In exactly three weeks, swimsuit season begins. Are you ready?
To get a tight and toned body suitable for the beach or swimming pool, Keyser resident and certified fitness trainer Jillian Reel is hosting weekly Body Pump and Pilates courses at Daisy’s Dance Studio at 129 N. Main St.
Beginning Tuesday, May 27, Reel will kick-off the Body Pump class at 7 p.m. and is inviting all area residents interested in improving their health and shape.
“My goal is to help women improve their bodies and esteem,” said Reel, York, Pa. native who moved to Keyser for the first time in 1994. “I want them to go out and do something good for themselves because it is so easy to fall away when you get busy and have children.”
Body Pump, also known as sculpting, is an all-over strength training class that pumps up the muscles and “burns them out” to create new muscle, said Reel.
“I focus on each muscle group,” said Reel. “I call it Body Pump because you really have to get pumped to do it. It really drains you.”
The Pilates sessions will begin on Thursday May 29 and will focus on beginner moves, the core, correct breathing techniques and is proven to improve flexibility and posture.
Reel says Pilates is “great for guys too” because it’s a core-focused workout that tightens and tones the abdominals, a problem-area for many guys.
“It also lengthens all other muscles and makes them long and lean.”
Reel is a 1996 graduate of Keyser High School.
She attended the York Technical Institute for business management where she obtained an associate degree.
In 2000, she began seriously working out and going to the gym.
She said at the gym she would see people not using correct posture at the machines.
“I couldn’t stand going to the gym and seeing everyone have poor posture,” said Reel. “It’d try to go up to them and tell them but some didn’t like it. So I figured, why not teach? And I got certified.”
In 2002, she became AFA Aerobics & Fitness Association of America certified in group and strength fitness in Bel Air, Md. (Harford County).
Reel taught at her local YMCA when she lived in York and has also taught at a JCC (Jewish Community Center) and at a martial arts and fitness center.
She says she’s really looking forward to offering her expertise to local residents at the Tuesday night Body Pump classes and the Thursday night Pilates classes, which she said are ongoing.
“Most places you’d find that they set classes that last for 12 week sessions,” said Reel. “I don’t want people to feel obligated to come and to feel like they are losing money.”
Each class is $4, but the camaraderie and accountability participants receive from attending group classes is priceless, said Reel.
“When attending group classes, people hold me accountable and it gives me a boost to get there,” she said.
For the future, Reel said she may offer earlier classes to accommodate teachers, for example, who would like to stop by the studio for classes after school.
In addition, her main goal in a few years is to start offering personal training one-on-one to local clients.
Reel lives in Keyser with husband, Micah and their two children Jonah, 3 and Claire, 1.