Women Can Get in Shape, Help Others at Brighton Gym

Skip Sanborn, owner of , the all-women's gym at 8491 W. Grand River Ave. in Brighton, has found a fun, successful way to motivate women to lose weight and give back to the community.

Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Lady of Livingston holds a free Zumba class in return for donations for LACASA, the Livingston Area Council Against Spouse Abuse, which operates an emergency shelter.

On those Thursday evenings, the donation bin quickly fills up with things like shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and other personal hygiene toiletries.

"Usually, we have people that call LACASA and ask, 'What are you low on now?'" Sanborn said. "So that's what we recommend to members and guests. We take money donations, too. People bring what they want. Some people go out of their way and buy some Bath and Body Works, so there's some really nice things in there."

Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program. The class is an hour long and runs through a number of dance routines.

"Zumba's the hottest thing and everybody wants to try a class, but they're a little intimidated," Sanborn said about why she chose it as the free class. "The nice thing about this is there's always new people every week so you don't have to worry about being the first and only one who doesn't know how to do the moves. And we break it down and make it fun for the women."

The free classes began around March and will continue into the future. Sanborn said that people are starting to become aware of the classes and the donations to LACASA, so they are bringing in more people.

"Girls are taking a night out with each other and just having a good time with it," she said. "That's exactly what a workout should be. It should be fun."

Hamburg Township resident Karen Burnell has been taking Zumba classes at Lady of Livingston for about two years.

"I think it's awesome," she said about the free class for LACASA. "It's never been busier, and it's just fabulous to be doing something for charity while burning calories and having a good time."

Burnell prefers Zumba because she likes dancing and music.

"If you do a full hour, you can burn about 850 calories, which you can't do in many other workouts," Burnell said. "And the hour goes by so fast. Zumba's a great thing for all ages, because you can modify the moves for kids and older people. And this is the best Zumba class around, because I've traveled quite a bit. They have the best music."

Howell resident Julie Pepper was a first-time Zumba participant on Thursday. She heard about the class through Groupon, a deal-of-the day website.

"I've always wanted to try Zumba, but it never went as planned," Pepper said. "The hours here are much more convenient, because I can come straight from work. And I think it's wonderful with all the donations."

For more information on the free classes, visit Lady of Livingston online at www.ladyoflivingston.com.