Instructor offers strength, endurance, flexibility, then comes the water

EDGEWATER – While most avoid the art of swimming or water aerobics for the fear of getting wet or smelling like chlorine, Barb Granatelli doesn’t mind the smell and takes to the water, well, like a fish.

That said, she’s been involved in water aerobics since 1988, so the daily process of being in the water has become “second nature” to her.

“I was an at-home mom. My husband was at work, and my two kids were in school. So I wanted to look for something that could fill that downtime, and that’s where exercise came in. I dabbled in everything. I did some jogging, but then I got shin splints and couldn’t do it anymore. I joined Women’s Workout World and even tried working out at home, but it was so hard to stay motivated,” she said.

“Then, one day, I was driving past the YMCA, and they had a sign saying their indoor pool was open, and I thought, ‘There’s something I haven’t tried before.’ And I didn’t learn to swim until I was in high school, and I wasn’t that good at it … it was still a new concept to me … So I went in, signed up, and started taking the class.”

Granatelli, now 64, made the switch from participant to instructor after only one year, when her teacher was bumped up to a coordinator position and asked her if she would be interested in teaching a night-time class.

“It instilled a desire to learn more, and that’s when I started collecting what would soon become my library of books and videos. I was always looking for new moves and always studying,” she said.

“What I loved most about water aerobics is the playfulness of the environment but the workout component that comes with. You get out what you put into it. If you’re going to meander, you’re not going to get a lot from the class,” Granatelli added.

She even earned advanced certification with the Arthritis Foundation to teach water aerobics classes designed for arthritic patients and continued her education until her husband’s death in November 2005.

Three months later, she was touring properties in the Edgewater community after getting a phone call from a friend expressing interest in moving there.

“I had always seen advertisements when I drove by them to visit my son or daughter, but always pushed it off and said I would go there one day. Some people come into your life for a reason, and that friend was there for a reason – to get me into my next step of life – and I just loved what I saw,” Granatelli said.

Although her career did stall with major back surgery shortly before her move, Granatelli knew she wanted to get back in the water.

“I was still dealing with the ‘Maybe there are some things I shouldn’t be doing,’ but I knew going back in the water was one of those things I did want to do,” she said.

The road to recovery took until December 2006, when Granatelli got back into the water to participate in water aerobics classes. Within a month, she expressed interest in teaching to the Lifestyles director.

“I taught until that summer, when my left knee started falling apart,” she said, adding that surgery left her with an infection and kept her out of the water from September 2007 to February 2008.

“I started going to classes as a participant to make sure I could handle it. I could, and I told [the Lifestyles department and property managers] I would be OK to teach again. They introduced me to the Tuesday and Thursday morning classes, and from there the rest is history,” Granatelli said.

She was very skeptical at first, since teaching at the YMCA brought experiences that classes were the busiest on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but was very grateful that a handful of Edgewater residents followed her to the class.

“I think that happens with all exercise classes–that you get some sort of following. It’s kind of like you’re a beautician. People may not like the shop as a whole, but they like the person who helps them,” she said. “I love the people in my class. We go out for lunches every so often. We’ve done Christmas parties, and I’ve held potlucks for them.”

Granatelli also credits the “at home” feel Edgewater provides in meeting new people and getting them involved in her class.

“I lived in Hanover Park for 32 years, and in that time, I knew a few neighbors. I moved here, and, my goodness, there is just a wonderful support system. I tell people that we are all here, we are all newbies, and we have all come from someplace else. And I am constantly amazed at the quantity of people I now know,” she said.

When asked about the greatest benefits of water aerobics, Granatelli said the key components are working on one’s strength, endurance, and flexibility.

“Those three start decreasing as you age unless you work at it. You can’t just expect to walk into the pool and be magically healed by the time you get out. These 55-year-olds in my class might not be too late to improve on those body aspects, but the 85- to 90-year-olds will just have to maintain what they have,” she said.

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