Contributed by Dena Evans
Originally appeared on rokovoko.com
They sweat, they swivel their hips, they laugh, they burn calories, they learn. A room full of women moves together in unison, the perspiration first beading, then dripping as they try to keep up with their energetic and encouraging instructor, exercising to the thumping beats of dance music. A familiar and common scene in American suburbia and in the image-conscious urban areas of Manhattan and Los Angeles, yes. But this particular group can be found Saturday mornings in a room of the East San Jose school district administration office, a wallet-worn hole (minus the wallet) in the swelling pocket of prosperity that has contained the Silicon Valley Internet boom.
The 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health reported that more than 60 percent of adult women do not do the recommended amount of physical activity daily. In addition, more than 25 percent of women are not active at all, another of the long list of statistics offered in recent years that indicate an American female population headed straight toward rampant obesity. More affluent middle-aged women are taking advantage of the proliferating yoga studios and fitness clubs, and running, walking, cycling, and multi-sport endurance events. However, there are far fewer vibrant and appealing fitness opportunities for women who have no ample leisure time and discretionary funds.
Women with a quick finger on their computer mouse, a spare $50 or $75 for entry, or the time and wherewithal to raise several hundred dollars for charity, can sign up to run events like the Nike Women’ s Marathon/Half-Marathon. Featuring almost 20,000 women, the fourth annual edition sold out its 2007 half-marathon spots in ten hours and its marathon spots in three days. Curves, a chain of franchised fitness centers marketed specifically to middle-aged and senior women too intimidated to join traditional clubs such as 24 Hour Fitness or Bally’s, offers thirty-minute circuit programs (with machines that “ fit women of all sizes”), for a start-up fee of $50 to $80 and monthly charges ranging from $29 to $59. From its Waco, Texas roots in 1995, Curves has enjoyed Starbucks-esque growth, now serving 4 million women in 10,000 locations. At one point recently, a new Curves opened every four hours.
