Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1462648
APRIL / MAY / JUNE 2022 21 LINDA SCHETKY living fit Group fitness Tips for beginners We asked Linda, Carol, Lauren, and Caroline to offer a tip for group fitness beginners. Here's what they said. "Try a few classes. See what classes make you feel good inside and out. Once you get into a groove and routine, results will follow naturally." —Linda Schetky "Listen to your body and do only what your body is ready for. Take your approach one class at a time and give yourself major kudos for getting to a class today!" —Carol Sele "Be open to discovering some- thing new about yourself. Let go of the impostor syndrome. If you're new, we've all been there." —Lauren Slater "Start slow and stay positive. Give yourself small, attainable goals. Also, choosing an activity you en- joy will help ensure that you'll stay motivated and keep going." —Caroline Wagner More classes coming soon Additional group fitness classes will be joining the schedule this spring, including Pilates and Barre classes. View the schedule at wac.net/fitness-schedule. Use the calendar icon in the upper right to filter your view. Note: Class and instructor schedules subject to change. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Linda Schetky is no stranger to the great out- doors, having spent childhood summers hiking and swimming with her three old- er sisters. Along with outdoor activities, Linda found herself drawn to competi- tive sports throughout high school and college, where she played intramural volleyball at the University of Washing- ton. She began full-time at the WAC in 2017. For Linda, teaching group fitness came naturally, courtesy of her active and competitive upbringing. "I get so much motivation from being surrounded by others who thrive on competition, wheth- er it be as part of a team, part of a class, or running a race," she says. ReBoot (Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:30 pm); Blitz 45 (Thursdays at 5 pm) For California native Carol Sele, regular fitness came in part through her days of collegiate rowing at California State University Long Beach. She quickly realized that maintaining a workout routine also took her "to a place of Zen and strength." Carol couldn't wait to share that feeling with others, leading her to obtain a personal training certification in 1993. Carol has been teaching at the WAC since 2019. Although yoga is Carol's first love, she says it's the people who keep her teaching. "e most amazing part of teaching yoga is seeing the transformation when people come into class and begin the breathing and movement," she says. CAROL SELE Vinyasa Yoga (Mondays at 6 pm; Tuesdays at 12 pm) LAUREN SLATER Lauren Slater felt her first fitness calling at age three when she discovered a love of dance. Years later, she obtained a de- gree in dance and exercise studies from UC Santa Barbara and teaching certi- fications in Pilates and yoga. "From my first yoga class, I remember the feeling in my heart that I'd found my forever home," she says. Lauren began at the WAC in 2017. She enjoys the camara- derie group fitness provides. "It's about sharing space, a good sweat, a laugh or two, and celebrating us all being alive and in it together," she says. "Group classes create an energy where we're breathing and moving together, and with that, people may surprise themselves." Virtual Vinyasa Yoga (see schedule); Pilates (Tuesdays at 5 pm); Vinyasa Yoga (Tuesdays at 6 pm) Seattleite Caroline Wagner has taught everything from yoga to aquatic fitness. She first stepped in as a substitute instructor when she was just 13. She moved to Los Angeles aer graduating from Washington State University and began teaching professionally. "e most important thing I learned from my first experience teaching in L.A. was admitting when you make a mistake and being able to laugh at yourself," she says. "We're all human, aer all!" She eventu- ally returned to Seattle and joined the WAC ranks in 2016. Yoga, she says, can alleviate physical ailments and improve your body's performance. Sharing those benefits, she says, are her passion. CAROLINE WAGNER Power Yoga (Wednesdays at 6 pm and Saturdays 10:30 am)