DANCE-EXERCISE
PresentS
our Dance-EX Collection
Country Cardio®
Country Cardio® is a really fun full body dance-exercise workout to country music that incorporates Signature Steps, the use of hats, and Heather Lea's Flex Ropes™ to further stimulate, strengthen, and tone the body’s core, arms, and legs by adding resistance.
Functional Body Training
™
As we age, we must turn movements we do as part of daily living into active exercises. When we add resistance, we are functionally retraining our mind-body connection to control these movements. Aging brings changes and surprises. Let’s embrace those things by staying strong, feisty, and confident!
Ballet for Real People™
Ballet is a beautiful expression that begins from the inside and radiates outward through the entire body. And like any complex physical discipline, it’s important to also learn how to work safely and effectively by applying principles of alignment and movement fundamentals:
When to Work || When to Rest || How to Balance || How to Move and Jump
Ballet Body Sculpt™
Want a Ballet Body?
Concentrating on ballet’s unique positions and movements, Ballet Body Sculpt™ uses Heather Lea's Flex Ropes™ to strengthen and refine the body’s alignment via resistance work.
LET'S DANCE & GET THAT BALLET BODY!
Stand Bend & Shake™
The premise of Stand Bend and Shake™is simple, but you’ll be surprised how challenging this workout can actually be! Add Heather Lea's Flex Ropes™ to increase resistance and cardiorespiratory training for the ultimate challenge. Concentration is on breathing, form, and sustaining both from start to finish. Stand Bend & Shake™ is a cardio format for those who want to sweat, but feel overwhelmed by choreography.
Sit & Shake™
Sit and Shake™ is the modified format of Stand Bend and Shake™ using Heather Lea's Flex Ropes™. It encourages participants to engage in cardiorespiratory and resistance training while remaining seated.
Ropes & Balls™
Ropes & Balls™ are the tools! Using Heather Lea's Flex Ropes™ and core stability exercise balls, this workout focuses on exercises to improve balance, strength, and flexibility. Fluid movement and breath work involve the entire body to extend through full range-of-motion.
Synergy
for
Seniors™
Synergy Means: Working Together
Everyone needs variety and support, so working privately is especially ideal for a Senior or Active Adult client to establish principles of corrective training.
And Small groups are a great way to share the experience.
We want to feel in control! We want to feel safe!
We want to feel great!
We want to enjoy ourselves!
ARE YOU interested in a VIRTUAL PRIVATE or SMALL GROUP SESSION?
CONTACT Me
Let’s discuss YOUR TRAINING PLAN
client-speak
Hi! My name is Jenn Bowman and I’m an actor and I work with children. I wanted to share my experience today working with Heather Lea Gerdes, and specifically, her Functional Body Training format. What Ms. Gerdes is able to do is truly exceptional. I’m a tiny little lady with hip and knee issues and I’m not always able to jump into a workout or training because of these things. Heather has created a program that she tailored just for me!! Having recently done a workout with her that I was convinced would have me in pain and exhausted the next day … and that didn’t happen! I felt great! I look forward to our next session!
Moving Thoughts From Your Gravity Coach
I feel very strongly about two things: form and resistance. Without them, we’d just fall down into a sad saggy mess. Yet, we have an amazing orienting structural gift here on this planet and it’s free: GRAVITY!
And I’m here to help you become Gravity Warriors to reform your body using resistance tools on top of that lovely free resistance tool, gravity. Why? Because survival in outer space without resistance is all an Astronaut can think about ... and survival here on this planet with resistance is all we should think about. We must be ready!
RESISTANCE:
The impeding, slowing, or stopping effect exerted by one material thing on another.
Don't Fall for It
〰️
Don't Fall for It 〰️
USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
GRAVITY WORK
DANCE EXERCISE MEETS FITNESS
I am NASM/AFAA Group-Exercise certified and a NASM certified Senior Fitness Specialist. Since I've been dancing and teaching dance for decades, the most natural progression for me was to find a way to bring dance and exercise together for my clients as a means of functionally training the body with resistance: by infusing it with the flexibility and fluidity of dance movement.
My Goal
My Goal is to help you improve your muscle strength and endurance while safely adding resistance intensity to stationary training and cardiorespiratory training in a predominately low-to-zero-impact dance-exercise experience.
To simplify, in terms of our Gravity Work, this means that life activities and movement we do naturally without forethought, we now do as structured exercises with forethought using resistance tools and form-attentive methods. This kind of work builds your mind-body awareness, the “forethought” so commonly developed in dance.
I want you to be
READY for EVERYTHING!
Active Agers Unite
Exclusively Online for Individuals & Small Groups
Choose Your Format!
Rejoice
I can help you achieve your goals!
GRAVITY SPEAK
FORM & FUNCTIONAL execution
In terms of longevity, I believe it’s essential to concentrate on safety by consistently applying proper form during activities. As the body changes over time, functional movement requires forethought - thinking more about form and what needs to be supported to achieve functional execution - and working using resistance helps connect these applications of form and resistance with intention.
Building Self Confidence
Resistance is a very interesting word and concept to me, because it can represent both tightness and withdrawal, feelings that seem to encroach as we grow older, but when used functionally, resistance training is an empowering method that actually leans into flexibility resulting in a broader self-confident life perspective.
YOU’RE IN Control
By concentrating on form and adding resistance, we feel just how to control these activities and movements. The inner feeling we experience as we do the work is a strong mind-body connection. The work is often challenging enough that it becomes a training tool, thereby defining your own personal channel of Gravity Speak, grounding YOU giving YOU control, adding greater safety to your activities.
You’re Ready
Living is a constant Balancing act with Gravity.
Every moment, you are Working out.
FLEX ROPES DANCE EXERCISE
Learn the Ropes!
Heather Lea Gerdes is a Master Dance Instructor & Certified Fitness Professional
AISTD, Cecchetti Method, ISTD
NASM/AFAA Certified GFI
Insured & CPR/AED Current
