Anytime Fitness Providing Daily Support for Local Communities During Safer at Home Extension

Area gyms encouraging us to stay active with an online accountability group while supporting local businesses

SOUTHERN WISCONSIN (April 30, 2020) – With the recent extension of Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order, it is unclear when gyms in Wisconsin will be able to reopen. In the meantime, Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin is offering Wisconsinites virtual support to stay connected and on track with their health goals. Andy Gundlach, owner of the 33 locations that make up Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin, started the Anytime Fitness Healthy at Home Challenge Facebook group in March to encourage members of the community to continue their fitness routine while abiding by the Safer at Home order. Gundlach’s team posts a daily workout to the group, and participants are encouraged to share a sweaty selfie for the chance to win a prize that supports local businesses in their communities. Since the group begin, it has grown to include more than 1300 members and has awarded $500 worth of local gift cards to prize winners.

Under Safer at Home, going to the gym is off-limits, yet most people would benefit from keeping their regular exercise routine, especially in times of high stress. “Regular movement and exercise can help decrease stress, improve your mood, and encourage better sleep. In times of uncertainty, like what we’re currently experiencing, it is essential to implement movement into your daily routine,” says Ryan Campbell, Training Specialist for Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin. To that end, Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin is posting daily workouts that can be done at home with little to no equipment. New workouts are posted seven days a week, and participants can also browse and select from more than 45 previous workouts available in the Facebook group.

“Lots of health clubs out there are offering at-home workouts or virtual training in response to the need to temporarily close due to COVID-19,” Gundlach explained. “What makes this group unique is the community aspect. It’s more than just a daily workout; it’s the support, motivation, accountability, and encouragement from your teammates. It gives a sense of normalcy in this unprecedented time in which we are living.”

Gundlach is also offering a weekly prize, drawn at random, to someone who posts an after-workout selfie. As a small business owner, Gundlach understands the importance of supporting local businesses. Each week he purchases $100 in gift cards to local businesses of the winner’s choice for the winner. Since the prize drawings began, there have been five winners who have supported businesses like J&D Care Care LLC of Janesville, WI, Vince’s Pizza and Pancho and Lefty’s of Monroe, WI, Java Cat of Madison, WI, and Rosie’s Coffee Bar and Bakery and Monona Bakery and Eatery of Monona, WI among others.

People are sharing more than just their #sweatyselfies for their chance to win a prize. Pets and kids are cheerleaders and workout buddies. Laundry detergent, jugs of cat litter, and cases of beer are substitutes for weights. Group members are finding time for the daily workouts and establishing new at-home routines, and the overwhelming sense of community and togetherness underlies the entire group. Comments such as, “I am grateful for this support page to hear others are also struggling with working out at home….makes me feel better and normal. I miss the gym so much!” (Kelly M.) and “With all the support and positive attitudes and just wanting to stay healthy, it’s not like being at the gym but everybody here is wonderful and I just wanna say thank you,” (Katherine D.) reiterate the importance of community at this time, even if can only be online and not at the gym.

To join the Anytime Fitness Healthy at Home Challenge Facebook group, search for “Anytime Fitness Healthy at Home Challenge” on Facebook. This group is open to the public. You do not need to be a member at Anytime Fitness to join. For more information on Anytime Fitness, please visit www.anytimefitness.com or email afcustomercare@gmail.com.

About Anytime Fitness of Southern Wisconsin

We get the health and fitness industry can be confusing and overwhelming, which is why we offer you a free consultation and free personal training experience to learn how to become healthier. Our trainers have helped thousands of people in Southern Wisconsin get healthier and happier by taking the guess work out of achieving their goals. Don’t change who you are to fit in at a different gym; come to Anytime Fitness and be YOU, healthy and happy.

Blue Plate Fish Fry

Join us each Friday in May as we raise money for some wonderful Madison area organizations:

Middleton Outreach Ministry
Badger Prairie Needs Network
The River Food Pantry
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Porchlight
The Beacon

Net proceeds ($4.00 from entrees and $2.00 from kid’s meals) will be donated equally to the organizations at the end of the month. We’ll keep everyone updated through Facebook and Instagram with how much money has been raised each week, so be sure to like and follow our pages!

We will post our new menu and directions for ordering food on our online store each Thursday at 10:00am.

Help us help you help these organizations (take that Jerry Maguire!). Pre-orders will help shorten waiting times, allowing us to donate more! Check out the Facebook Event here.

