‘Passport to Fitness’ offered Saturday at the YMCA

More than 20 booths and activities are planned at the YMCA of Hannibal’s first annual Passport to Fitness expo from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21. It is free to everyone, and all adults are invited, according to Marlene Rodenbaugh, director of the YMCA’s Wellness Center, who is coordinator of the expo.
“The whole point of the expo is to encourage our community to be active and promote health and well being,” Rodenbaugh said.
“That can be a motivator for that lifestyle, but we shouldn’t stop there. We should provide our community with the resources to make that step. ... We have something for everybody, for people just beginning and those who have been doing it awhile. Members and non-members are welcome.”
The first 50 people to arrive will receive a free T-shirt, and there will be a drawing for a personal training package. The YMCA will have its nursery open.
“Some booths will have interactive events, and others will provide some individual health information that is very specific for your own benefit,” Rodenbaugh explained.
Hannibal Regional Hospital’s physical therapy personnel will do balance and injury assessments.
“A lot of things are fun and others are geared toward prevention,” she said. “To tell somebody to get active, we need to explain what that means to them.
“We are bombarded with ideal fitness levels, but if they haven’t exercised for years,” they can be injured. “We want to answer, ‘Where do I start?’” Finding the answer is easier, Rodenbaugh said, “if you have the right people and resources to guide you.”
“We have personal trainers and certified instructors. We also have a cooperative relationship with the physical therapy department at Hannibal Regional Hospital. ... If a trainer can’t help, we can make an appointment for you to meet them.”
Zumba classes are very popular now, Rodenbaugh said. “We currently have seven classes a week. Zumba is for people who don’t like fitness but they like fun. Zumba speaks to everybody.” Zumba and aqua zumba demonstrations are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and are free to everyone at the expo.
Other booths will feature diets, fitness clothing, bicycles, massage therapy, a body fat analysis (for a $55 fee), counseling, cholesterol checks, smoking cessation and other health-related topics.
Information also will be offered about kettle ball, triathlons, half marathons, weight loss, biking, hiking and gardening.
“The YMCA really cares about our members,” Rodenbaugh stressed. “We have community booths to provide people who have accomplished a habit of being physical fit to set a new goal.
“An example is road biking,” Rodenbaugh reported. “Dr. Curtis Burton and his wife, Debra, will be here to discuss road biking. We have a really big group of people who do road biking.
“We have so many members who are encouraging and mentoring each other. You see people at the Y go outside the Y and go hiking together.”
One upcoming event is a the second annual Lazy Man Triathlon, which will be from Jan. 23 to March 5. Participants will have up to six weeks to complete the triathlon. They will be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles. The fee is $10 which includes a T-shirt. The minimum age is 13. Registrations may be made at the YMCA.
The YMCA offers a variety of fitness programs and classes, Rodenbaugh added, but it is not alone in offering ways for people to become more healthy. The Hannibal Parks & Recreation will be at the expo with a booth about the city trails and fitness.
The Y works with the hospital, parks and recreation and other agencies to help people become healthy, she added. “Our objective is ‘let’s get our community healthy.’”