Since its opening on Cinco de Mayo 2014, Alpine Jazzercise built a relationship not only with its clients, but also with the community of Alpine. With restrictions on some businesses relaxing, Alpine Jazzercise celebrated its grand reopening on July 4 in its newly remodeled building in the heart of the boulevard.
Karen Walters, Alpine Jazzercise owner, moved to her new location in February and started building her business again quickly because of its visibility. With her new location at the old site for the Alpine Ride Bike Shop, she said people started coming to her door and her classes of eight people went to 18 within six weeks.
“Then COVID hit. We had to shut down,” she said.
Walters said the owner of the building contacted her during the shutdown, renegotiated the lease and turned the half-space rental into the entire building to accommodate the space required to maintain social distancing regulations.
“Now I have plenty of room for ‘social fitnessing,’ which is what I call it now,” said Walters. “I can get 22 women in the room comfortably six feet apart and I am forever grateful that I have landed in a community such as Alpine. They are very uniquely different. Since 2009, I have never worked for a community that was more supportive. When we had to close, the outpour of support was incredible. That just doesn’t happen anywhere. But once they decide they love you they will do everything they can to support you. Being in Alpine has been amazing for me.”
Walters said it has an incredible fitness program. It’s a 60-minute class from head to toe personal training where the women can come in, from ages 24-74, and everybody is supporting each other. “They motivate each other,” she said.
Walters said most of the instructors are stay-at-home moms looking to work on the side to bring income into the family and they all teach an incredible fitness program for life.
“We teach low impact, high impact and there is something for everyone,” said Walters. “The only thing different is, following the COVID-19 regulations, we can’t share equipment, but people can bring their own equipment, and nothing can be left in the studio. Everybody is really happy with that and I feel that everyone feels a little safer that way.”
Alpine Jazzercise is month to month with unlimited classes.
“It’s a place for women to come. I call it happy hour with no booze,” said Walters. “If a woman works out three to five times a week, she’s a better mother, a better wife, and better all-around because women internalize stress. That’s just how we are wired. They get to come in and unload all of their stress and then go out into the world and do amazing things.”
Walters tells the women, if come in and work as hard as you can and focus, you will benefit from the best of the fitness program.
“Don’t focus on anything on the outside of your body,” she said. “If you focus on what I am teaching you to get your heart rate up, it takes care of all of your internal organs and once you get comfortable with our program, everything on the outside will glow from the inside out.”
She said the body will start firming up naturally, you will feel better, have more energy and mental clarity because you are letting go of all of that stress.
“In three to four months, you are going to feel amazing things. I’ve had women go off of diabetic and high blood pressure medications. It is life changing,” said Walters.
Walters said this is a tight knit group of women who are all really connected, all have the same common goal.
“To have some peace, live a quality life,” she said. “What we do today is a clear reflection of how we will age as we get older. I think all of us want to age gracefully. I don’t refer to plastic surgeons. I just have them work on the inside and the outside will be a beautiful reflection.”
Walters, a former varsity and junior varsity coach at El Capitan High School, loved her job and has always been into health and fitness. After a pregnancy she did not return to work for many reasons, mainly deciding to be a stay at home mom, but always wanted to work in the fitness industry, and most of all, wanted to be an owner of her own business. It was through a friend that she found a home in Alpine, and although it took several moves and a lot of hard work, Walters said that she couldn’t be happier in this “quaint little town.”
The County of San Diego was placed on the state’s monitoring list because of the recent rise of COVID-19. Effective July 7, the following business need to close unless they can operate outdoors: Dine-in restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums and cardrooms. This mandate is in place for at least three weeks.
Alpine Jazzercise is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information visit Facebook.com/Alpine-Jazzercise.