The Van Aken District is a place to work, live, and play – and to stay active and healthy. And all just a few steps away, or around the corner.
By Zachary Lewis
When we asked health and fitness writer Zachary Lewis to do a round-up of stories about ways to enhance one’s fitness within the Van Aken District, we provided him with names of facilities, all within the District’s relatively small geographical area.
He found that those facilities offer an impressive range of options for staying fit: gyms for young and old, a rock-climbing wall, a swimming pool, a skating rink, classes that offer everything from yoga to low-impact workouts to grueling buckets-of-sweat ordeals, skateboarding for the young to the most advanced programs for older adults. And let’s not forget the latest in training footwear.
Fitness in the VAD
The new Van Aken District represents more than just another business opportunity for GrooveRyde owners Zosimo and Anjua Maximo. It’s a chance for them to give back to their hometown.
The large indoor climbing complex called Shaker Rocks will soon be a destination for climbers of every stripe all over Ohio and beyond.
“We believe very strongly in finding ways to bring people together,” says Shaker Heights Recreation Director Alex Nichols.
The Little Gym may be an international franchise, but the Shaker Heights location is just that: a Shaker institution focused on the children of the city.
Thirteen years after opening on Chagrin Boulevard near Warrensville Center Road, Club Fit, like those who work out there, is still going strong.
“There’s more of a sense of community in Shaker than other places. A lot of people around here like to shop local.”
