Before the weather turns nippy for good, we thought you’d enjoy hearing about Marcy Modica, who banded together with other leading fitness colleagues to create Backyard Bodies, an outdoor fitness alternative.
Modicar began more than 20 years ago as a licensed physical therapist who ultimately taught mat and apparatus Pilates to clients and patients. She was a much-followed SLT (Strengthen Lengthen Tone) instructor at the fitness studio’s Westchester and Greenwich locations) for six years, adding management to her résumé when she took on the role of assistant manager for the Scarsdale and Rye Brook locations for more than four years.
“During quarantine, I participated in many Zoom workouts but craved human interaction, so I began hosting two classes a week in my driveway,” she says. “It really increased from there as the demand for safe, outdoor exercise classes grew.” Modica plans to keep classes going through the rest of the year with possibly reduced classes in the winter and more in the spring.
Chrissy Drummey, instructor at Ripped Fitness, was one of the first trainers to sign on as an instructor for Backyard Bodies. “During Covid, it’s been really fun to see how everyone has adapted to the new reality. I am really excited to be a part of Backyard Bodies and get that sense of community back that we were all missing from the in-person team workout.”
Marisa Berardo, Westchester SLT instructor and manager, could not agree more. “I’m super excited to have the opportunity to teach outside and see so many familiar and some not so familiar faces (without the masks). It feels so refreshing to teach a class and watch clients working hard again…together again. The energy of working out as a community is unmatched. I’m so grateful to Marcy and Backyard Bodies for creating this unique opportunity and making it so easy for us as trainers to do what we love.”
Classes can be booked directly online and run seven days a week in various backyards around Westchester.
For more, visit backyard-bodies.com.
– edited by Georgette Gouveia
