THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502090102
SECTION: REAL LIFE PAGE: K6 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP!
SOURCE: BY TONYA WOODS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
LOOK OUT, Jane Fonda! Karen Howe of Chesapeake might not have her own aerobics video, but she could give Jane a run for her money when it comes to working out.
Howe, a 40-year-old Chesapeake mother of two teenagers, recently won the silver medal at the 1995 National Aerobics Championship in Houston.
Howe's 90-second routine of jumping jacks, push-ups, abdominal curls and jumps choreographed to the beat of Gloria Estefan's ``Go Away,'' was much more challenging than the hourlong workouts she instructs in her classes.
``It looked like a dance; for a second I'd be up moving around, then I had to get down on the floor with the beat of the music. You had to do four of everything and it had to be executed perfectly,'' said Howe who made aerobic history as the oldest competitor to win a national title since the competition began in 1985.
``Just because you're 40 doesn't mean you have to be down and out,'' said Howe, who carries just 90 pounds on her petite, 4-feet, 10 1/2-inch frame. ``Age is all in the mind.''
She didn't start teaching aerobics and instructing classes until 1989. But Howe had studied ballet, jazz and tap dancing while growing up and had ``always been an active person.''
She won the gold medal in the women over 35 category in the 1994 Mid-Atlantic Regional competition in Baltimore last September.
She also took the silver medal in the category for women 18 and older at the regional event. All this led to a championship finalist position in January.
As the director of aerobics at Gold's Gym and the aerobics instructor for High Energy Inc., both in Virginia Beach, Howe said she is thrilled to help others stay healthy and fit.
``If they reach their weight goal, it feels great when they come up to me and say, `You were a good role model.' ''
During the championship finals, which will air 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 on ESPN, judges weren't the only ones watching the finalists. But Howe said she was so pleased to have made it that far that she was too happy to be nervous.
``At that point I felt I had reached my goal, so I was totally relaxed and just had fun with my routine,'' Howe said. ``But cameras were floating around the stage, cameramen were in corners on the stage and there was even one hanging from the ceiling.''
Through her training, Howe had the support of family and friends. And thanks to her daily diet, which includes plenty of rice, pasta, tuna, broiled chicken, and beans for energy, not to mention the four hours a day she practiced the routine and lifted weights, she was able to bring home the silver.
To earn the medal, Howe worked out her pockets, too. A routine can cost as much as $1,000. First, there's the choreography. Some aerobics choreographers charge $50 to $75 an hour. Then there's that skimpy little outfit that costs $200 to $600. And what's aerobics without music? For about $300, you can have a disc jockey make a music tape complete with explosionlike sound effects when you kick or jump.
Whew! With the strenuous workouts and the money it takes to compete at a national level, will Howe go for the gold next year?
``I'm not ready to stop just yet,'' Howe said. ``I would like to go one more year and compete again when I'm 41 to let people know life doesn't stop at 40. It begins.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
JIM WALKER/Staff
Karen Howe, 40, won the silver medal at the 1995 National Aerobics
Championship in Houston last month.
by CNB