Skip to main content

fitness

Looking to knock out your fitness boredom? Boxing and Brews is Thursday

By Joanne Beck

farmers-restaurant.jpeg

How about some oysters, libations, and a little exercise to liven up your Thursday?

Boxing and Brews will provide just that for $5 at Farmer's Creekside Tavern. Anyone can participate in the event hosted by the Le Roy restaurant and Beyondriven Fitness and Performance’s BeyondBoxing program, co-owner Casey Mehlenbacher says.

The event is set to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the tavern, 1 Main St., Le Roy.

“You do not need to be a Beyondriven member to sign up. No previous boxing experience is required,” Mehlenbacher said.

“Boxing gloves will also be provided if you do not have your own. BeyondBoxing is an eight-round, 45-minute workout that incorporates boxing combined with accessory movements designed to burn fat and help tone muscle.”

Class will be “upbeat, high energy, and most importantly, fun,” Mehlenbacher said.

“We constantly hear from attendees how the time ‘flew by' and how much they enjoyed the class,” he said.

This is a first-time Boxing and Brews event at Creekside. All attendees will receive a free drink token that can be redeemed at the bar after the workout. Creekside will also be running specials for buy-one-get-one-free drinks and $1 oysters after the class.

Participants are asked to show up by 5:50 p.m. to get ready for class on the south deck of the tavern. The rain date will be Sept. 1.

Why offer a boxing fitness class at a restaurant? To build muscle and burn fat, of course, in an upbeat, fast-paced environment, Mehlenbacher said.

“We also are strong believers in supporting local businesses and engaging in positive community-building events. We are certain that this Boxing and Brews event will meet all of the above criteria,” he said.

Register HERE.

Photo from farmerscreekside.com

Building brick by brick is a lightbulb moment for Batavia entrepreneur

By Joanne Beck

dsc_1097thebrick.jpg

A new business on Harvester Avenue is taking an old concept of “brick-and-mortar” and feeding it with some bright thinking, owner Macy Paradise says.

Paradise, a 2003 Batavia HIgh School grad and owner of Paradise Fit in Elba, has branched out to include an all-inclusive facility for kids, adults, seniors and developmentally disabled folks. His logo is a brain inside of a lightbulb to represent a bright idea.

“The goal of this space is to have a more skill-building style,” Paradise said during the grand opening of The Brick Community Enrichment Center on Friday at The Harvester Center, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia. “The Brick concept comes from an original idea that Joe Mancuso had in 1959, offering kind of a brick and mortar flex-use space for entrepreneurs. We wanted to rebrand that here, this being a flexible space, using it for all sorts of reasons. So we are trying to rebuild the community brick by brick.”

Paradise spoke while taking a short break from his DJ gig at the event. A versatile host of all things music for special events, celebrity debuts and even dance parties for, in this case on Friday, kids aged three to 12. The site’s overall concept was to host group fitness classes for all ages, and that grew into allowing space for skill-building classes, private events and to offer a more affordable rental option for bridal and wedding showers, birthday parties and the like. 

Paradise, 37, is a Batavia native who returned after a stints in each of Los Angeles, Calif. and Colorado. While living out west, he frequently returned to host events at the former City Slickers and Billy Goats, plus TF Browns. He also ventured into Erie County to host various entertainment gigs, such as international Electronic Dance Music producer and DJs Barely Alive and Virtual Riot, in Buffalo.  

The Brick Community Enrichment Center offers fitness classes from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays in May, and Paradise is planning other sessions for young and older alike, and also for people with developmental disabilities. It complements his main business, Paradise Fit, which offers personalized training, coaching, nutrition programs and meals, and an app for support. A personal trainer who also owns and operates the Elba-based fitness facility, Paradise initially started with personal training in Elba, doing one-on-one training sessions with clients. He proudly calls Elba home, having purchased one there in 2019, two years after moving back to Western New York. 

Meanwhile, he began to look for a space to do group fitness classes and was also hired as the Harvester Center's marketing director. 

“I found this space … and decided to open it up,” he said. “It’s another thing to do in Batavia.”

For more information or to get in touch with Paradise, call (585) 356-7737, email paradisemacy@gmail.com or visit www.brickcommunitycenter.com or check out @TheBrick on Facebook.

dsc_1068thebrick.jpg

dsc_1060thebrick.jpg

dsc_1052thebrick.jpg

dsc_1045thebrick.jpg

Top photo: Owner Macy Paradise cuts the symbolic ribbon to his new place, The Brick Community Enrichment Center, during a grand opening dance party Friday at The Harvester Center, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia. Macy Paradise and partner Nici Johnson show off the logo for The Brick Community Enrichment Center. Photos submitted by Steven Falitico/Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

Stretch Your Soul This Lent

By Lisa Ace

Stretch Your Soul This Lent
If you are longing for the gift of inner peace, we invite you to experience the power of inner stillness through stretching the body and attending to the soul. Join us during the season of Lent for contemplative prayer through chair yoga and Centering Prayer. No previous experience is necessary. The yoga will be very gentle that anyone with any level of ability could participate.

