LIHU’E — The popular kick boxing aerobics program that’s held twice weekly at the Wilcox School cafeteria found new life, recently. Diane and Tim Texeira have been leading the popular form of exercises regularly for several years now, and recently,
LIHU’E — The popular kick boxing aerobics program that’s held twice weekly at the Wilcox School cafeteria found new life, recently.
Diane and Tim Texeira have been leading the popular form of exercises regularly for several years now, and recently, the couple discovered that they would have to relocate to Washington state when Tim accepted a job from Tesoro in Olympia.
That raised concerns from Diane who has been teaching the aerobic program for about 20 years.
Diane noted that it was not just the classes, but the community concerns that troubled her.
Recently, she and her husband spent the entire month of August working with the Lihu’e Pop Warner Association cheer squads.
“That’s community service,” Diane explained as the couple went to Isenberg twice a week to lead the cheer squads through an hour-long vigorous exercise routine designed to strengthen their cardio-vascular system.
Additionally, Diane said that Kaua’i High School weight room coordinator Ross Shimabukuro wanted the couple to come to the school to work with their physical education classes.
“Six classes in a day,” Diane exclaimed. “That’s work.”
But, all of this is assured of continuity as her current students, Doreen Gomes, Carol Texeira, and Cindy Manera have been working with the Texeiras to become certified instructors.
Diane points out that the program at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center headed by Charlene Paden is one of the success stories for students who started in her classes before advancing to become an instructor.
She plans on doing the same with the three ladies who take classes at the Wilcox School cafeteria.
“That is, if they can take it,” Diane notes. “I’m real hard, but if the girls are ready, and willing, we’ll work with them.”
Tim explained that the kick boxing aerobic form of exercise enjoyed a surge during the popularity of Tae bo, a physical form of exercise.
Although he has been teaching “for only eight, or nine years,” he admits that Diane has been teaching for close to 20 years overall, bringing the form back from the mainland.
When she started teaching, she got calls from some of the athletic clubs on Kaua’i where she introduced the exercise program and taught it to their instructors.
“We’ve come a long way,” Diane said. “This is for the community because not every one can afford athletic centers.”
The classes meet Monday and Wednesday afternoons at Wilcox Elementary School cafeteria starting at 5:30 p.m. for a workout that lasts for about an hour.
