Talking and toning

If you just close your eyes and listen, you'd think it was a bunch of ladies at lunch or bridge club.

It would be hard to tell that this dedicated bunch is actually getting fit.

Cheryl Mashack's "Tone Your Bones" class is part fitness, part fun and all friends.

Started in 1998, the class uses isometrics, stretch bands, soft rubber balls, and other devices to stretch and tone, which helps ward off the effects of osteoporosis and other problems of aging.

Mashack is a big reason people keep coming back. The petite mother of Logan, 14 months, looks as though she could grab a couple of pom-poms and join a high school cheerleading squad. She's perky and personable and keeps everyone loose - in more ways than one.

But while the conversation is flowing, so is the activity. There is not a wasted moment.

At a recent 8 a.m. Thursday class, the women ambled in and took their places - everyone seems to drift to the same spot each class - in front of the mirrored wall. Cheryl started the class with arm lifts, using the stretchy bands, and during the reps everyone's lips got as loose as their triceps. "Is there water still on the Riverwalk?" asked someone just hours before the 3-inch rainfall put even more of the walkway under water.

"What are they doing on Sunset?" someone else asked, referring to the ongoing construction on the road. A round of discussion ensued. All the while Cheryl was keeping the chatterboxes on task. "Hold up, lift-lift-lift!" she encouraged. "Can you feel it in your triceps?"

Just as the movement never stops, neither does the conversation. There are more than a few ripples of laughter and it is clear that everyone is most comfortable with each other.

But if there's any lull, Cheryl will throw out another move along with another discussion point.

"My mother-in-law told me if you mix up half baking soda and half water and put it on your plants you can get those beetles," she said. "They're eating all my flowers!" And the conversation topic turned to gardening.

About half way through the session, each one in the group retrieved a soft ball, which got passed to a partner, squeezed between knees, held aloft as each class member balanced on one foot.

"I have to share something disgusting," said Cheryl, while easily balancing on foot during the exercise. "I got a catalog that had Halloween costumes in it. In July already!"

Soft music playing in the background is barely heard over the buzz. At one point a piano rendition of the "Chariots of Fire" theme appropriately accompanied a lively move.

Cheryl seamlessly moves the class from exercise to the next, keeping up a lively discourse along the way. She got laughs as she talks about "butt amnesia," explaining that many people can't squat with their heels on the ground because their "glute" muscles aren't developed enough.

The 45-minute class flew by and everyone seemed energized, ready to face the day's tasks. A few linger afterward and talk about the class. Barb Fagerland of Menomonee Falls says the class has improved her flexibility. "It's wonderful," she said. Darlene Gonzalez has been in the class since it first began in 1998. Pat Gunn started some seven years ago and recalls how stiff she was at the beginning. "It's really made a difference," she said.

Cheryl says she really enjoys all the ladies and has just as much fun as they do. "These ladies are a dedicated group with a lot of spunk and heart," she said. Though most have been in the group for many years, newcomers are always welcome.

"It's like a family," said Cheryl.

A really fit and flexible family, at that.

FYI

What: Tone Your Bones class

When: 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays

Where: Moreland Medical Center, 1111 Delafield St., Suite 311, Waukesha

Cost: $5/class; $32/month (any two classes per week); $10 initiation fee

To register: Contact Cheryl Mashack at (262) 544-4411, ext. 130; class requires doctor's consent