Fitness

Maud Price, 23, is not using pregnancy as an excuse to prop up her feet and pack on the pounds.

Exercise remains a part of her routine, just as it was before she became pregnant.

She's been a part of the Moms N Motion water aerobics class at The Club at St. Dominic's Hospital since May.

Parents should look to their past in tough economic times for inspiration when looking for activities for their children, says Carol Torgan, a health scientist with the American College of Sports Medicine.

So the economy is in a recession, you're watching your budget and want to get fit without paying a gym fee - no problem.

"I believe strongly that doing stuff at home is the key," said Suzanne McDonough, an exercise physiologist and assistant professor at Mississippi College.

But often people don't know where to start and what to do.

Need a little spice in your aerobics workout? Try some salsa. Every Tuesday and Thursday at the Baptist Healthplex in Clinton, mostly women and a few men are breaking out of their shells and getting fit with salsa aerobics.

One of those men is Lt. Jeffery Scott, 41, spokesman for the Jackson Police Department. He's been taking the class for nine months and already his health has taken a turn for the better.

Clinton Park Elementary speech therapist Kristi Crisler wants to be a really big loser.

That's in weight, not in personality.

She and many of her fellow teachers and staff at the school for grades K-1 are front and center in a district-wide push to promote proper diet and exercise habits and healthy living - and perhaps to lose weight along the way.

Crisler has lost 12 pounds through exercising both at school and at home and tweaking her eating habits to include more healthy foods.