"Adelante! El centro. Heel toe, heel toe!" called out Diane Olson, a Sun Valley Athletic club trainer, and Calysta Phillips, who's with St. Luke's Center for Community Health, as they orchestrated an aerobics class Tuesday for Hispanic women at the Community Campus.
"How are you doing?" Olson asked, as the guitar solo of a country riff beating from the tape player changed tempo and the exercisers changed from a three-step clap move to a forward march washerwoman rendition. "Are you ready to pick it up? The next one is going to make your heart rate go up."
Full of gusto, the group of 15 Hispanic women smiled even through the most strenuous moments of their Tuesday workout.
The weekly class was the last of seven started when women visiting the Hailey health center asked Phillips, St. Luke's bilingual outreach coordinator, to help them learn more about exercise.
"I'm hoping to help with the health of Latinos in our region," Phillips said. "I feel like we lucked out in getting great teachers."
The women in the Latina Aerobics class thought so too. In fact, due to its popularity the class, which has had 20 participants with an average of 14 exercisers a week, is moving in the New Year to the Blaine County Athletic Center in Hailey. Classes will continue on Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"We don't have an end date right now," Phillips said. "As long as there is interest we'll keep going."
The idea came out of the monthly discussion groups of Mujeres Hispanas, women who gather at the Center for Community Health in Hailey to talk about all sorts of family and health issues.
"It kind of fell into place," Phillips said.
Set after set, the exercisers switch directions, move from hip to hip, and practice more three step clap strides and box steps.
"Don't ever let anybody hold you back," the singer on the tape player sang.
Then it was time for some Musica Latina and a Mambo beat. Ole, ole followed by hot, hot, hot!
Olson and the members of her class were clearly having a good time working up a sweat.
As Olson passed out resistance bands for strengthening exercises, Phillips piped up, "El rojo es para las supermujeres!"
Everyone laughed and showed off their biceps as Olson checked to make sure everyone was feeling comfortable and not overdoing it.
The group practiced curls and arm extensions. I could feel it in the rotator cuff. The best part of the class, however, was the stretching and the resting.
"I enjoyed it," said Silvanna Barragan, happy for the opportunity to join the sessions and also looking forward to the classes in the New Year. "After all the Christmas and New Year's dinner we'll need it."
Phillips said the group had no trouble finding willing trainers to teach the classes and is hopeful that the program will continue at the athletic center with its superior aerobics floor.
"This group is a blast," Olson said. "Let's grab some water."
Mujeres magnificas and maestra magnifica, Diane Olson, make their moves at an aerobics class held Tuesdays at the Community Campus in Hailey. Silvana Barragan, Annia Morse, Laura Mendoza, Lucia Loera, Eugenia Castro, Gloria Palencia, Liliana Tellez and Antonia Garcia were some of the 20 women who participated in a new exercise program to continue in January at the Blaine County Athletic Center. Express photo by Matt Furber
