Finding time for family is tough. Creating time for fitness can be twice as hard. While many Bellevue Club members have managed to make both a priority in their lives, it’s still easy for one or the other to fall to the wayside as work and social commitments pile up. But the good news is that the two don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Many families have found that being physically active together not only enhances the workout, but also allows for important connections to be forged.
“It holds each individual family member accountable and helps them grow together as a family,” says Club Assistant Fitness Director Bethany Kennedy. “It gets everyone on the same page in terms of quality of life.” With the start of the New Year and the opening of the Club’s new fitness expansion, there has never been a better time to get the whole family involved.
‘IRON-FAMILIES’ GO THE DISTANCE Longtime Club member Nichole Jacobson knows the benefits of family fitness. This past summer, she finished her first full-length Ironman triathlon at the Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia. A determined athlete on her own, Nichole found a more-than-willing training partner in her dad, Ernie Bakker, who’s also a Club member. Ernie had competed in triathlons in the 1980s, but had since retired from the grueling training regimen. At the time when he was competing, Nichole was a dedicated ballet dancer in her teens. “I wasn’t even all that impressed with it,” she says. “I just thought that’s what dads did.” Nearly 20 years later, Nichole started long-distance running in 2005. “It was kind of an evolutionary process,” she says. “I did a half-marathon and built up to a marathon.” She eventually qualified for and finished the world-famous Boston Marathon. “I was kind of just checking off these life-list things,” she says. Then, when a friend signed up for a shorter “sprint” triathlon, Nichole was inspired to try it as well. “It was kind of an evolutionary process,” she says. “I did a half-marathon and built up to a marathon.” She eventually qualified for and finished the world-famous Boston Marathon. “I was kind of just checking off these life-list things,” she says. Then, when a friend signed up for a shorter “sprint” triathlon, Nichole was inspired to try it as well. “I thought it was so fun,” she says. As she was setting her sights on her next goal—a half-Ironman triathlon—Ernie decided to re-enter the sport along with her. The two began training with a group of dedicated triathletes, many of whom are also Club members. In 2007, they went up to Penticton to cheer on several members of their group who were competing in the Ironman Canada. Despite both vowing to never compete in the demanding event, Nichole says it was inevitable that they would end up competing eventually. “If you have any kind of athletic inclination, you can’t just watch it without knowing you’re going to do it,” she says. “We knew we had to give it a try, so we signed up and spent the last year training.”
An Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run (marathon distance). In preparation for the event, Nichole and her dad launched into an intense training program averaging 200 miles of biking, 4 miles of swimming and 30 miles of running per week. “It’s been incredibly bonding for us. You can do a lot of talking when you’re on your bike for five hours,” Nichole says. “My dad told me that it was the best summer of his life. “From a father-daughter standpoint,
Sydney Jacobson, Luke Baumann, Ashley Baumann
just to have something that you can do together like that is pretty rare,” she adds. Nichole and Ernie’s fervor quickly spread to the rest of the family. Nichole’s husband, Jeff Jacobson, signed up for next year’s Ironman Canada and her three children—Sydney, 7; Casey, 10; and Dillon, 13—compete in kids’ triathlons along with their cousins Luke and Ashley Baumann. “We’re always trying to encourage our kids to stay active,” she says. Whenever possible, they would try and include the kids in their training program. “If I was running, my son would ride his bike next to me,” she says. “Or, when we’d swim at my dad’s house on Lake Sammamish, we’d have all our kids come.” Because Nichole’s middle daughter, Casey, was given the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes six years ago, staying healthy is even more of a priority for the family. “I just want to be an example to her—a sporty mom who can also go shopping,” she says. Nichole wasn’t the only Club parent setting an example for her kids this past year at the Ironman Canada.
