Get Out and Get Moving!
Quit making excuses! Living healthy is easy in Charlotte County.
Story by Renee LePere
Photography by Spencer and Greg Pullen
Photography by Larry Baumgartner
The average daily temperature in southwest Florida is 75 degrees. There are more than 200 days of pure sunshine each year. So why are you still sitting on the couch wondering how you’re going to fulfill that New Year’s resolution of losing weight and getting in shape? Get out! Get moving! Lace up your sneakers and inflate your bike tires. And don’t worry about going it alone or spending a lot of money in the process. There are plenty of places and exercise clubs in Charlotte County that you can join for little or no cost.
The best part is, most of the research has already been done for you. Ron Thomas, president of Zoomers Southwest Florida Running and Triathlon Club and all-around fitness buff, has posted exercise organizations and locations in Punta Gorda and Get Out and Port Charlotte on his Web site, www.healthypuntagorda.org. Whether you’re into cycling, walking, running, birding, playing tennis or practicing yoga, his site can tell you where to go.
“We’re updating all the time,” Thomas said. “It’s just a way to find out how to stay fit whatever you’re interests are: running, tennis or whatever.”
The genesis of the site was the opportunity for Thomas to share both his love of fitness and Punta Gorda. “I love Punta Gorda for both its natural beauty and the opportunities it provides people to get out and enjoy what we have to offer,” he said. “The web site is my way of sharing our wonderful community with others.”
Though his site focuses mainly on Punta Gorda, Thomas plans on adding information for all of Charlotte County. Thomas said many people have asked him to add good places to kayak and windsail. "Both are great outdoor activities that keep people healthy," he said.
As his site has gained recognition, Thomas said local fitness enthusiasts have been recommending locations to him. Walking seems to be the most popular activity, and with good reason. Only two things are needed: a good pair of shoes and a safe place to walk. Punta Gorda boasts several popular walking (and running) routes - Fishermen's Village to the Banyan tree along Gilchrist Park, the Barron Collier bridge overlooking the Peace River, and the Freeman House to Charlotte County Historical Center - so all you need to do is buy a decent pair of shoes.
"We have an amazing public waterfront that extends from Charlotte Regional Medical Center to Fishermen's Village," Thomas said. "That's more than two miles of waterfront available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I can think of very few communities that can boast both natural beauty and accessibility."
Go for a Run
Mention the word “runner” or “triathlete” and the first picture that comes to mind is someone young, thin, well-muscled and fast as a gazelle. That’s not necessarily true.
“We have more than 160 members, and they range in age from preteen to their 80’s,” Thomas said about Zoomers, his running club.
And within that large age range are just as many levels, according to Thomas, from beginners who have committed to a walking program to serious runners who compete at every event possible. Zoomers is “really for everyone who is interested in making physical health a more focused part of their lives,” he said.
The club meets at a different location each month to discuss upcoming running and club social events. Zoomers provides race timing for more than 15 events every year, including the annual Turkey Trot at Edison Community College in Punta Gorda and the Englewood YMCA’s Rock & Run 10K Trail Run (scheduled for January 31 at Myakka River State Park just outside of Sarasota).
Annual membership dues are minimal: $10 for a student, $15 for singles and $20 for a family. The club offers a Tuesday night run each week, and they are working on putting together a weekend run. For more information, visit www.zoomersrun.com.
Ride a Bike
The first time Earl Lang set out on a group cycling expedition in Punta Gorda, it was a pretty exclusive club. He was it.
“We grew from there,” said Lang, owner of Acme Bicycle Shop in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte.
Five years later, there are about 30 riders who join him every Saturday morning. They meet at 8 a.m. for coffee at the shop in Cross Trails Center in Punta Gorda and then head out on their ride. The bikers’ individual paces vary from D level, 10 to 12 mph, up to B level, those who ride faster than 16 mph and will travel about 35 or more miles. Bikers in the B group don’t return to the shop until 11 or 11:30 a.m.
Lang said the riders range in age from their early 20’s to early 80’s. And don’t worry if you don’t have a custom-made, carbonframe, elite racing bike. “The rides are open to anyone,” he said. “People ride hybrids, mountain bikes, road bikes and even cruisers.
“All people need are a bike and helmet and to sign the waiver,”
Lang said. “There’s no fees or registration. We call it the ‘no
spandex ride.’”
Most importantly, especially for first time riders, no one gets left behind. Lang or his wife, Karen, will circle back to make sure the stragglers arrive back safely. The beginners are usually back at the shop by 10 a.m.
“We really just go out to have fun,” Lang said.
For those who are up to a more serious ride, on the second and fourth Sunday of every month, Lang leads a 50-mile round-trip ride along U.S. Highway 17 to Arcadia, or as he likes to refer to it, “two 25’s.”
“We stop for breakfast at one of the restaurants in Arcadia,” he said. “So it’s really not 50 miles so much as two 25’s.”
The ride leaves at 7:30 a.m., light permitting, from the Winn Dixie parking lot on U.S. Hwy. 17 in Punta Gorda. This ride isn’t for first-time riders. Those that ride are the B and C classes, which means they ride at least 13 mph and up.
Lang said the scenery on the way is worth it. “You see things you don’t notice when you are whizzing by in a car,” he said. “We’ve seen bobcats, wild pigs and panthers. And when you ride out there certain times of the year when the orange blossoms are blooming and that scent hits you, aaaahhhh, there’s nothing like it!”
There are conditions Lang doesn’t ride in, however. Primarily if it’s wet, foggy, raining or below 50 degrees. In those conditions, the rubber doesn’t hit the road. “I wait for those days,” he said, teasingly. “It’s an excuse not to go.” Though he admits we don’t have many days like that in Florida.
“The great thing is, you can do biking all year,” he said.
“Running and walking get hard in the heat, but with biking, you always have a breeze.” For more information about Lang’s weekly biking trips, visit www.acmebicycleshop.com.
Fencing? We Have Fencing?
Charlotte County also has plenty to offer the non-athletes among us, water aerobics for example. Charlotte County Parks and Recreation has been offering classes at its three pools for several years at only $3 a pop. But who knew it offered fencing?
“That’s been one of our most popular classes since we started offering it a year ago,” said Mark Solomon, Aquatics and Recreational Director.
A variety of classes from tai chi and other forms of martial arts to Zumba, a Latin dance-inspired aerobics class, are offered at low-cost through the county at Harold Recreational Center in Port Charlotte, South County Regional Park in Punta Gorda and Tringali Park in Englewood.
A schedule of class and fees can be found at www. charlottecountyfl.com/parks or by visiting any of the facilities.