Event Date and Time
-

Stretch Your Soul This Lent

By Lisa Ace

Stretch Your Soul This Lent
If you are longing for the gift of inner peace, we invite you to experience the power of inner stillness through stretching the body and attending to the soul. Join us during the season of Lent for contemplative prayer through chair yoga and Centering Prayer. No previous experience is necessary. The yoga will be very gentle that anyone with any level of ability could participate.

Event Date and Time
-

Stretch Your Soul This Lent

By Lisa Ace

Stretch Your Soul This Lent
If you are longing for the gift of inner peace, we invite you to experience the power of inner stillness through stretching the body and attending to the soul. Join us during the season of Lent for contemplative prayer through chair yoga and Centering Prayer. No previous experience is necessary. The yoga will be very gentle that anyone with any level of ability could participate.

Event Date and Time
-

Stretch Your Soul This Lent

By Lisa Ace

Stretch Your Soul This Lent
If you are longing for the gift of inner peace, we invite you to experience the power of inner stillness through stretching the body and attending to the soul. Join us during the season of Lent for contemplative prayer through chair yoga and Centering Prayer. No previous experience is necessary. The yoga will be very gentle that anyone with any level of ability could participate.

Event Date and Time
-

Le Roy Central School wins GCC's 2018 Play to Get Fit Challenge

By Billie Owens

The Health and Physical Education department at Genesee Community College has announced Le Roy Central School as winners of GCC's 2018 Play to Get Fit Challenge!

The Get Fit Challenge effort began in 2011 to motivate third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties) region to get more active.

Every year, the program illustrates how many minutes young people spend engaged in physical activity outside of school in a manner the children can see and understand. Throughout the five-week program, participating students record their active minutes on a calendar log specially designed for the "Play to Get Fit" challenge.

Walking, biking, running, skating, swimming, playing a sport, playing tag, playing on a swing set and other active, creative games are all eligible for active "credit" minutes. However, video fitness games utilizing Wii, Xbox Kinect or other similar gaming systems are not eligible.

This year, Le Roy Central School recorded an impressive 2,673 average active minutes based on the number of students enrolled in third, fourth and fifth grades. The school was awarded the 2018 winning plaque and each student received a certificate recognizing their participation and effort.

The three most active participants (based on the total number of minutes recorded) in the GLOW region this year were:

  • Reagan Moroz, of Perry, with 9,400 minutes
  • Benito Bautista, of Le Roy, with 8,045 minutes
  • Cameron Riggi, of Le Roy, with 7,650 minutes

In addition, the program recognizes the three most active students from each participating school district:

  • Le Roy -- 1st Benito Bautista; 2nd Cameron Riggi; 3rd Connor Corcimiglia
  • Batavia -- 1st Cade Shamp, 2nd Aiden Kopper; 3rd Ella Shamp
  • Warsaw -- 1st Parker Cartwright; 2nd Jason Holmes; 3rd Jack Fraser
  • York -- 1st Connor Boyd; 2nd Bailey Orman; 3rd Ethan Berger
  • Pavilion -- 1st Peyton Gay; 2nd Emily Conway; 3rd Tessa Hall
  • Perry- - 1st Reagan Moroz; 2nd Tysen Deaton; 3rd Aja Harvey
  • Elba -- 1st Chase Zuber; 2nd Jireth Arias Diaz; 3rd Bing Zuber
  • Medina -- 1st Dylan Johnston; 2nd Sawyer Lilleby; 3rd Robert Clute

"The Play to Get Fit program encourages kids to lead an active lifestyle in a way they can measure and see," said Becky Dziekan, GCC's director of Health and Physical Education.

"Each year, the participating school districts see proof that the program works! Congratulations to LeRoy and all of the students who worked hard to be active and enjoy the program."

The Health and Physical Education program at Genesee Community College offers several areas of study. The Sports Management Studies transfer degree programs or Associate of Science (A.S.) program includes foundations in accounting, marketing, sports facility management and more.

The Fitness and Recreation Management Applied Associate of Science degree (A.A.S.) program offers a Personal Trainer concentration and the opportunity to earn the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accredited credentials through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a certified personal trainer. In addition, GCC offers an A.A.S in Physical Education Studies in which students have the opportunity to earn a coaching certificate for NYS non-Certified Physical Education Teachers.

The spring semester is a great time for individuals seeking higher education or even some training to enroll. GCC has more than 80 introductory courses available, including Beginning Personal Fitness (PED259) which teaches basic fitness training and conditioning techniques and much more.

The full spring semester course schedule is available here.

Photo, clockwise from left: Le Roy Central School Physical Education (PE) teachers Michelle Sherman and Brian Herdlein, GCC Director of Health and PE Rebecca Dziekan, and Le Roy Central School student Benito Bautista (2nd Place).

Authentically Local