Dr. Gentry McGrath and Dr. Alexie Montaland, a husband-and-wife team who train in the same triathlete group with Nichole and Ernie, crossed the finish line together along with their 9-year-old daughter, Zara, who met them at the finish. While Gentry has been racing for the past 20 years, it was Alexie’s first full-length triathlon. She was originally brought into the sport when Gentry surprised her with a bicycle for Christmas. “I wanted a watch, and he bought me
a bike,” she says, laughing. “He said, ‘I thought we could have more time together.’” Alexie soon found out what he meant by quality time. "The first time he took me out I thought I was going to die,” she says. “We went 50 miles.” Despite the challenge, she has warmed to the sport. “I like biking more than anything now,” she says. Although she was interested in fitness while growing up in France, Alexie had never considered competing in a triathlon. “In France, women don’t do triathlons,” she says. Alexie met Gentry when she moved to the United States for graduate school. While Gentry, a Bellevue native, has competed in numerous triathlons, this last one held extra significance for him. “Crossing the finish line with my wife was quite powerful for me,” Gentry says. “It’s a feeling of unity to accomplish something together.” Although Gentry and Alexie, both chiropractors in Bellevue, train nearly every day of the week, Alexie cautions against setting unrealistic goals for family fitness. “Where I see people making the biggest mistakes is that they go too high too quick,” she says. “Mentally, it’s too much pressure.” For those looking to establish a regular routine, she suggests making achievable goals, such as a short workout two days a week and then building up. To keep their daughter active and involved in fitness, Alexie says they emphasize fun over health benefits. “The sense of fun for kids is key. If they don’t have fun, they don’t want to do it,” she says. Zara competes on the Bellevue Club Swim Team and won several events last year, but Alexie says they didn’t push her into competition. “I would say ‘why don’t we go play 10 minutes in the pool, and then we’ll sit in the hot tub together,’” she says. Gentry and Alexie first introduced Zara to the water while living in France prior to 2004. “We would swim after work in the Mediterranean, and Zara would be in the water with us,” Gentry says. For Alexie and Gentry, taking the time to play with Zara is a no-brainer. “If you can set aside 10 to 15 minutes to play together with your kids, it’s worth it for their mental well-being,” Alexie says.
STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY CORE When longtime member Jeff Foushee was experiencing back problems he needed an exercise that would keep him fit while helping to relieve his pain. He found Pilates.
“It’s been history ever since,” says Jana Foushee, Jeff’s wife. “I was having some back issues, and it was a doctor that suggested that it might not be a bad idea to try it,” Jeff says. Since then, Pilates has become a family affair for the Foushees with their daughter, Marie, also joining them for classes.
Marie & Jeff Foushee
“What Pilates does is it helps you focus on your core, so it helps you do all of your other activities better,” Jana says. After some time off, Jana recently returned to Pilates while trying to recover from a ruptured Achilles that occurred on the tennis court. “I needed to reconnect with my body. I found that it was like a foreign object to me,” she says. “Pilates overlapped with a lot of my physical therapy movements.” While Jana works with an individual instructor due to her injury, Jeff and Marie take advanced Pilates together. Jeff enjoys the time he gets to spend with his 23-year-old daughter. “She does not live at home anymore, so you take every opportunity you get to do something with your kids,” he says. “It’s turned out to be a nice little father-daughter get-together every Tuesday evening.” Although their children are now grown, Jeff says they always tried to encourage interests in activities where the family could connect. “You’re always looking for interests you can develop together, whether its fitness or other hobbies,” he says. “When children are younger, it’s kind of hit-or-miss to find out what clicks with them.”
MAKING A PLAN “There needs to be a healthy balance in everything that you do,” says Bethany. “Every family is different.” For getting your children off the couch and interested in activities, Bethany suggests being supportive rather than stern. “You need to work as a support group, rather than a drill sergeant,” she says. She also sees starting slow as the key to building a foundation. “Start with one day a week where you can do something together, whether it’s coming to the Club and playing around in the gym or taking a class,” she says. “It’s baby steps together.” But what if family members are at differing fitness levels? According to Bethany, they can still enjoy quality time being active together. “In that case, focus more on the activity rather than the intensity,” she says. Bethany also suggests an incentive program as a way to get the family involved, such as always pairing a movie with 30 minutes of exercise before or after. Above all, whether you’re training for a triathlon or simply wanting to get in
5 EASY WAYS TO ENJOY FAMILY FITNESS AT THE CLUB
1. Corresponding classes: Many adult fitness and youth programs are scheduled simultaneously. Drop off your child for Swim Team practice or a Recreation class such as Turbo Tots, Hip-Hop/Jazz Dance or Kids’ Camp, and go enjoy an activity of your own such as Indoor Cycling, Yoga From the Ground Up or a tennis match.
2. His and hers workouts: Pilates, Kinesis and yoga are great classes to take with another family member. Many of these classes are beneficial for a variety of body types and fitness levels.
3. Drop-in: Bring your sneakers and come shoot hoops as a family in the gym. The neighboring mini-gym is the perfect size for younger hoopsters.
4. Get personal: The Club’s Fitness staff is full of energetic, knowledgeable personal trainers who will work with you and your family to maximize your fitness experience and fun while minimizing risk of injury. Ask the Fitness Desk about semi-private personal training options.
5. Hit the pool: You can play with your child in the shallow end or work on your butterfly stroke with your spouse. With a wide range of instruction programs, it’s easy to enroll your child in a class while you get a workout nearby.
shape, family fitness is as much about connecting with one another as it is about fitness. “Getting involved as a family is one of the healthiest things you could do,” says Bethany.
