Refer a Friend!

Pearce members can earn one month free when they refer a friend to Pearce!

Junior Fitness Certification

Pearce is offering Junior Fit Certification on Wednesday, November 22, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for members ages 13 and 14. After successfully completing the class and receiving certification, young members will be allowed access to the cardiovascular room, Selectorized equipment area, and group exercise classes.

Participants will learn how to use the equipment in a safe, productive manner. Additionally, they will learn fitness etiquette, and rules.

Pearce Foundation members pay only $9; members $12. Advance registration is required.

Youth Basketball Leagues Games Begin Tomorrow!

We are very excited for the start of youth league basketball games tomorrow morning!

Big shout out to Peoria Area Veterinary Group for sponsoring our shirts and TSS Photography for sponsoring one of our courts this session. Their sponsorship helps make the league possible!

Good luck to all our players, and THANK YOU to our volunteer team coaches!

At the Intersection of Art and Water

When you think of water aerobics, you probably don’t associate it with any type of artistic endeavor. Unless you’re an artist like instructor Cathie Crawford.

Cathie teaches Aqua Fit each Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. “I like creating choreography that goes with the music,” says Cathie. “I like moving to the music as opposed to just doing each exercise eight times. I usually have one move or combination of moves for the verses, one for the chorus or refrain and then something different for the bridge or instrumental. The creative part is coming up with the right moves to fit the music. I use a little of everything, from Vivaldi to pop. My routines are seasonal as well. I have play lists for each holiday and season.”

Originally from New York City, Cathie returned to Illinois in the fall of 2004 after living overseas with her husband (three years in Jeddah Saudi Arabia and then three years in Grenoble France). Since completing her Master of Fine Art degree in 1987 from Bradley University, she has concentrated on the color reduction woodcut.

Her work has been included in more than 300 exhibitions, 25 solo exhibitions, 70 juried national shows and 15 international juried exhibitions since completing a BFA from The Ohio State University. Crawford has won over 35 awards at both the national and regional level. Her prints have been exhibited in 28 states as well as France, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and the UK.

While in Saudi Arabia, Cathie discovered water aerobics. When she and her husband returned to the US and settled in Peoria, she continued water aerobics classes and met Laura Kelly, a local water aerobics teacher who has taught at Pearce for many years. Laura helped Cathie earn her first water aerobics certifications in 2006, and she’s been teaching in central Illinois ever since.

“Pearce is an excellent facility for water aerobics,” explains Cathie. “Unlike other area fitness centers, I can have music at Pearce and there is plenty of chest-deep water, perfect for the class.” She also enjoys the size of her class. “It’s more fun with more people!”

Cathie’s art is currently on display at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. She is also hosting an open house at her home on November 18.

November School's Out Day Camps to the Rescue!

You've got a million things to do to get ready for Thanksgiving and guess what, the kids don't have school the day before the big holiday!

Not to worry, Pearce has got you covered. Maybe you don't typically use our School's Out Day Camp but this might be a great time to try it so you can have the day to get ready for Thanksgiving.

Let your kids spend the day off at Pearce School's Out Day Camp for students in grades K-6 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22. Before camp care is also available beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Campers will spend the day enjoying a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, swimming in the pool, and local field trips. Bring a daily sack lunch that does not require refrigeration but can contain microwaveable items and a drink, swimsuit and towel, gym shoes, and a book. An afternoon snack will be provided.

Register in advance at Pearce. Foundation members pay only $31.50 per child per day; Members $35; and non-members $55.

Before & After School Care Offers Daily Rates

Looking for something different for your kids to do after school? Pearce's Before & After School Care program offers daily rates so you can participate only when you need or want to.

The program provides a safe and fun place for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade to go during the before and after school hours. The program is held every day Illinois Valley Central District #321 is in session. Before School care is provided from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. After School care is provided from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The program includes homework time, snack time, organized games, physical education, exergaming, and free play.

Bus service for the Before School portion of the program is provided to CEC and South School. Bus service for the After School portion of the program is provided from CEC, South School, and Mossville. St. Edward’s School staff escort students to Pearce after school.

The weekly cost for Before School care is $31.50 for Foundation members; $35 members; and $45 non-members. The daily cost is only $7.87 for Foundation members; $8.75 members; and $11.25 non-members.

The weekly cost for After School care is $63 for Foundation members; $70 members; and $80 non-members. The daily cost is only $15.75 for Foundation members, $17.50 for members; and $20 for non-members.

Why Fitness & Nutrition Changes Can Be So Hard and How to Make it Feel Easier

By Raquel "Rocky" Herron, Fitness Manager, and Megan O'Reilly, AFPA Certified Nutritionist and Wellness Consultant 

If you've ever made a personal goal to lose weight, eat healthier, or exercise more, you probably know that achieving the goal isn't always easy.  If you struggle with getting in more exercise or eating more nutritiously, you are not alone.  Consider these facts. A few years ago, the CDC published a study that reported only 80% of American adults get their recommended aerobic physical activity in each week. Another report states that 76% of adults do not get their recommended servings of fruit per day, and a whopping 87% do not get their recommended servings of vegetables per day. So what is making it so hard for all of us to get enough exercise and healthy foods in?

	Raquel "Rocky" Herron

The answer is two-fold. Number one, knowledge. Do you know how many minutes of exercise the USDA recommends? Do you know how many servings of fruit, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy are recommended for you? If you don't, you won't know what goal to aim for. 

Once you have the knowledge of the changes you need to make, it is still not easy! In fact, the hard part is from over. The second reason why making fitness and nutrition changes is so hard is simple: change, any kind of change, is hard!  

Megan O'Reilly

The biggest mistake we see is often termed the "overhaul mindset."  People want to see big changes, real fast! We plan to overhaul our entire way of eating and exercising all at once, and expect our drastic changes to stick. Reality check:  this does not work! For most of us, the more changes we try to make, the harder it is to stick with them all.  We end up overwhelmed, giving in to our excuses and feeling like a failure. 

To combat this common challenge, strategically plan one small but realistic change at a time. For example, if healthier eating is your goal, focus only on improving your breakfast choices for a few weeks. Once you have made one successful habit change, add another. In this healthy eating example, perhaps your second small change could be to add just one vegetable to your lunch for a few weeks. Let the success of one small change provide momentum for creating and achieving another small goal. As time passes, your small habit changes will stack upon each other to create exactly what you are looking for: REAL, LASTING, SUSTAINABLE changes.  The slower we go, the easier it feels.

One challenge to this moving slow theory is that we all want results, real FAST right NOW. However, if you think about your attempts at exercising or dieting in the past, chances are you can relate to falling victim of the "overhaul mindset."  If it didn't work for you in the past, chances are that it is not going to work for you now.  If you are interested in learning how to make an exercise and eating plan that will work for you, with long term results, come join us Wednesday November 1, 6:30-7:30, at the Chillicothe Public Library. Our free presentation will include the current exercise and nutrition guidelines, tips for overcoming excuses, and suggestions on implementing small changes one at a time. 

Hopefully, one of those small changes will include deciding to exercise, or at least become more consistent with your workouts. To help you with this challenge and to show you what group exercise can do for you, Pearce will be offering Black Friday Fitness Bash that will provide a small sampling of group exercise to include Step Aerobics, BODYPUMP™, BODYATTACK™, Hip Hop, and Zumba®.  Our Black Friday fitness event is free and open to the public. Classes begin at 8:30!