The business of well-being
Joan Bevington's health and fitness club begins 10th year of operation in Fort Smith
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 2, 2013
THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
On Nov. 29, Joan Bevington celebrated a decade as the owner and operator of Joan's Health and Fitness Club in Fort Smith.
Joan Bevington, the owner/operator of Joan's Health and Fitness Club in Fort Smith, sits in the massage room of her business, which recently began its 10th year. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
In its first nine years, Bevington believes her club has offered something very valuable to the community.
"I believe that fitness has really taken off in Fort Smith, and I would like to say that I was part of that to initiate that nine years ago, especially for people my age," said the 61-year-old.
She started the fitness club after working for 24 years as a physiotherapist at the Fort Smith Health Centre.
"I retired from the hospital, and I always wanted to set up sort of a health and fitness club," she recalled, adding she retired when she was 50.
"I was always interested in health, and so we renovated this building and made a gym and a room where I could do alternative medicines and, if need be, some physio consults, and just provide a place for people to be proactive about their health and well-being. That's how I got started."
The club is in a rented building that used to be a carpentry shop and a sign shop.
Bevington, who is married to Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, said she was financially secure enough when she retired to start the business, not for money but to offer the service to the community and maintain her own fitness.
"It was never about making money. I certainly haven't made much money," she said.
"I think over the nine years, I have recouped what I put into renovating this place, but I've had a lot of enjoyment."
Bevington said it gives her pleasure to see the various types of people who have walked in the door.
"I think exercise is very good and that's my basis - being a physio is to keep people moving, and that exercise does heal a lot of problems," she said.
"I've always treated all ages and all different types of clients in here."
Bevington said she was confident people would come to the club after she did a business plan and conducted surveys before opening.
She offers services such as massage, Reiki, reflexology and ear candling, and instructs pilates, yoga and general fitness classes.
"They are things I've picked up myself, and, as a physiotherapist, a lot of these exercises aren't rocket science. Core strengthening is something that we do as therapists," she said, adding she might learn from a book or video, or take a few classes in the south.
For instance, she has some training in Reiki, a hands-on healing method from Japan.
"I'm always interested in alternative ways of healing and it's not all Western medicine that you can look at," she said.
Guest instructors also offer such things as yoga, a dance and music workout called Zumba, and shiatsu, which is a type of massage.
Aside from her club, Bevington, a Saskatchewan native who has lived in Fort Smith for 38 years, also recently began providing ergonomic workstation assessments in Fort Smith and Hay River. "It's a health initiative, too."
Joan's Health and Fitness Club began with a coffee, tea and juice bar, but that has been taken over by Anna's Home Cooking, an associated business which was started about two years ago by Bevington's daughter Anna Kikoak.
Bevington said Anna's Home Cooking and its healthy food is a perfect complement for her health and fitness club.
"I would hope that when people come in this building, that all the services that we offer here, including Anna's Home Cooking, will contribute to the person's overall well-being," she said.
Bevington said that Joan's Health and Fitness Club gives people a chance to exercise and have fun.
"We all enjoy it," she said, adding she expects more people to participate in January as they try to keep New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get healthy.
