Fitness classes at Shaker Road firehouse aim to involve everyone from children to seniors, but without more participation, their future is uncertain.
What started five years ago at the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department as a single Pilates class has morphed into nearly 10 different exercise classes offered during the day and evening.
“I realized that exercise made me feel so good so I wanted to share that with everyone I could,” said Barbara-Jean Heinbach, the health, wellness and exercise administrator at the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department. “Every time I heard of a different area, I would try to get a different class to help those people.”
Heinbach said that the instructors for the classes get paid from the fees collected for each session, so if there are not enough participants, that financial hit is felt by the instructors.
“Without people in the community coming to those classes, I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to keep the classes going,” said Heinbach.
Heinbach has been a volunteer at the fire department for 27 years and began the classes after discovering how much exercising helped her deal with the chronic neck and back pain she suffered from sitting at an office desk, as well as the arthritis she had recently developed. Heinbach has worked for the state for more than 20 years.
“The area I really like to focus on is I saw a lot of the older members of the firehouse just seemed so sad and depressed during the winter because our winters are so bad here. So we started classes for them, and they were feeling so good they wanted more classes,” said Heinbach.
As the classes grew, Heinbach noticed that it was more than just the elderly who were looking for a way to stay healthy and active during the winter. Another class offered at firehouse was for mothers who could bring their children in while they exercised.
The Baby Boot Camp class, which is run by Britta Hogue, offers moms an opportunity to work out and bring their babies. The moms bring in a stroller and do different exercises involving the kids and their strollers.
“When I think about Baby Boot Camp, I think the most important thing is moms want to feel safe where they are bringing their kids. What safer place than the firehouse?” said Hogue. “When we met, I loved her (Heinbach’s) personal story, and I think it just fit in great because this is a really great community program for moms and little ones.”
Hogue owns Capital District Baby Boot Camp, which has classes in Albany, Clifton Park and Loudonville. The franchise was started in 2001 and has classes all over the country.
Christine Powell, a mother who lives on Albany Shaker Road and brings her son, Carter, to the class, praised the format.
“It’s a nice switch up in the routine. Every class has something different,” Powell said. “He (Carter) likes it too. He’s an only child, and I’m a stay-at-home mom so it’s good for him to be around other kiddos.”
Another aspect of the program is to ensure that the firefighters remain healthy. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among firefighters, accounting for 45 percent of on-duty deaths, which is why the fire department has a Fire Up Boot Camp. Other classes offered include gentle yoga, which concentrates on stretching to keep elderly participants flexible and to keep muscles working that they don’t normally use. There are morning fitness classes and a wellness workout to help relieve stress.
The classes that run 6 to 13 weeks, and will resume in the beginning of January. Volunteers maintain the firehouse, and the price per class is under $10. The fees go to pay instructors so if there isn’t enough interest, then the instructors can’t be paid.
“The older people don’t really come, and our day classes are very small,” said Heinbach. “That’s why I really want to beef those classes up.”
Heinbach said people can come and try a class for free to see if they like it.
More information can be found about the classes at shakerroadfire.com/exercise-and-health.
