Imagine an exercise regimen that doesn’t require you to shower or leave your house or even get dressed. If you’re not already sold, the price tag for such ready-made convenience and comfort: $5 per session.
Since COVID, Adelle Terry and Leslie Smith have been offering their entire slate of classes—from Pilates to Yoga—on line. Participants simply click on a link to be connected to the class, where they can watch the instructor and follow along. You don’t have to turn on your microphone or camera, so it amounts to a one-on-one session if you want, and you don’t have to feel self-conscious about whether or not your workout clothes are sufficiently laundered or whether you should have brushed your hair before leaving the house.
“We’ve been instructors for more than thirty years in different spaces,” Leslie explained. “But during COVID we shifted everything to online, using Zoom. For us, the advantages include not having to pay rent for a studio, but also no travel is involved for students or teachers.”
In 2020, the duo formed an LLC and called it “Leslie and Adelle’s Classes,” a savvy marketing strategy that leaves no confusion for those interested in signing up. “We don’t advertise,” Leslie said. “People find us by word of mouth.” Adelle added that “We do have social events for everyone involved who does want to get together in person.” Leslie acknowledged, “We did give up the intimacy of live classes, but gained a new intimacy of meeting people in their homes.”
The Zoom approach is especially suited to seniors. “I think the average age for those taking classes is somewhere in the 60s,” Adelle guessed. “We do have some in their 40s, and people up into their 80s.” Leslie explained that the format is especially conducive to those who work—students can log on in the work break room or in the privacy of an office. Classes are generally fifty minutes and easy to fit into a daily schedule when you don’t have to plan on an extra half hour for travel. In fact, being online means you never have to worry about road conditions or weather, which is something to consider in Montana about 8 months of the year. “We joke that we’re offering ‘Pajama Pilates,’” Leslie said.
In fact, someone wanting to Zoom into a QiGong class, for example, doesn’t even have to be in Montana, or the United States at all. “We have students logging in from Costa Rica,” Adelle noted.
Adelle and Leslie offer a wide variety of movement classes, from more Yoga and stretching-oriented classes, to higher impact classes in Pilates. They also offer QiGong, a Chinese movement art that involves constant, slow movement focused on breathing that many seniors find rewarding. “Zen stretch” is also a relaxing and rejuvenating class that focuses on breathing and limbering up neglected muscles.
Leslie and Adelle’s Classes run Monday through Friday, starting at 10 a.m. To sign up for a class, contact Leslie at [email protected] or Adelle at [email protected] to receive a Zoom link or to ask questions. For $5 a class, you can’t afford not to get in better shape! MSN
