KEEPING FIT : Group Exercises to a Different Tune : Members of the New You Guild of the Opera Pacific Guild Alliance regularly get together for workouts and/or educational sessions.
”. . . OK, almost done. Can you feel that? Two more . . . now let’s switch to the other side. . . .”
Half a dozen women are stretched out on the floor in front of instructor Caroline Everette, performing an exercise that benefits both their inner thighs and their favorite cause: Opera Pacific.
The women are members of the New You Guild, the most recent addition to the Opera Pacific Guild Alliance. Each month, members get together for a workout and/or educational session.
“We’ve had programs on yoga, low-impact aerobics, tap-dancing and stretching,” says Nancy Jaffee, who chairs the guild.
The most recent meeting was a combination of exercise, nutrition instruction and a health-conscious lunch, all provided by Le Meridien Hotel in Newport Beach, where Everette, a fitness buff and former opera singer, is employed.
What do opera and fitness have in common? Both consider the human body a valuable instrument, the more finely tuned, the better.
The idea of a fitness guild was born not in health-obsessed Southern California, but in Miami, where an opera fitness guild was formed last year. Laila Conlin, president of the guild alliance, heard about the idea and thought it would work in Orange County as well. So she asked Jaffee, who already worked out regularly, to lead the group.
About a dozen Opera Pacific supporters have signed up for the guild, although not all of them participate in the exercises. “A lot more come for the lunch,” Jaffee says.
In keeping with the hotel’s French theme, Everette shared one of her favorite tips for exercising while traveling. “I used to take weights with me, but that wasn’t very practical,” she said. “And I also took along bottled water. So one day it occurred to me that I could use the water bottles as weights. You can carry them empty, and then fill them with water or even sand when you get to your destination.”
Everette asked the makers of Evian water to donate some samples for use as weights for the guild’s exercise session. “They told me, ‘We’ve had promotions before, but never anything like this.’ ”
Participants used the bottles as weights for arms, legs and even stomachs. Everette’s choice of music for the session, of course, was classical music and opera.
“Ooh, ‘Madame Butterfly!’ ” Conlin exclaimed when she heard an excerpt from one of her favorites.
In addition to the water bottle weights, Everette also provided extra water for drinking and a brief lecture on the importance of proper hydration.
“Your thirst lags behind your need for water, so don’t wait until you get thirsty,” she said. “You should drink 8 ounces before exercising, 4 more ounces every 15 minutes and another 8 ounces within 20 minutes after exercise.”
After a 45-minute workout, the group adjourned to another room for a presentation by chef Pamela Sheldon on the virtues of olive oil, which several studies have found may reduce the risk of heart disease. Guild members and guests then were treated to an olive oil tasting, dipping chunks of fresh bread into sample cups of oil and rating them for color, taste and aroma.
Olive oil, the group learned, contains mono-unsaturated fat, which is now considered healthier than other forms, including polyunsaturated fat. It’s still fat--about 115 calories a teaspoon--but Sheldon said a healthful diet could include up to 30% fat.
“Olive oil is the only edible oil available that’s cold-pressed and not derived from heat,” Sheldon said. “That makes a difference in cooking.”
The New You Guild isn’t the first Opera Pacific support group to combine fund-raising with a favorite activity, Conlin said. Other guilds cater to gourmet diners, bridge players and travel buffs, among others.
“I like it because it helps me stay fit and also helps the opera,” Jaffee said. “And it’s fun to get together with people who have similar interests.”
At lunchtime, the women drew curious stares as they walked from the meeting room to the patio. “Now that’s a diverse group,” said one onlooker, as the women, clad in everything from Spandex and sweats to dresses and high heels, strode past.
“We are diverse,” Conlin said later. And although she’d like to get more women involved in exercise, that will never be a prerequisite for participating in guild activities. “A lot of people may not be interested in exercise, but they’re still interested in a healthy diet. It’s whatever you want to do to improve yourself.”
Lunch featured recipes by Jacques Maniere, an innovator in fitness cuisine, including breast of chicken, steamed vegetables and dried fruit compote for dessert.
It’s too soon to say whether the New You Guild will follow the lead of its Florida counterpart. “They put together a video called Operaerobics,” Conlin said. “So that name’s taken.
“But we might do Operacize.”