For Noreen Shcolnik and daughter Kelly Pile, fitness is not only a shared passion, it is their profession. Noreen says it all started about 20 years ago when Kelly came home from college, and they both started going to the Christown YMCA to work out. They enjoyed it so much and were there so often that the Y asked if they’d like to take a 13-week course to become certificated as Group Fitness Leaders.
Both women did just that and began heading classes at the Glendale/Peoria Y, where they both still teach. Kelly loves teaching her cardio-mix and total body-conditioning classes, while Noreen has branched out into yoga.
“In 2000 I began having some medical issues and other things were happening in my life, and I found my way into a yoga class,” says Noreen. “It was a lot more challenging that I thought it would be, but there was a new studio that had an introductory course and I just fell in love with it. In fact I became certified by taking one of the few 500-hour-level courses at Yoga Pura.”
While Noreen says it was expensive and obviously took a lot of time, she also feels it was one of the best things she’s ever done. “I was doing lots of things for other people, and I really needed an outlet that was ‘all about me.’ This is my opportunity to get quiet, do some internal soul-searching and just breathe. This is one workout that is more about breathing than any other – I like to tell people, ‘If you can breathe, you can do yoga.’ ”
Like many classes at the Y, her class is very popular, typically with more than 30 participants. “The classes at the Y are very different than ones you take at a studio. We have to gear the classes to be challenging enough to give those who are at a higher level a good session and not be bored and yet be easy enough not to discourage newcomers.”
Kelly agrees wholeheartedly. After getting certified through the Y, Kelly went further in her training, as well. “I wanted something more challenging. I went to the American Council on Exercise and took their course, which ended with a 4-hour comprehensive exam. It not only taught me about exercise, but a lot about how the body works.”
“With the classes at the Y, there are very few that have advanced levels – so it’s imperative that my classes give all levels a good workout that addresses everyone’s abilities,” says Kelly. “I love when someone starts out, I get to know them and they become regulars. One of the first things I want to impress on them is that they need to not get frustrated if they don’t get ‘it’ the first time. They have to give it at least three classes before they say they don’t like it. By then, I’m hoping they feel the camaraderie with the rest of the class, have a lot of fun and feel good about their bodies.”
Another part of Kelly’s philosophy is that she wants her students to find her approachable and find a way to relate the before-and-after connection to what they’re doing to keep themselves motivated. “Accountability is crucial; caring about ‘you’ is a wonderful thing.”
Noreen is just as gung ho about getting to know her fellow “Yogatinis,” as she refers to them. “I try hard to get to know why they’re here, injuries and health issues. Unlike Kelly’s more physical workouts, yoga looks to the internal.”
While Kelly doesn’t teach yoga, she does love attending her mom’s classes, and both women have also discovered “hot yoga.” They agree that it’s probably their most enjoyable workout. Kelly says it’s a physical workout that also helps with her internal focus.
Noreen feels that practicing yoga has poked its head out into other parts of her life. An incident when a loved one who was quite ill was her “aha” moment. She and her husband had arranged to help the person with a ride, but the person didn’t show up or answer the phone. “My husband was just off the wall with worry, while I found myself being absolutely calm. I knew I could deal with it – there was just no reason to be crazy.”
Here are a few important things this duo wants everyone to consider when looking for fitness classes: choose a gym or studio that is in a location where you won’t talk yourself out of going because it’s too far or because the parking lot is always a zoo; and find an ally who keeps you honest and is someone to answer to. Also consider the following questions: What are you looking for? Do classes happen when you’re most likely to go? Does it fit you? Do you want more of a competition with others, or do you want some way to carve out “me” time and meditate? Kelly’s student Kathy Erikson says, “Kelly is the reason I stay a member at the Y. Kelly is my little ray of sunshine, always upbeat and every class continues to challenge me. Kelly is great at keeping us mindful of our posture and using proper form. Some days it is hard to motivate yourself to exercise, but after I finish Kelly’s class, I am always happy that I made it there.”
Sylvia Johns, who has taken Noreen’s classes for six years, has a similar view of yoga: “I’m not normally a ‘relaxed body type,’ so learning to breathe into each pose, still my mind and keep my focus have been good lessons for class and everyday situations. I’ve learned to listen to my body today and not what I could do yesterday or want to do tomorrow. Yoga practice is part of my life now.”
While this mother/daughter team may not teach the same classes, they feel lucky to have found such a wonderful way of bonding. They describe their common love of fitness and doing the workouts together “as being cool and really lucky to have each other.”
Carine Nadel is a recent and happy transplant to Arizona. In a varied career, Carine has done everything including front page features for the Orange County Register, food columns, recipes in major magazines and entries on her family life in Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
For information on classes at the Y where Noreen Shcolnik and her daughter Kelly Pile teach, go to valleyymca.org, go to locations and click on Glendale/Peoria Family YMCA.
