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Shannon dedicated to her work

The Fitness Track

By George Thomas Kattouf 6 min read

Many of you reading the Fitness Track are involved in volunteerism.

Perhaps you have retired and have the time to devote your skills and compassion to help others. You may not be retired yet still support others even though your time is limited. In either case, you should be proud of what you have done to improve the lives of others. Evelyn Shannon, better known as EJ, has committed most of her adult life to helping others. Her dedication has become even more pronounced as a 62-year-old retiree.

Growing up in Hollidaysburg, Shannon did not participate in sports or pursue a fitness lifestyle. She graduated from Robert Morris College with a degree in computer programming.

"I did that for several years, and then once I had my first child, I took some time off. I started a business with another person and we did fundraising for over 25 years," said Shannon. The name of the business was Total Concepts and Fundraising.

Shannon was raising children and actively involved in helping others, though she was not devoting time to any aspect of fitness.

"I did not get involved in fitness until my children were older. When they were in the senior high level, both of my boys were very active in sports, and I had a little bit of time for myself. I started with Zumba, and they were called the Zumba Sisters. I also went to the Groove. I had a few friends who asked me to go to class with them, and so that's how it all started. I was a little bit overweight and started going in the evenings three times a week," said Shannon.

A friend who was in her Zumba class asked Shannon to try a program offered at Gorilla House in Altoona.

"It was called the Silverbacks, and it was for anybody in their 50s and over. I started going there and it was more weightlifting. We did cardio with skiers and bikes. Boxing was also part of the program. When COVID hit and everything closed, a few of them decided to have class outside at Hollidaysburg Senior High. We would meet at six in the morning, three days a week. We'd bring weights to use during exercise and run around the school," said Shannon.

Those early morning routines continued when Gorilla House reopened. She has maintained her consistency and dedication to fitness ever since.

"I joined Barbells at the Gorilla House. It's an intense strength training program. We do deadlifts, cleans, presses, bench presses and other free weight exercises," said Shannon who trains three days a week under the direction of Angela Ross.

Unsolicited, Shannon praised Ross. "Honestly, she has the best programs for all ages. She is always so encouraging to seniors. If you can't do it, she always has a modification. Personally, she has been a great mentor and has always been encouraging. She's the reason I get up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready to go to Barbell at 6:30 three times per week."

Ross, owner of Gorilla House Gym, returned the praise without hesitation. "She (Shannon) donates a large amount of her time to our community to serve others. On Saturday mornings, she is at the gym bright and early as soon as we open with a few friends and puts them through a workout. She brings positive energy, and a great workout ethic. She lifts others up, while continually working on herself."

Shannon has seen dramatic changes in her physicality since embarking upon strength training. She realizes the utility of having strength, particularly since she continues to donate her time and energy to helping others.

"I'm stronger, more defined, and now have muscle mass. I used to be very thin, but I had no muscle mass. I need strength because I volunteer as a cook at Saint Vincent De Paul soup kitchen. I am lifting 20-to-40-pound trays of food and don't have any problem lifting. I need to be strong to be able to help at the soup kitchen," Shannon explained.

Her spirit of helping others is not limited to cooking for others. She also is providing a valuable service to seniors in the community based upon her newly developed strength and level of fitness.

"I teach two times a week at Blair Senior Services. I provide a half hour of stretch and mobility. On Tuesdays, I call it Fun Day because I do something different each week. We might do a half hour of hula hooping, kettlebell, drumming, or you use sticks and perform routines. Thursday is all strength training. That's when we'll do squats, bicep curls, triceps, and shoulder presses. Everything that I teach at both classes can be done in a chair or standing" said Shannon.

Shannon emphasizes the need to have leg strength. She is well aware of the negative consequences of seniors falling. She has the class practice squatting to build leg strength and balance. The senior members learn to drop their weight to bring them closer to the ground and minimize or prevent damage from falling.

"I also teach them how to get up if they fall. I had a lady that fell in a parking lot and there was nobody around. She told me she was able to get up on her own and would have had to lay till somebody came and provided assistance," said Shannon.

She emphasizes the need for her members to walk a minimum of five thousand steps per day. Shannon walks ten to twelve thousand steps per day.

"I have a message board through Facebook and they'll say 'I walked a mile today.' Some of them walk two miles or three miles," said Shannon.

She is an advocate for one dietary principle and strongly encourages seniors to follow her lead.

"I just went on vacation with five women. At breakfast I said, 'Eat eggs! We're not eating Danishes until you guys eat eggs.' They said, 'We are on vacation.' I am a preacher of protein. Carbs are not your enemy. You still need carbs to be able to work out, but I try to get my protein intake every day," Shannon explained.

Shannon has words of wisdom which should be embraced by women, young and old.

" I say strong is the new beautiful. I will take being strong any day over being beautiful because if you don't use it, you're going to lose it," Shannon said.

George Thomas Kattouf of Altoona is the developer of the website AgelessTimeless.com. He has been instructing martial arts for over four decades in the Altoona Area at the Academy of Martial Arts and encourages seniors to stay fit through martial arts training. If you or someone you know in Blair County is age 50 or older and would be a good candidate for the Fitness Track, email Kattouf at george@agelesstimeless.com. Tune in to the YouTube channel AgelessTimeless to learn more.

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