Getting fit with the family: Bowie trainer helps develop exercise plan that brings a family together

By WENDI WINTERS Capital-Gazette

America's growing obesity problem wasn't a statistic for Bowie resident Jonathan Ross: it was a personal tragedy.

The combined weight of his parents was nearly 800 pounds. When his 424-pound father died in 1995 at age 56 of a massive heart attract aggravated by phlebitis, it was a wake-up call for his widow. Through diet and exercise, she slimmed from 370 pounds to an athletic 200.

The death was a flashpoint for the son, too. He turned away from his chosen career as an astronomer, pondering life in outer space. Now he's a fitness expert, pondering ways to help people live happier, healthier lives.

"The heart attack ended dad's life," said Mr. Ross, "but, in the years before his death, there was a loss of the quality of life. It was a 'Hello!' moment for me. I decided to use my passion for exercise to help other people."

As the result of his work as the personal training director at the Sport Fit Club in Bowie, and his own fitness training and consulting business, Aion Fitness, Mr. Ross was lauded as one of the Top 100 Personal Trainers in America by Men’s' Journal magazine and traveled in September to Las Vegas to accept the America's Council on Exercise award for 2006 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year.

Last summer, wading through stacks of newspaper and magazine articles about the rising tide of obesity among Americans, especially children, he decided to act.

"The articles all saw a pattern and said, 'Someone's got to do something!' I'm that someone. Fitness should be accessible to everyone. I know how to do that and eliminate common obstacles," he said.

Working with Florida-based fitness expert Doug Jackson, the two created the "Family Fit Plan" and wrote a spiral-bound, 102-page operations manual for good health and family fun.

On a recent weekday morning, Mr. Ross was in a large meeting room of the West County Library in Odenton. He was surrounded by a swarm of two-dozen infants, toddlers and preschoolers, plus 19 mothers. It was a meeting of The Moms Club of Odenton.

Mr. Ross was there to show the moms how to get fit with a family member and have fun at the same time. In quick order he went through a full-circuit workout: squats, lunges, overhead lifting, rowing, working and rotating the core. He looked as if he was having too much fun to be legal.

The first exercise was a squat. To add more weight, he picked up 3-year-old Jake Sopha and continued doing squats with the tot curled around his neck. Both were having a good time. He rolled into a set of stationary lunges.

Quickly, a group of toddlers jumped in line for their turn.

"I've never seen anyone so excited about lunges," he laughed, demonstrating front, side and angled lunges.

A combat lunge, he said, is when someone - a child, adult or multiple people - gives you a gentle shove while you attempt to complete a series of lunges.

"You work more muscles. Kids can beat up on you and not get in trouble," he joked.

Pushups were next. There was one kid alongside doing easy pushups from the knees and Jake was riding on Mr. Ross' back, cowboy-style.

"I call this the Mechanical Bull push-up," he said.

Moments later, Jake lay face down on the floor. Mr. Ross stood over him with bent knees, picked the toddler up and began "rowing." Getting one of the moms to lie down, he showed how you could do a similar rowing exercise by lifting and lowering a partner's legs.

"Now she's a real dumb bell," he said to laughter from the moms.

For those who did not want to do horizontal pushups from their knees or toes, he performed a vertical pushup against the wall.

"It's not as hard. Not as much upper body weight being used," he said.

The next "push up" looked like a yoga "down dog" movement. With all fours on the floor and the rear up in the air, he repeatedly touched his head to the floor. Giggling, the children followed his example.

Returning to the concept of babies as convenient dumb weights, he hoisted a tot up to his right shoulder, then his left. As the mothers looked askance, he scoffed. "Oh, c'mon. You can do it! You're used to carrying your kids and your gear all day long. You are stronger than you think!"

He showed how simple games of "Statue," "Simon Says," "Standing Tug of War" and "Flag Tag" could keep a family, a couple or half a fleet busy for hours.

"You don't need to go outside to get fit," he said. "You don't need expensive space-hogging equipment. Exercising with your family, partner or friends is an opportunity to get fit and come back together."

Holly Nevy, 29, of Odenton, a private math tutor for middle-school students, cuddled her 19-month old daughter Anna.

"I like being able to find time to exercise with my child," she said. "You never have time to be alone when you have kids, but you can incorporate your child into the exercise routine."

Stay-at-home mom Fern Nerhood, 37, has two young children, Ellie, 6, and Sarah, 2.

"I've been going to a local gym and my husband runs in the evening," she said. "But it would be nice to exercise as a family. We're trying to find things to do together. Something that provides exercise and family time together would be beneficial to us all - and the kids love it, too."

"Fitness should be accessible to everyone," said Mr. Ross. "One of the common obstacles is time. But, even if they have time, they say they don't. Thirty-three million people saw the finale of last season's 'American Idol' - they had time. There's also time away from family. Going to the gym and doing your fitness routine can be very isolated."

He pointed out that many don't have access to equipment or are not able to afford a health club membership, or are simply turned off by the health club environment. Some just don't want to use equipment to get fit.

He reasons, if exercise is fun and can involve people close to you, it's a win-win situation. The government and various fitness and health councils all agree, people should do something for 30 to 60 minutes a day to get their muscles jumping and their pulse rate pumping. For most, that's a start.

"Fitness should enhance your life, not consume it." said Mr. Ross.

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Wendi Winters is a freelance writer living on the Broadneck Peninsula.

Published 01/28/07, Copyright © 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.