By Elizabeth Cloutman
 Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier |
Los Altos area offers variety of fitness facilities, classes
Where you can work out
Whatever your personality, age, level of fitness, exercise preference and daily schedule may be, the Los Altos area offers many programs at private gyms, the El Camino YMCA and at public facilities to meet your needs.
For those who enjoy exercise that seems more like dancing, Jazzercise offers morning, evening and Saturday drop-in classes at various city and school facilities in Los Altos and Mountain View.
Chris Valentino, group fitness director at Reach Fitness in downtown Los Altos, said adult members of this gym may choose from a variety of group exercise classes featuring dance styles: cardiodance, jazz, hip-hop, Afro-Caribbean, salsa, Latin or swing dance.
For young adults, ages 12-20, there’s a young adult jazz class. Valentino said the coed gum and spa also offers a weight class, body-sculpting, kick-boxing, cycling and lap-swimming. For those who might be vulnerable to joint stress, there are also low-impact and underwater aerobics.
The YMCA’s El Camino branch offers a wide variety of fitness classes and activities for everyone in the family. Many of the classes are free to YMCA members.
For mothers-to-be and new mothers, there are two classes: prenatal/postpartum exercise and prenatal/postpartum water exercise. Both classes require a physician’s consent form before class participation.
Pregnant and new moms and their babies, ages 3-18 months, can also participate in the Y’s Moms and Tots Hiking Club. They’ll spend six weeks in a progressive program, hiking the trails of Rancho San Antonio while enjoying each other’s company.
Children, 3-12 months, can also enjoy the Y’s Gym Tots program, with their mothers. Classes feature music, singing, special equipment for moms and babies to use and explore, as well as parachute games.
The El Camino YMCA also offers Gym Tots for toddlers, ages 1-3 years. Children can play games and follow obstacle courses to help develop their motor skills and balance.
Gym Kids is geared for kids, ages 3-6 years. This program focuses on improving motor skills, body awareness, balance and coordination.
One of the Y’s certified fitness trainers can also provide individualized training for students, ages 15-17, to help improve fitness for sports and recreation.
Adult classes at the Y include fitness-based, intermediate and advanced yoga, Pilates, NIA (combining Western dance with martial arts) and Tai Chi. For those who love being outdoors, there are the Walk Fit and SurvYver classes. Walk Fit features outdoor aerobic workouts. SurvYver, a five-week progressive summer class, incorporates walking, jogging and calisthenics.
Other adult classes include cycling, jazz aerobics, low-impact challenge, power sculpt , step aerobics, kick-boxing and total body-conditioning.
There are classes for adults who love the water: water aerobics, AquaFitness, Arthritis Aquatics and deep-water running. Lane swimming times are also available.
Fitness equipment and weights are available for individual workouts at the El Camino Y.
At Los Altos city facilities, the Y offers a low-impact aerobics class at Hillview Hall in the community center. Jacki’s Strongstep, Jacki’s Aerobic Dancing and Saturday Step with Judy are three other classes held in city facilities.
Adult yoga classes meet Monday and Thursday evenings at the Hillview Center, and Wednesday evenings at the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve.
The Los Altos nature lover can join the Trailheads, an adult hiking group, for a five to eight-mile walk on Sundays. For more information on this group, logon to www.thetrailheads.com.
For those with unusual working hours, there’s 24 Hour Fitness in Mountain View, which really is open to members 24 hours a day, according to Paul Drobot, the general manager.
“We’re the largest gym in the area, with over 38,000 square feet,” Drobot said. “We have the full complement of aerobics classes, state-of-the art equipment, a steam room and sauna, and a nutrition program.”
24 Hour Fitness, the YMCA, Reach Fitness and two of the Los Altos area’s newest fitness businesses, F.I.T. in the Rancho Shopping Center and Axis on North San Antonio Road, all offer personal fitness training, exercise and strengthening programs specifically designed for the individual, with one-on-one attention by a personal trainer.
“We educate individuals in how their bodies function,” said Michaela Clarke, the Axis recruiter. Such programs are admittedly more costly, but routines are customized for a client’s specific physical needs and lifestyle.
Clients have regular appointment times with their personal trainers. 24 Hour Fitness, Reach Fitness, Axis, F.I.T. and the El Camino Y also provide a special service for their clients’ fatigued, tense muscles: All offer personal massage at an additional cost.
