Early morning exercise with a smile at the Taggart Y 

 Many Glebites turn up with a smile to early morning fitness classes at the Y. 

Photo: Janis Ellis-Claypool 

Early morning exercise with a smile at the Taggart Y 

By Louise Rachlis 

In some Glebe homes, the lights are on by 6 a.m., and the inhabitants are moving to the music by 7. 

That’s because they are devotees of Glebe resident and fitness instructor Janis Ellis-Claypool – her 7 a.m. classes from Monday through Thursday fill the gymnasium at the Taggart Y with positive energy and enthusiasm. 

“I think that having taken the 7 a.m. classes for 25 years, that is one reason I feel in good shape, even though I am 90 years old,” says Glebe resident Ferd Roelofs.  

Fitness class has also helped give Ferd “an interesting social life” with new friends she has made. “We usually have a coffee for about an hour right after the class and discuss a variety of topics, always interesting.” 

“We love Janis because she has the tone right and provides lots of options for our aging bodies that can’t do all the moves!” says Anne Joyce, 80, who shows up with her husband Andy, 81. “It’s exercise that doesn’t cut into our day. You are home by 8.20 a.m. and the day is young.” 

The Glebe couple also love it because of the people they exercise with. “We support each other, and many of us have been exercising together for over 30 years,” says Anne. “And we feel so much better afterwards – not necessarily though, as we get out of bed at 5:50 a.m!” 

Another longtime Glebe participant Vaughn Guy, 78, began the early morning fitness classes around 2008. “Following retirement, I was looking for one means of structuring my day and giving myself another fitness activity,” he says.  

Another longtime devotee is retired diplomat Bob Brocklebank, who started attending around 1986. “I would leave the house in a suit, with a tie in my pocket,” he recalls, “stop for a Y class and then proceed – with my tie tied – to work. I kept up the pattern of exercise before work in New Zealand, back in Ottawa, in Japan, and finally into retirement. Now at age 80, I’m stilling dragging my body off for early morning workout classes.” 

He says the early start “gives you a sense of virtue” and leaves the rest of the day open. “Maybe my sense of guilt is underdeveloped, but I keep thinking that having done myself some good at the crack of dawn, I have excuses for whenever I stray from the straight and narrow later.”  

Glebe resident Katie Keita, 52, started classes in the fall of 2022. “Since I work from home, if I didn’t go to class, I might not get out at all in a day. And I keep going to class because I want to look like my classmates when I’m their age.  And because it’s nice to be a part of something.” 

Janis became a group fitness instructor more than 20 years ago, not long after starting her career in public health.” Much of my day was spent working on health policy and programs which involved sitting behind a desk,” she says, “and it seemed contradictory that I studied health and was sitting all day!”  

She took the American Council on Exercise certification exam and has continued to renew with ongoing education on the science behind exercise. Janis is up by 5:45 a.m., for a quick coffee and lesson review before heading to the Y. “I’ve taught in many different environments, and the beauty of the Y community is unmatched. I only wish I could stick around for the post-workout visits and coffee chats! Instead, I’m heading off to work at the Public Health Agency of Canada.”  

She says the “lovely, dedicated and energetic group of people who are showing up keeps me so motivated. I’m also very driven by the evidence – bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, and I see it every morning especially with participants in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. I just heard a quote recently, ‘when you rest, you rust’.”  

Louise Rachlis is a painter and writer who lives in the Glebe.