Great Barrington – For the past 10 years, each Tuesday and Thursday, groups of 35 tmen and 40 women in their mature years have gathered at Berkshire South Regional Community Center to participate in the Women’s & Men’s Strength and Balance classes.
Their guide to keeping themselves fit and youthful has been Bob Landau, a retired business executive whose infectious smile and unflagging high spirits made the workouts a pleasure and established a camaraderie that extended beyond the exercise sessions. After each workout, the group would retire to The Brewery across the way for lunch.
And that is how this band of devoted fitness fans came to be known as “The Lift & Lunch Crunch Bunch.”
But it has been Bob Landau’s enthusiasm and commitment to helping others maintain their health that has inspired such loyalty and appreciation. And to repay him in some small measure – and to acknowledge the commitment of Berkshire South to healthy living – the members of the Lift & Lunch Crunch Bunch donated $4,200 to Berkshire South in Landau’s honor.
The funds will be used to replace worn out equipment in the Center’s fitness facility.
“The Landau Fund has been created by the participants of both the Women’s and Men’s Strength and Balance classes,” explained Berkshire South Executive Director Jenise Lucey. “The fund is in honor of the class instructor, Bob Landau, for his ultimate dedication to health and wellness, and for connecting people with a common purpose. With a goal to annually raise $5,000, the funds will be used to further the intent of Mr. Landau’s work at the Community Center.”
Landau learned of the donation after a workout session last week. His students had gathered in the gymnasium, all dressed in orange Lift & Lunch Crunch Bunch T-shirts. On the wall at the entrance to the gym a plaque in Landau’s honor had been affixed.
The group was huddled around the plaque at the doorway when Landau walked in.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” he said quietly. “I don’t deserve this.”
His 50 students disagreed. They hustled him over to the bleachers for a group photo.
And then it was off to lunch, of course, but this time to Crissey Farm.
“The thing that makes me really tick is my family,” Landau related. “I have four children and 14 grandchildren. After I retired, I really did nothing. I just sat around. My son suggested that another career might be good for me. So I got into training, I received certification and attend four conferences a year to stay on top of new research.
“First, I thought I was just going to do regular training, but then I saw this whole void here, a void of training for older populations. There was a big research study in the late 90s that showed that bone density can really only be increased by performing regular weight bearing exercises. Up until then, cardio exercise was more popular.”
Landau notes that the lunches after the lift and crunches isn’t just a good companionable meal. It includes a different speaker each time.
And he says that he is even more gratified by the help he has been able to give the women in his group.
“I also teach Strength and Balance for Women, but they are in the morning so I don’t call them the lunch bunch. In the men’s group I have 35 men from 65 years old to 92. In the women’s group, more than 40 women in the same age range. These are extremely dedicated groups of people. You know, some of them go in for bone density tests and they see it increasing when they stick with class. That is really gratifying for men. They are getting stronger and healthier, not because I’m a genius, but because they are doing it.”
