Montauk Pioneer - April 10, 2009

It was quite the workout Saturday morning. The Montauk Chamber of Commerce, along with The Montauk Pioneer, Manual & Sports Physical Therapy, Sangha Yoga, Weight Watchers, The Montauk Wellness Center, The Long Island Communities of Practice, Body Tech and The American Heart Association got together for a morning of fitness which included an education on health and a very difficult morning workout lead by Living Well Yoga and Fitness owner and instructor, Lori Newell.

The event was sponsored by yours truly (The Montauk Pioneer) and Living Well Yoga and Fitness in Montauk and was setup to raise money for the Montauk Chamber of Commerce and the East End (Rell Sunn) Foundation.

Gabrielle Costanzo, of Kai-Kai Sandals, attended the event to get in a good workout as a large group of fitness junkies got together to do a "boot camp" styled workout at the insanely gorgeous Montauk Downs, by far the most beautiful and well run public golf course in the country.

Newell lead us through a grueling workout, which included complex aerobics moves, body resistance training, yoga and, my favorite part, meditation, which for me was sleeping. The aerobics got the whole group sweating quickly and it was impressive to see how many people in the group were keeping themselves in shape. For the uncoordinated (like myself) this wasn't the easiest workout in the world, especially when it came to the aerobics portion. Richard Lewin, one of the Pioneer's staff photographers and accomplished photographer, was on the scene snapping photos of the entire event, which lasted for about three hours total.

Larraine Creegan, of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, was passing out information about the Chamber, which does an incredible job of organizing some of the best events in Montauk, including the Concerts on the Green series, which offers live outdoor music to anybody that is interested in going. During the summer it is not an uncommon sight to see people laying out blankets and chairs by the gazebo at the Circle and enjoying all kinds of music, from jazz to rock and roll.

I knew we were in good hands with Newell because she holds a masters degree in health science with a concentration in pain and stress management from Norwich University, and she is a certified health and fitness instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine. She is also an IYT certified yoga instructor and is a registered yoga teacher with the National Yoga Alliance. Lori has also received training through the Arthritis Foundation to teach both land and water exercise and she is certified in traditional Thai massage.

She has over 25 years of experience working with individuals, helping them to achieve their health, fitness, and wellness goals and is trained to work with individuals of all fitness levels including those with post rehabilitation needs and has published several books that outline the programs she teaches and regularly contributes articles to various international newsletters and websites.

By the end of the workout, there was an excellent session of posture analysis provided by The Montauk Wellness Center, which provides some of the best services in Montauk. Costanzo of Kai-Kai Sandals as well as others in the group who weren't too exhausted, received free and personal advice on their posture and backs, a big key to overall health and fitness.

We are lucky to have the Montauk Chamber of Commerce and they are an integral part of the community. If you'd like to donate money, go to www.montaukchamber.com or call 631-668-2428.