Salsa Moves Spicing up the Exercise Menu

By Lindsay Sonsky, Special to East Memphis Appeal, April 3, 2005

At 9:30 a.m., the studio is packed with women sweating and shaking their hips to the beat of Latin pop music.

Before heading off to work or school and even to see grandchildren, the Spandex-clad group piles into the Salsa Moves class at 24 Hour Fitness at 1285 Ridgeway.The class is led by Kathy Cockroft in a hot-pink top with fluttery sleeves. Her voice is amplified through a headset. Her makeup and blond bob are
flawless as she takes the class through cha-cha, samba, and mambo.

"I hope you like this as much as I do," she said. "It's so much fun."

The dancers' hoots and hollers draw exercisers from the regular gym, who peer into the glassed studio to see what's going on. It's that excitement that has made the class such a hit. The four-day-a-week sessions are constantly adding newcomers. The popularity has forced 24 Hour Fitness to add two instructors.

Since Salsa Moves began last fall, it has been one of the most attended classes at the gym, pulling in up to 40 people at a time.

The class is a low-impact aerobic workout that uses upbeat Latin music and dance moves to improve flexibility and heart rate. Because it's easy on the joints and allows students to go as intense or light as they wish, it has attracted a range of ages. The weekday classes are mostly female, but the weekend classes have some male participants.

Laura Galbreath, coordinator of group classes at 24 Hour Fitness, believes the class has been well received because people are searching for more entertaining ways to exercise."It offers so much more than a treadmill or an elliptical runner," said Galbreath.It also offers more than just fitness. Dancing is a social outlet as well."People are just enjoying having fun," she said.

Looking for something other than basic cardio classes, Bari Eiseman started taking the Salsa Moves class several months ago.She first took an aerobic salsa class on a cruise in the Caribbean. She says the classes at 24 Hour Fitness are similar and always remind her of that festive vacation."You don't even realize what a great workout you're getting," said Eiseman.Classes run from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the day of the week. A one-hour class burns about 400 calories.

Salsa Moves is free for 24 Hour Fitness members. Nonmembers can download a
free gym pass and class schedule by visiting 24hourfitness.com.The East Memphis location is the only 24 Hour Fitness in Memphis.