A member at Holland Aquatic Center since 2001, Peggy Fakler took on a new moniker at HAC in 2019 – fitness instructor. Peg is in the water two hours a day, three days a week, teaching both shallow and deep-water aerobics, and she loves helping participants find joy and wellness in an aquatic way.
Peg took her first water aerobics class over two decades ago and has been hooked ever since. “A HAC staff member encouraged me to try water aerobics, but I assumed it was like doing laps in the pool. I don’t like laps,” she admits. “But after I was assured the class was not like that, I took my first water aerobics class and thought, ‘This is it. This is the class for me.’”
What convinced Peg that water aerobics would become her fitness class of choice? It is exercise that provides low/no-impact, high-cardio benefits. “The main thing is it takes the pressure off your joints but also raises your heart rate, too,” she says.
But more than that, Peg especially likes the camaraderie, energy, and accountability created via group fitness. “I’ve made so many friends because of water aerobics,” says Peg. “To exercise in community is awesome, plus when you sign up to take a class, that means you’ve made a commitment to yourself and the people in that class.”
A native of Holland and a graduate of Hope College with a major in German and a minor in English, Peg was a teacher in southern California and Onekama, Michigan before returning to her hometown. Today, Peg is the executive director and special education advocate for The ARC Advocacy and Resource Center of Ottawa County, an organization she has served for 28 years. The ARC provides information and referrals to parents with children who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities.
So, whether in deep water (where it’s all about core control) or in shallow water (where it’s all about cardio), Peg just enjoys meeting new people and helping them realize they can get a good workout in the water. And they don’t have to swim laps to do it! 😉
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PEG
Favorite book: The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Favorite place in the world: A beach on Lake Michigan in the summer
Bucket list item: Return to Germany to visit the family that hosted me as an exchange student in high school
Favorite sport to watch: Figure skating
If I could live anywhere, I would live in…Florida during the winter
Biggest fear: Mice
You’d be surprised to know… I was a Dutch dancer at Dutch Village
What attracted me to work at HAC: “Being able to share my passion for water aerobics with others who are looking for low impact, yet vigorous exercise.”