Whitehorse’s fitness community kicked off Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s heart month on Saturday with the 1st annual Super Sweat exercise marathon.
Eighty-seven super sweaters packed into the flexi-hall at the Canada Games Centre for two hours of heart-pounding workouts in several disciplines.
“We’ve got the basics covered — cardio-kickboxing, step-aerobics — the hardcore stuff that works your abdomen and buttocks,” said organizer Lisa Vowk of Whitehorse parks and recreation.
“Then there’s new stuff, like Nia, which is a combination of dance and martial arts, and Feldenkrais, which is more about awareness of movement.”
Organizers planned for about 40 people, so when the turnout was more than twice that, they were already thinking about Super Sweat II.
“It’s amazing, next year we can push that stage way back to the end and really fill this place,” said Vowk.
“We’ve seen so many people put not just their heart into it, not just their bodies into it, but also their donations into it.”
Organizers are hoping to raise $14, 000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation over the next month.
“Heart disease is the number one killer of females in Canada,” said Vowk.
“Hello? It’s a wake up, we need to educate people to help their fitness and well-being.”