Where Science, Art, and Fitness Meet: Help Send Better Living Member Leslie Sobel to the Yukon!

Leslie getting ready for the Yukon

For the past few months, Better Living Fitness Center member and visual artist Leslie Sobel has been here five days a week -- participating in Full-Body Fit three times a week as well as Vinyasa Flow Yoga, and Strength and Tone on Tuesdays.

Her reason for all this effort is both inspiring and surprising. This May, Leslie, who is fifty-five, will be traveling to the Eclipse Ice Field in the Yukon with a team of climate scientists.

Then, when she gets back to her Ann Arbor studio, Leslie will create paintings that will visually document the fragile ecosystem of the Ice Field, which is part of Kluane National Park.

“By collaborating with climate scientists as an artist, I want to make people aware of places that are fragile and disappearing as a result of human-caused climate change,” Leslie says. “I think people are aware that the glaciers in Glacier National Park are disappearing, but I don't think as many people are aware of the threat to this ice field, which is the largest non-polar ice field on the planet.”

“The other thing is, glaciers may be hostile to humans, but they're also incredibly beautiful. I want to share that beauty with as many people as possible before it's gone.”

"Bleeding Fjord," by Leslie Sobel

Creating art to document and celebrate the work of science isn't a new thing for Leslie, who is the only artist in a family of scientists. Leslie's mother was a chemist and middle-school science teacher, her brother is a geologist doing field work in Central Asia, and her father, at eighty-nine years old, is still active in his career as a physicist.

“My whole approach to my art has been linked with my passion for science, ever since I was a kid,” Leslie says.

During her upcoming Yukon trip, Leslie will need to keep up with the climate scientists as they hike and ski the glacier taking core samples. Leslie and the scientists will also be camping on the glacier, in temperatures as low as forty degrees below zero.

In order to get ready for the challenge and to be safe on the trip, Leslie hasn't just been working very hard to get into the best possible shape. She also needs to raise roughly $10,000 to cover everything from very specialized camping equipment and cameras to the cost of her transportation.

"Breakthrough Melt" by Leslie Sobel

We believe in protecting our planet, and we believe in Leslie, so Better Living Fitness Center has made a donation to help Leslie get to the Yukon for this hugely important project. If you'd like to support her as well, just click here to make your donation before April 15. Or, if you like the pictures of her work in this blog post, you can support Leslie and claim one of her paintings for your own collection during her studio sale this Sunday, April 2.

Full-Body Fit Is a Family Thing for Kauser and Mike Shahpurwala

After trying - and leaving - other gyms and fitness centers over the years, Kauser and Mohamedi (Mike) Shahpurwala have been coming to Full-Body Fit since we opened the Better Living Fitness Center in January of 2016.

“I got a post card from Better Living in the mail and realized that this is near my

work, so I decided to check it out,” says Mike, who is the founder and president of Aven Tools in Ann Arbor. “It was fun, so I brought Kauser with me and we decided to do it.”

According to Kauser, she wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of working out at first – “...but when I started coming I saw the advantages of the Full-Body Fit class, and I was having a good time.”

Both Kauser and Mike say they appreciate the variety of workouts offered during Full-Body Fit, and they enjoy the friendly group atmosphere.

“We've tried other gyms, and I was a member of a country club that has a fitness center, but working out by yourself isn't very fulfilling,” Mike says. “Not only that, but normally with fitness places you get bored after a certain time. That hasn't happened with Better Living and Full-Body Fit, because the sessions are very interactive and because of the group setting.”

“The people in our classes (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays) are a lot of fun to work out with, and we really support each other” Kauser adds.

They also like working out together.

According to Kauser, “When we started working out together Mike would push me, and now we push and encourage each other.”

The couple also love the fact that, even though Full-Body Fit is a group session, Better Living trainers customize exercises as necessary to fit the needs and limitations of individual participants.

This is particularly important for Mike, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.

“I have to be careful not to move my shoulder beyond what it can tolerate or to use overly heavy weights, but I'm still able to get a good workout during Full-Body Fit,” Mike says.

In addition to helping Mike strengthen his shoulder and enabling him to work out without further injuries, Mike and Kauser say that they're enjoying the results of coming to Full-Body Fit regularly.

Kauser says that she's more energetic, and Mike adds that he's seen a lot of improvement in his weight.

“I'm more toned, and I feel more fit in general,” he says.

Join the fun at Full-Body Fit! Full-Body Fit is a strength and cardio conditioning session that also features exercises that improve balance, posture and flexibility. We offer Full-Body Fit several times a week to fit a variety of schedules – whether you join Kauser and Mike's sessions or come another time, we guarantee you'll get fit and have fun!

Full-Body Fit is included with our Lifestyle, Comprehensive, and Unlimited memberships. Click here for more information about membership, and get ready to start experiencing your best body ever.