UW-Madison Now Offering Online Personal Finance Degree

Are you looking to advance your skills and career in the financial services industry? Do you have at least 24 college credits and dreams of completing your college degree? If so, the UW–Madison Online bachelor of science in Personal Finance is the right program for you.

One of the few schools in the nation to offer an online BS degree in personal finance, UW–Madison is ranked #2 in top colleges for financial planning by WealthManagement.com. This program combines an emphasis on financial management with the economic well-being of individuals and families. As a student, you will develop analytical, problem-solving and communication skills along with in-depth financial industry knowledge.

Our practical, hands-on curriculum means you can also integrate what you learn into your work the next day. Students will learn key concepts in the curriculum, including principles of financial planning and development, risk and insurance, taxation, investment planning, retirement and savings, and estate planning. All graduates who complete the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) required courses leave fully prepared to sit for the CFP exam.

By combining finance and problem-solving with helping people, the BS in Personal Finance prepares you for a rewarding career in a rapidly growing field. Students will graduate equipped to serve the needs of a variety of clients and work in a broad range of finance jobs including financial analyst, risk management specialist, community educator, investment associate, product manager and business development consultant.

UW–Madison Online allows students to choose their course load, while the online format means work can completed during times more convenient for the student. The flexible online format makes it possible to balance progress towards a degree with work responsibilities.

UW Madison is partnering with businesses to help employees enroll and succeed in UW-Madison Online. Learn more today by visiting go.wisc.edu/start-today or contact Laura Thomas at 608-265-2547 or laura.thomas@wisc.edu.

Hotel Indigo Madison: Clean, Quiet Working/Sleeping Accommodations

Hello All! The Hotel Indigo Madison is still open and accepting reservations. We are happy to provide accommodations to those essential workers who are uneasy to go home or are looking for a comfortable place to work or self-quarantine during these uncertain times we find ourselves in. Let us be your home away from home and collect IHG Reward Points while you are here! Complimentary grab and go bagged breakfast and our Market with local snacks is still open along with several delivery options nearby. Call to arrange your reservation 608.256.0061

Goodman Community Center Launches Distance Learning for Students

Contact:
Becky Steinhoff, Executive Director
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa Street | Madison, WI 53704
608-204-8025 | becky@goodmancenter.org

GCC Launches Distance Learning for Students
Program staff at the Center have created classes and clubs to support 4K through high school

Madison, WI  April 6, 2020 – Goodman Community Center program staff have created virtual and distance learning opportunities to support its students and families of all school ages. Staff have been working diligently to plan and roll out this process, including, in some cases, getting families access to devices their children can use to take advantage of these learning opportunities.

“Working closely with MMSD is a big part of what our program staff does, and as the district moves to distance learning, we knew it would be important for us to step up and offer support for the families we serve,” said Becky Steinhoff, Executive Director of the Goodman Community Center. “I’ve always said we have some of the most committed staff working with our young people, and as they’ve shifted gears and made new plans, I’m reminded of it all over again. I’m so proud of what they’re all doing to step up and support our families.”

Here’s what each program is doing:

• Early Childhood Education: Staff are offering 1-1.5 hours of programming per day for preschool and 4K students, shared out via the SeeSaw app. They are also finding Chromebooks and tablets for families who don’t have access to devices.
• Elementary Afterschool: Staff are planning virtual clubs that will be filmed in their homes and uploaded to the Goodman YouTube channel.
• Middle & High School: Staff plan to continue many of the regular afterschool clubs students were able to participate in at the Center, and they are also creating art supply kits that they are then dropping off for families who need them.
• Transition Academy: This alternative to traditional high school has shifted to 100% distance learning, offering all the same classes students attended at the Center in a remote environment while maintaining the hands-on nature at the core of the Transition Academy. For students who do not have access to internet or devices, staff are dropping off study materials each week and collecting student work from the previous week.
• Girls Inc.: Staff are creating programming five days a week, many being offered live so girls can engage in conversation and find a safe space to express their concerns and have questions answered.

In addition to all of this, each program is also holding virtual office hours or reaching out to family and students to ensure that the Center continues to support their individual needs.

For more information about what the Goodman Community Center is doing in the wake of COVID-19, visit: goodmancenter.org/corona

About the Goodman Community Center

The Goodman Community Center is the largest community center in Dane County. The center offers many programs to strengthen the lives of preschoolers through teens, meals and social activities for older adults, a food pantry, a gymnasium and fitness center, catering services and community space. For more information about the Center, visit goodmancenter.org.

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