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Staying in Shape

ELKINS – Just because the weather outside is frightful, that doesn’t mean that indoor activities and exercise can’t be delightful.

Exercise and physical fitness shouldn’t go away when the warm temperatures do. There are many options available to help stay fit during extreme winter weather.

Many people have taken to gyms in the area, such as the Elkins-Randolph County YMCA, to get exercise and stay fit. YMCA CEO Sid Gillispie said that they offer a plethora of activities and workout equipment to fit anyone’s needs.

“When it’s cold like this and roads are icy it is nice to be able to use our treadmills, walking track, elliptical, recumbent bicycles, spin bicycles, steppers, nautilus and free weights,” he said. “We also have approximately 33 different classes offered that are free to YMCA members.”

Among the nearly 33 classes offered, popular choices include Insanity, P90X, Zumba, cross fit, yoga and more. “During the cold, classes are really seeing a big increase,” Gillispie said. “Hopefully they will find a class that they enjoy and continue to do it year around.”

These classes also have provided help for people who are trying to get motivated by adding fun to the workout.

“Zumba and kettle bell classes have been some of the most utilized classes,” he added.

With the winter weather, school cancellations have also become very prevalent. The YMCA offers a structured day camp, and activities during snow days in the Legg Family Youth Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center also has an after school program. This offers area youth the opportunity to get out and use the facilities for exercise.

“A lot of the kids play basketball in the gym until about 9 (p.m.),” Gillispie said. “The baskets raise and lower so we can have smaller kids play on one half of the court and older kids on the half. We do a good job of rotating them so everyone can play.”

In addition, a lot of the younger patrons have been playing racquetball, foosball and ping pong.

Brian Legg, the namesake of the youth center, is working on supplying the center with another foosball table, couches, and video game equipment to make more activities available to the kids.

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