Adult BCTA Activities

News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact Beverly Coleman 204-9233

Cardio-Tennis at VOCA

The number one cause of death and illness in the U.S is heart disease and related cardio-vascular problems. The best way to prevent becoming a heart disease statistic is to have fun preventing heart problems from developing.

Wayne Cassatt, 80, of Cottonwood, plays tennis for 2 hours almost daily for his fitness. Wayne states, "When I lived in Maryland, I used to jog, climb stairs and do weights to stay in shape but this got boring. I came to Arizona so I could enjoy a year round outdoor activity that I would look forward to." Now, Wayne is among over 40 seniors who play tennis at the Cottonwood Tennis Center every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8 am. No one has to make them play. They look forward to playing.

There are several such senior tennis groups throughout the Verde Valley. They enjoy playing, meeting their friends and working up a sweat on the court. This activity is generally health promoting but it does not necessarily make the heart muscle perform optimally. To build heart function requires these special actions.

Your heart must perform at its ideal rate for your age and fitness level for one hour several times weekly for a cardio "wellness boost."
Your heart runs better when it and your arteries are kept relatively free of plaque
Your heart must receive optimal nutrition (including diet, supplements and herbs)
Your heart is a muscle that should be strengthened - along with its supporting muscles - by special fitness training
Your heart performs better when you feeling uplifted and cared about

Cardio-tennis has been developed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to help tennis and non-tennis players prevent heart disease while they have fun, meet new friends and improve their general fitness and tennis game all at once! In order to run a Cardio-tennis activity, a site and the tennis professionals running the program must be approved and registered with the USTA. The Cardio-tennis program at VOCA is approved and registered. In fact this program offers much more than basic programs because it is run by a tennis professional, Beverly Coleman, who is also a health professional along with Mary Bente, a retired middle school principal, who is also a certified fitness trainer. The advantages of VOCA's program do not stop here. New Frontiers Natural Food Marketplace was so excited about the health benefits of VOCA's Cardio-tennis program that they decided to join the effort by providing nutritional samples and information that promotes heart and cardio-vascular wellness.

VOCA's Cardio-tennis is held Monday afternoons from 1:15 to 2:30. Adults of all play and fitness levels are welcome. Professional tennis and health expertise is present to make certain every participant has fun safely reaching his/her optimal cardio wellness. Training stations are set up on VOCA's courts. Mary Bente runs level appropriate aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Beverly keeps participants moving with tennis drills that improve skills and play patterns. Heart rates are checked every 10 minutes so that participants can self-regulate their activity level. The next 4 week series begins November 14th . For information and/or registration, visit www.sedonatennis.com or call Beverly at 204-9233. A portion of all fees goes to the BCTA junior scholarship fund.