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 Fitness AfloatMember manages diabetes in the deep end At 6 feet 2 inches, Alan Knopf weighed a muscular 205 pounds when he came out of the Army in 1955. A lifelong athlete and charter member at the Bellevue Club, Alan played defensive end for the Rutgers University football team during his college days and jogged throughout his business career. But in the early ’90s, Alan’s jogging came to an abrupt halt when he had an artificial hip installed. “When I asked my doctor about how to exercise with an artificial hip, he suggested aqua aerobics, and I have been a regular in the deep-water aqua aerobics class ever since,” he says. More recently, Alan faced another health challenge. Two years ago, his doctor diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes. Once again, Alan found respite in the pool, keeping to a six-day-per-week aqua aerobics or free-swimming regiment to manage the disease. “Blood sugar levels above 130 is diabetic and in the morning I’m at 120 as soon as I wake up. After my workout, it will be down in the 80s and 90s,” Alan says. “I do aqua aerobics three times a week and swim laps three times a week.” His doctor, another Club member, recently sent him a note congratulating him. “The routine totally controls my blood sugar,” he says. The benefits of the pool aren’t all physical for Alan. He’s found a contemplative aspect to the monotony of lap swimming. “When I swim, I get lost in thought and that’s a good thing,” he says. In water aerobics class, he’s found a supportive social community. “I’ve made some good friends in the class,” he says. His wife, Elizabeth, is a regular on the tennis courts. Alan can’t emphasize enough the benefits of working with weights and resistance in the aerobics class. “My friend Bill Boettcher in the class is a retired surgeon. He’s performed thousands of surgeries over the course of his career, and he says every one of them could benefit from this class. You get a good workout and it doesn’t stress any of the joints,” Alan says. And, 55 years after he finished his service in the Army, Alan still tips the scales at a fit 205 pounds.  SCHEDULESIndoor Pool Schedule (PDF) Swim Lesson Brochure (PDF) Adult Water Aerobics (PDF) Summer Programs For additional Fitness information, please visit the Classes & Events page. |
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Bellevue Club REFLECTIONS | 11200 Southeast Sixth Street Bellevue, WA 98004 | 425.688.3161 | reflections@bellevueclub.com
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