“A GEM AT THE PRINCETON Y”: Suzette Schmidt, who teaches a wide range of water fitness, strength and conditioning, personal training, and chronic disease programs at the Princeton YMCA and elsewhere, believes in “feel good fitness.” (Photo courtesy of Princeton YMCA)
By Donald Gilpin
Fitness trainer Suzette Schmidt’s day starts early and ends late. By the time I talked with her at 9:30 a.m. on a Monday, she had been at the Princeton YMCA since 6:30 a.m., having already taught a personal training class followed by a class in strength and conditioning.
Coming up for her at 10:30 a.m. was a chair fitness class for active adult seniors working on balance, stability, and strength, along with a cognitive drill.
Schmidt conducts personal training sessions throughout the day. She’s a certified instructor in the Y’s diabetes prevention program and in the Livestrong cancer survivors program, and she also teaches for the Princeton Recreation Department and Princeton Fitness and Wellness. Deep Water Medley, AQuaFIT, and Arthritis Water Exercise are some of the other classes she teaches at the Y. In the evenings, she usually teaches a couple of strength training classes.
“I also go to a few people’s homes for individual classes,” she said. She works with a child who has autism and a man who’s 102 years old. “He’s a super-ager, the coolest man ever. I’ve worked with him for the past two or three years. We do step-up drills and a lot of work on balance and walking, so he can stay balanced and in control,” said Schmidt.
She continued, “The main goal with active seniors is basically so they can stay independent, so they can keep their strength and their mobility, so they can keep functioning, so they don’t get frustrated and can keep moving and socializing. Usually classes are about 50 minutes long. I want to make sure I have a warm-up, a strength section, a cardio section, and a balance and mobility section. I want to make sure I hit every category.”
Many of Schmidt’s students are also her devoted fans. Ellen Gilbert has taken water fitness classes with Schmidt at the Y and during the summer at Community Park Pool. “Her classes are a blast!” said Gilbert. “I also do weight and resistance training with her; she’s deeply committed to physical fitness and is particularly interested in aging and fitness, something I really appreciate. I think Suzette is a gem.”
Helen Gillam, who has worked with Schmidt for many years, started with water classes and then joined the chair fitness class. “She is very dedicated,’ said Gillam. She’s very interested in everyone, a very kind person. She keeps up to date, learning new things all the time. I know she takes a number of courses, where she learns new techniques and she uses them with us. When we are exercising she explains things very well in terms of what muscles we’re using and what joints we are exercising.”
Gillam went on, “She’s tremendous. Each time is a little different. She tries new things and new equipment. Sometimes we use weights and sometimes we use those stretchy bands. She makes it very interesting. We’re just so lucky to have her in the community. Her classes keep getting larger all the time. We started out in a small room and we’ve had to move to the gymnasium. More people keep coming all the time. Word about her is spreading.”
Elisabeth Quatrano, who has worked with many different first-rate coaches, trainers, and fitness advisors over the years, claimed that she had never encountered such a high level professional in a public setting as Schmidt in her water aerobics and weight lifting classes at the Princeton Y.
“Each class is different from the previous, and over time students get a thorough understanding of the mechanics of their bodies whether in water, on land, or challenged to lift weights,” Quatrano wrote. “She is generous with her time, willing to talk to people after and before class if they have questions. She expresses concern if people disappear for a while and even makes cards for us to sign when classmates have life struggles. She even arranges holiday parties for all to attend.”
Describing Schmidt as “the most selfless, caring, and dedicated fitness professional I have ever met.” Quatrano continued, “Suzette manages to meet us where we are and encourages us all individually, while creating a kind community. She keeps us all coming to class, which is especially important as we age. We are all lucky to have her at our local YMCA.”
Schmidt described many memorable moments in teaching fitness over the past two or three decades. “There are special relationships you have,” she said.
“I watch people recover from knee surgeries and hip replacements. And they’ve gotten back on their feet. I watch people age. In group classes a lot of people come in for fitness, but they also come in for socialization.”
She added, “Throughout the years I’ve watched a lot of people’s friendships develop. I’ve watched people whose children get married. Then they have new grandkids. I watch people age in a positive way, in a healthy way. Being a part of that is kind of fun. I watch a lot of people grow and age really gracefully.”
Schmidt made her case for “fitness longevity.” “It can help us with the long term,” she said. “When you’re sedentary, your body starts to decline. Your muscles start to shorten, and your strength starts to diminish.
“When we’re kids we’re out on the playground running around, but in this modern world as we get older we’re more sedentary. When you’re sedentary, your body starts to change. We all need to go back to our childhood, back to those days on the playground. We have to move and we have to get oxygen. It’s important to move. Fitness is a way to feel good.”
Schmidt emphasizes what she calls “feel good fitness.” “It’s something that everybody needs to be doing for about 150 minutes each week, about 20 minutes per day. It’s going to help us with oxygen, bending the joints, balance, stability, and also with mental health and cognitive abilities.Sometimes people don’t like to work out, but the benefit of working out is a feel good fitness.”
She continued, “It can enhance your life and help you with lots of changes throughout your life. It helps to reduce chronic diseases. It helps with aging. It can help prevent diabetes and it can help in fighting cancer, lowering blood pressure, building bone strength. There are so many benefits of moving and consuming oxygen, flexing the joints. Exercise and fitness activate dopamine and endorphins, help blood circulation. After working out you get this positive feeling.”
Schmidt recommended the Princeton Y for everybody. “There are a lot of friendly people here,” she said. “It’s a nice community where people support everybody. Strength training, balance classes, stability training, yoga, stretching, aerobics classes, Zoomba — there are a lot of different things to do.”
She urged, “It’s hard to find the time because we’re all busy with work and families, but if you can take a little bit of time you’ll feel so much better. Fitness makes you feel good, so you’ve got to try it and embrace it. That’s my motto.”