Windsor Gyms and Fitness

Most people are familiar with the idea of a silent attacker, but at Aikido Canada, eighth-level Dan Kevin Blok Kyoshi and his certified Dan instructors teach the quiet art of aikido self-defense. Instead of kicking, punching, and breaking boards, aikido classes demonstrate lock holds, pins, and takedowns to help children and adults alike nonviolently defend themselves. These moves help the student control an attacker without harming them or having to restrain them with Chinese finger traps. All of their classes allow students build their character with self-development and self-improvement, not the destruction of others. Kevin’s lengthy resumé includes such highlights as authoring four books, earning the Canada 125 medal for service to his country, and founding the Chudokai Aikido Federation International.

Bastet is an Egyptian goddess known for her feline head and strong, confident demeanor. Fittingly, the multitalented staff at House of Bastet strives to impart the goddess’s poise onto each of their students. Leading the way is Ms. Tene', a Michigan State University graduate with a fine-arts and dance specialization who has modeled and earned a certification as a yoga and fitness instructor. At House of Bastet, she corrals her team’s range of skills to run an array of programs, including world-dance classes, modeling workshops, development courses, and etiquette lessons, which teach students the oft-mysterious social conventions that could mean the difference between landing a job as a paid actor, or landing a job as a paid actor in a horse costume.

A 1,201-seat auditorium that values acoustic excellence as much as visual grandeur, the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center houses ornate wooden accents and intricate wall panels that soar over a sweeping balcony peppered with plush red seats. Ample wheelchair seating and elevators to all levels abound, ensuring audience members seated in the balcony won’t need to rely on the creaky wooden catapults still in use at many theaters.

Former heart surgeon Dr. Frederic J. Vagnini, an author of multiple books on diabetic management and a frequent guest on Fox News, helps his Heart, Diabetes and Weight Loss Centers of New York patients treat health problems with natural therapies and conventional medicine. Using the self-created V-Protocol program, Dr. V fights heart disease with lifestyle changes, diet, nutraceuticals, supplements, and unlimited prescriptions for apples.

Because obesity is often connected to heart disease, Dr. V helps patients shed unwanted pounds with the FDA-cleared VelaShape body-contouring device, supplements such as V-Cleanse, and insulin-regulating diet plans. All weight-loss plans are medically supervised and come with metabolic testing, complete digestive-system analysis including parasite evaluation, and testing for allergies to food and exercise.

At Punch Kettlebell Gym, owner and certified fitness trainer Rob Santarossa leads a team of instructors who lead group and private exercise regimens and nutritional coaching to help each client achieve a slim physique and healthier lifestyle. Rob’s dedication to fitness stems from his own early weight-loss struggles, an experience that allows him to coach with empathy and enact appropriate levels of motivation. About 12–15 students partake in the group and boot-camp classes, which stress weight-and-cardio combinations using diverse exercises, each scalable to fit individual needs or allergies to jumping jacks. Kettlebells and other forms of resistance are added along the way to round out the focused 30-minute routines. To help maintain a healthy lifestyle, fitness seekers will also be equipped with online nutritional software, which helps lay out customized meal plans, charts nutritional progress, and shouts warnings of falling anvils.