Want to get fit in 2013? WorkFit fan says program changed her life
January 8, 2013 •
After 20 years of being overweight, yo-yo dieting, and finally being told by her doctor she would need a cane to help her walk, Julie Drouyor got serious. She changed her diet, started working out and, in about 24 months, shed a remarkable 140 pounds.
Among her secrets? WorkFit, UCOP’s onsite fitness program, which resumes Jan. 14 with fitness classes four days a week in UCOP’s Franklin and Kaiser locations.
Drouyor, a principal analyst in Agriculture and Natural Resources, still takes classes four days a week and says WorkFit has completely transformed her life.
“I had no strength in my legs and couldn’t even step up or balance with one leg, so I stayed in and didn’t do anything,” she says. “Within two months, WorkFit improved my strength and gave me more confidence too.”
With fun classes, supportive and motivating instructors, and the convenience of having classes right here at work, Drouyor says, it was easy to stick with WorkFit. Now she’s doing pushups and planks, household tasks she used to depend on her husband to do, and walking her dogs. She has even inspired her 22-year-old son to lose weight.
One doctor recommended bypass surgery, Drouyor says, but she “just couldn’t go there.” Her own approach has been slower, she adds, but she’s adopted an entirely new lifestyle that sustains her fitness, her weight and her sense of “just feeling normal.”
Spring WorkFit’s first week is free
If you’re interested in checking out WorkFit classes for yourself, the opening week starting Monday, Jan. 14, is offered free of charge, so you don’t need to register or pay a dime. Just show up with your sweats and tennis shoes.
The spring schedule is slightly revised, with strength training replacing circuit training at both Franklin and Kaiser, after-hours zumba at Franklin on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, and yoga moving to midday Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Three membership options are offered, including full membership at $50 for unlimited classes through April 25; or half-session memberships at $30 for half-session 1 (unlimited classes from Jan. 14 to March 7) or half-session 2 (unlimited classes from March 11 to April 25). Family and friends over age 18 are welcome to join for the same price.
About the Classes
- Strength Training focuses on building strength, flexibility and endurance using weights, stability balls and other props.
- Crazy about Core strengthens the body’s center through mat work, resistance, Pilates, yoga and more.
- Stretch and Release offers stretching techniques such as yoga, trigger-point muscle release and self-massage, focused on mobility and pain relief.
- Yoga cultivates strength, balance and flexibility through fluid movement.
- Zumba is a cardio dance workout to the beat of Latin music.
Go to the Risk Services website for registration information and the complete Franklin and Kaiser class schedules. WorkFit is a presented jointly by UCOP Risk Services and UC Berkeley Recreational Sports.
Questions? Contact Janine Crocker at 510.987.9882 or janine.crocker@ucop.edu.
