In their 16 years in the fitness world, Dan and Cherie Houston have worked with people of all ages, including those with special needs or medical conditions. And like their specialized workout programs, the Houstons have focused their newest endeavor on a specific age group.
Together the Houstons work with students at Cedar Crest Academy in a new elective fitness class. Currently, the class is available to the older students in class, but Houston said there’s already strong feedback and he would like to make the class available to all students.
‘I think (kids are) a good group to work with,? he said.
Besides exercise, Houston said he wants to help kids learn about developing healthy habits to keep in mind outside of the classroom. In particular, Houston said he hopes to teach students to learn their limits with food, a commonly unaddressed problem today.
‘If it’s more fuel than your body needs, it’s a waste of food and money,? Houston said about excessive snacking and overeating.
The Houston’s work has gotten them noticed in the past, particularly their unique approach to the clients they work with. The previous year, they worked with Cedar Crest staff as personal trainers, which caught the interest of Cedar Crest Director Bette Moen.
‘He’s always learning, which we love at Cedar Crest, so it was a match made in heaven,? Moen said. ‘It’s awesome, the kids love it.?
Moen said Cedar Crest recently began competing against other schools, which is when she noticed some of those students were nearly double the size of children at Cedar Crest.
She wanted to introduce more fitness awareness to help students get into shape and develop healthy eating habits. Rather than have the Houstons speaking occasionally or teaching a seminar, Moen thought a year-round class would be the best option.
‘It’s like learning a foreign language. It’s something you have to keep at consistently,? she said.
With just a quick glance around the new Cedar Crest studio, one would notice pictures of chili peppers everywhere. While Houston admits he happens to like eating chili peppers, he shows them in his studio for more symbolic reasons.
‘Everyone has a different tolerance for heat when it comes to peppers,? Houston said.
Exercise is the same way. People often are misled into thinking there is only one effective way to workout and that everyone needs to work at the same level to achieve results. On the country, Houston said everyone has a different level of what is efficient exercise for them, and he works with everyone to find what their’s is.
‘Once people hit their ‘heat level,? they tend to challenge themselves up,? he said. ‘They want to see what else they can do.?
Though the Cedar Crest project is new for the Houstons, their faces should be familiar to some in the community. For nearly three years, the couple worked as fitness directors at the Deer Lake Athletic Club. The Houstons have operated their own fitness center out of Highland for years. Besides working as personal trainers, nutritional counselors, and gym designers, the Houstons work with their clients to design custom workouts, so they can find what ‘chili pepper? represents their tolerance level.
The program is still in its infant stage, but Houston has not dismissed the idea of expanding it beyond Cedar Crest Academy to other elementary school students in the area.
The Wellness Center at Cedar Crest Academy is located at 8970 Dixie Hwy., behind the main building for the school. For more information, call 248-882-2484 or visit www.houstonfc.com.