Fitness profile
Introducing... Elissa Arms

From our news staff
• Name; Elissa Arms.
• Age: 17
• Address; Mount Penn.
• Occupation: Student at Central Catholic High School.
• When did you begin to exercise and why: I've always been involved in at least one activity, mostly thanks to my parents, who encourage me to be healthy. But it wasn't until almost, five years ago that I began wing chun kung fu, my favorite form of exercise. My dad, Steven, and brother, Elijah, had been learning wing chun for a few years already, and I finally decided to join too.
• What type do you do: I try to go to my gym. World Gym and Fitness Center, Mount Penn, three to four times a week, and I go for runs outside around the neighborhood. And then there's wing chun, which I study at Eastern Arts and Holistic Health Academy, Mount Penn. It's a Chinese martial art that is specifically designed for people with less physical strength, so it's ideal for women While some martial arts don't seem very practical, wing chun can be applied to almost any situation.
• Hardest hurdle to overcome: My hardest hurdle would be learning how to defend, rather than fight. Wing chun isn't about being stronger than all your opponents, it's about survival. Running and working out at the gym are fun activities, and they can be great for relaxation, but wing chun can get frustrating. You just have to stick with it and you can see how awesome it really is.
• Biggest exercise achievement: Getting my black sash in wing chun, I'm the first female in my school, and, to my knowledge, in Pennsylvania, to do so. To test, you have to demonstrate the various forms — or choreographed moves, that you've learned over the years. You also have to do five 2-minute rounds of sparring, defense techniques, forms with the wooden training dummy and drills with another person demonstrating sensitivity to opponents’ moves and your own focus. The whole test takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours. All of this is done in front of the leader of the school, or sifu.
• How exercise helps you: Being in shape does so much for my attitude and self-confidence. Running and working out make me feel great, and they also help my kung fu, especially my endurance in sparring. The kung fu also helps my confidence, because I know I could handle myself if something ever happened to me. And it's nice to see my dedication to something pay off.
• Tips to others: Pick an activity that suits your own interests and stills. Most sports don't come naturally to me, and I don't enjoy playing them competitively, But running relaxes me, and wing chun is one of my favorite things to do — I always look forward to classes. It's a pain to exercise if you aren't having fun while doing
it, so why not stay fit by doing something you love?

Once a week Lifestyle will profile a person who has made exercise a part of his or her life. If you know someone who enjoys being physically active write to Fitness profile, Reading Eagle Company,' P.O. Box 582, Reading, PA 19603, or e-mail ftfestyle@readingeagfe.com. Include the person's name address and telephone number and why you think he or she should be profiled.