New outdoor fitness classes offered at The Nest
Participants finish Candus Suppelsa's strength and toning class with a series of stretches at The Nest on Swan River, Monday morning. Mackenzie Reiss/Bigfork Eagle
Candus Suppelsa leads a group through a series of stretches to finish her Monday morning strength and toning class at The Nest on Swan River. Mackenzie Reiss/Bigfork Eagle
Participants finish Candus Suppelsa's strength and toning class with a series of stretches at The Nest on Swan River, Monday morning. Mackenzie Reiss/Bigfork Eagle
Beneath a shaded pavilion just steps away from the Swan River, half a dozen women moved through a series of stretches late Monday morning. Light music played in the background, interrupted only by chorusing songbirds -- the cherry on top of the idyllic setting at The Nest on Swan River. In the final moments of her strength and toning class, instructor Candus Suppelsa, offered the group a tip of the day — massage your kale before cooking — to cap off the morning fitness session.
“It is not just a workout, I make it fun,” said the veteran fitness instructor. “I start with a thought for the day and end with a tip for the day.”
Suppelsa has been teaching fitness classes for over 35 years and this summer began offering total body strength and toning sessions at the Nest on Monday and Wednesday mornings beginning at 8:45 a.m.
“I’ve never been here before and this is just absolutely beautiful,” said participant Beth Saley, of Creston. “I think with the pandemic, I stopped doing everything …. I walked, but that was about it. It was time for me to get back into something and get myself healthy again.”
Saley enjoyed the stretching portion of the class, which also included exercises with resistance bands and weights. Tara Boswell, who was visiting from Utah, said the best part of Monday’s course was “being outside, listening to the birds and working out at the same time.”
The outdoor pavilion is situated in a grassy expanse peppered with lush trees and a gazebo overlooking the river.
“I just think it brings on a whole mind-body experience that you don’t get inside a studio,” she noted.
Suppelsa is a certified personal trainer and health coach who got her start as an instructor out of pure necessity. Back in Minnesota, she was a regular at her local YMCA. One day, the aerobics instructor didn’t show up and the other members of the class encouraged Suppelsa to give it a shot.
“I took over her class and started teaching five classes a day, at times,” Suppelsa said. She left the fitness industry to pursue a career as a flight attendant, but returned on a part-time basis after having children. She brings an array of weights and bands with her to cater to all fitness levels.
“My goal is to make it so people feel successful when they leave,” she said.
The venue also hosts yoga by Curative Yoga at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and new this year, a gentle flow yoga with Krista Sanderson at 10:15 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Outdoor sessions will be offered as long as the weather allows, Sanderson noted.
“It is movement linked with breath for all levels,” Sanderson said of the gentle flow class. “It’s approachable for anyone — you don’t have to be flexible to do yoga, you just have to be willing to move your body.”
TAKE A CLASS
To sign up for Candus Suppelsa’s total body strength and toning class, email candussuppelsa@gmail.com or call (312) 215-6160. Sign up for yoga with Krista by emailing krista@thorsonyoga.com or calling (406) 250-5196. The Nest is located at 600 Three Eagle Lane in Bigfork. Classes are $15 for a drop-in, 5 classes for $60 or 10 classes for $100. For information about outdoor classes offered by Curative Yoga, visit www.curativeyogabigfork.com.