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Looking to Ramp up your Fitness? Deon Brady offers a natural antidote Like most communities in the country, Idaho Falls has its fair share of people who have a little trouble closing the zipper on that favorite pair of jeans. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study says kids spend a staggering 53 hours a week using electronic media, to their detriment. The fitness-crushing combination of elec- tronic connectedness and fast food noshing makes a nasty dilemma for people who want to stay healthy. Fortunately, folks in I.F. have a natural remedy to our computers, TV and cheese- burgers routine. Deon Brady is a local fit- ness veteran with roughly three decades of experience and ACE fitness instructor, per- sonal training and outdoor fitness certifica- tions. Brady turned to outdoor conditioning after her training certification with Olympic downhill skier Tina Vindum. She offers a signature outdoor fitness class that gets gym weary exercisers into the wide world of natural workouts. “You just don’t know how good you can 40 | EAST IDAHO SUMMER FUN GUIDE 2010 feel outdoors, until you’ve tried your work- out outdoors,” Brady said. “It’s a safe envi- ronment, and you double the calorie burn and you raise the bar of your fitness level.” The outdoor classes aren’t just about the sweat. As the disconnect between people and nature grows, people lose out on what it means to enjoy being in the outdoors. She says we just don’t get enough time being outside, and we forget how to embrace the weather. She doesn’t cancel classes because of the rain, she just advises the class to dress for the rain. “Once you’ve done it, it’s like being a kid again,” she said. She want to make workouts fun again, so she adds whimsical elements that help adults get back to the play they loved as kids. They roll down hills, workout on playground equipment, and in the winter build snow- men and then kick box them to their snowy deaths. The dull, grey four gym walls rou- tine is replaced with vivacious life affirming play in the outdoors. It’s play with personal fitness results. Yet, the lack of nature in our daily lives is a concern for Brady who ends her workouts with Pilates/Yoga style stretches and a bit of meditation. “Those few minutes of just being with nature are a really nice way to end it, to remember that you are outdoors, that the birds are singing and you can hear the water in the distance,” she said. Brady’s class has it all—customized nutrition counseling, since she’s a certified Personal Wellness Coach, sports condition- ing, family workouts and private sessions. She is an advocate of a healthy lifestyle, and will work with any client to create a program to support their personal fitness and nutrition goals, be it to get in shape for that reunion or to lower blood pressure. She is also available for taking daycare or school kids on nature walks or for pre-sea- son sports conditioning for teams. Her outdoor class fees range from $39.99 for a four-week session to $50 per hour for private training. Classes are offered several times a day throughout the year, and anyone can try a free workout ses- sion each Saturday morning at Sportsman Park from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. You can also watch for the blonde pint-sized power- house at Brady’s booth at the Midwives Day Celebration at Freeman Park Saturday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “It’s a whole new experience; it’s fun,” Brady said. “With a gym, you get four walls. In the outdoors, you get Mother Nature, and every park has its own dynamic of what is available in terms of terrain for fitness conditioning. Once you’ve experienced a workout in the outdoors, you’ll see how much you will enjoy it. Come try a workout with us.” For more information or to schedule Brady’s Outdoor Fitness Training Program, call 208-521-1425 e-mail drbrady@cableone.net.