio, ab work and yoga stretches to work all the major muscle groups and burn calories with intervals of weights.
• "Cardio/Strength": Overall fitness class, including a combination of aerobic and weights.
• "Circuit Training": One-hour, strength-training class.
• "Group Training": A fun, forty-five minute strength session, working in a group.
• "Jazzercise": Jazzercise uses movements from aerobics, yoga, Pilates and kickboxing and incorporates them into a dance routine set to music. 
• "Power Tone & Stretch": High-intensity resistance training to increase flexibility and decrease stress. 
• "Reps and Sets": Tone and sculpt your entire body in this one-hour class.
• "SPINNING®": A group cycling exercise guided by an instructor and put to music.
• "Straight to the Core": A 45-minute abdominal workout to strengthen and tone the core.
• "Yoga": A challenging yet relaxing class based on the principles of Iyengar yoga. This class is designed to strengthen, tone and increase flexibility. 
• "Yoga Pilates Blend": A flowing, unique, feel-good workout.
• "Zumba": This class is a mixture of dance steps and toning movements done to a blend of Latin and international music. 

There are also water exercise classes like "AQUAfit" and "Liquid Strength." Most of these classes are held in the warm therapy pool located in the Human Services Center. You can find more information about those classes in the water exercise brochure.

I’m motivated to try some new classes and get back into an exercise routine. I’m also ready to feel healthier and look better, too.