June 19, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

Tonja Beatch had gotten into a good routine going to the gym – until COVID-19 forced her to stay home.

“I tried to go pretty much every weekday until COVID started and I home schooled,” said Beatch, who joined GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness last fall.

She became a member for the convenience. Willow Run Golf Course is near her home, and its fitness center became a regular stop.

But then Beatch, who works out of her house for her family business, stayed home and became part-time teacher to her three kids, age 4-9. Except for the occasional run for necessities, they didn’t go anywhere.

So she turned to GreatLIFE’s virtual fitness options and even used the classes as a substitute for her kids’ gym class.

“I liked the virtual classes,” she said. “I’m not able to make it over to Woodlake or get to Performance Center very much, so it gave me a taste of some different ones.”

As she plugged into GreatLIFE’s virtual community, she learned about the new virtual Couch to 5K event and decided to sign up.

“I’m not a runner, by any means, but people make it look so fun,” she said. “I’ve done a couple 5Ks in the past more for my own personal goals, like Fourth of July runs, that weren’t really races by more of a fun run.”

The Couch to 5K, free to GreatLIFE members, seemed like a way to stay active with accountability, she said. She signed up for the intermediate level and started doing weekly challenges with one of her daughters biking along.

“And with it being online, you saw some of the instructors on there participating, and I saw they had struggles too,” she said. “That was down to earth, so you realize they can do it and you can do it.”

She endured running in rain, heat and wind when typically she might have skipped a workout, she said.

“The accountability was there,” she said. “I had somebody to hold me accountable.”

She also enjoyed weekly nutrition tips and challenges and small ways to stay mentally and emotionally healthy, like thinking of things to be grateful for and engaging in activities with her family.

“They covered a great variety, and I enjoyed it,” she said.

When it came time for the actual 5K, her whole family headed to Yankton Trail Park while she ran a route and the kids rode bikes or scooters.

“They had a good time,” Beatch said. “And everybody seems to be in a better mood once they work out.”

Beatch was one of about 70 participants in the program, said Randall Hill, vice president of fitness.

“We really enjoyed seeing how people were able to be more active and form an online community around the Couch to 5K,” he said. “It was great to track progress together and watch people achieve their goals while staying healthy and safe.”

Since the program, Beatch has continued to stay active. She’s still a little reluctant to return to the gym but is keeping up her activity level jogging and plans to return in the coming weeks.

“And I know they still have virtual classes, so that’s nice,” she said. “I hadn’t been a member very long when this all started, so it was nice to be able to see what else it offered.”