Maria Canton
Northern News Services

CAMBRIDGE BAY (Nov 01/99) - Add a grapevine to the right, a knee lift in the centre and a high kick on the left. When you're ready, add the arms and you'll be more than ready to join an aerobics class already in progress.

As Nunavummiut start to hunker down for the winter and the dark season, community centres are filling up with people who want to exercise.

And when the regulars congregate at the community centre in Cambridge Bay twice a week, it isn't to play cards or chit-chat -- it's to work up a sweat and burn some calories.

Participants take over the centre with a vengeance on Wednesdays and Saturdays, filling the room with muscle-pumping action and keeping time to the heart-thumping music.

"They motivate me more than I motivate them," says aerobics instructor Heather Omilgoitok about her class.

"My classes are geared towards people who are getting back into exercising, but those people who are already fit will still get a moderate workout."

Omilgoitok, who has three babies and a day home, started teaching aerobics again after filling in for the aquafit instructor during the summer months.

She used to teach 10 years ago and thought now would be as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things.

"It's nice to have something to look forward to, especially when it's dark out" she said.

"I don't think there is anyone who has come out for one class and not come back for a second one."

She says exercising by video is very popular and almost everyone she knows has a Tae-bo tape, a popular kickboxing workout video.

"We're going to see if we can use the big-screen TV at the centre and to exercise together to the tapes."

And that's exactly what's happening in Kugluktuk.

Angela Kadlun leads Tae-bo classes twice a week at the community complex with the aid of a videotape.

"Anyone who wants to watch me can or they can watch the tape," she said.

"We just put one tape in and blast it."

Kadlun says people are really motivated to come out for the workout that involves a lot of kicking, punching and boxing.

"We even have a few guys coming out now and the girls really like it," she said.

"We only started two weeks ago and we have 10 that come out regularly and more that say they want to."