Pushing Things Up a Notch

– By Robin Jovanovich –

You have to marvel at a woman who decides to start boot camp in Rye Town Park in January. But Lee Sanford, a certified trainer and mother of three, decided that was exactly the time when people needed motivation most. Temperatures were unwelcoming, the ground was frozen, so she started camp under the pavilion.

A few brave women showed up at 9:15 a.m. one Monday morning and then a few more. They came back on Wednesday and Friday at the same time or pushed back to the 10:15 class. Word spread quickly that young mothers were doing push-ups in the park and loving it. By early spring, “a dozen good women” were showing up, said Sanford.

“It’s morphed into more than I expected,” said Sanford, while leading an energetic group last week. “One person inspires another and the camaraderie is wonderful.”

The women do sit-ups and hamstring stretches in pairs. They do sprints up the hill and walking lunges with weights.

These small groups — usually 10 to 12 — become close while getting buff. The other day, during the stretch period at the end of class, they were talking about the next Boot Camp Night Out at Shenorock.

Sanford, a CPA, who moved with her family from Scotland to Rye seven years ago, decided last summer to earn a personal training certificate. “I used to run marathons, but I found myself looking for shorter, sharper workouts.”
A member of the Ex-Pat Connection, Sanford got the word out via silent auctions and the Milton School community that she was starting a boot camp. She got permission from Rye Town Park officials to hold the classes for which she pays a daily permit fee.

If you want to kick up your heels on weekday mornings, contact Lee Sanford at ryebootcampby the beach@yahoo.com.