YAC Member of the Month: Trixanna “Trixie” Koch

Trixie was born August 24th, 1928 in Yakima, WA and grew up in Wapato. She attended Wapato schools before heading off to college to get her teaching degree. She retired as an English teacher from the Lake Washington School District in 1993.

Upon moving back to Yakima after retiring, she quickly became a member at the Yakima Athletic Club in that same year; making her a member for 27 years!

Trixie was nominated as our Member of the Month because of her friendliness towards everyone. She truly eludes a positive energy with her contagious smile toward everyone and her words of encouragement towards other gym goers. Not to mention the fact that she is 91 years old and still in here 3 times a week!

We asked Trixie, after all these years, what her favorite thing to do at the gym is and she explained, “…to come through the front entry, where the front desk staff is always happy to see us members and greet us accordingly.” She added, “I also enjoy working on [the] weight machines and, for sure, the feeling of camaraderie among the friendly, health-conscious individuals who populate the YAC – all staff and members.”

We also wanted to hear from Trixie what keeps her coming back, so we asked what her favorite amenity was. She explained that 20+ years ago she loved using the pool and attending yoga with instructor Chani Phillips. She then explained, “Now, at 91, my favorite amenity (and my arthric knees’ favorite amenity) is the recumbent bicycle.”

Trixie doesn’t use the recumbent bike only for her arthritis though, she uses the bike and all weight machines for a more important cause: the preservation of life.

She says, “Along with good nutrition, exercise is the magic bullet for prolonging a happy, healthier life. Exercise is the best preventative medicine, no matter what calamities one is trying to avoid – heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and other such indignities.”

As always, we like to ask our Member of the Month to offer some advice to someone who either recently joined YAC or who is struggling with their health. Here is what Trixie offers:

“My advice to any recent member of the YAC is to come regularly – at least three times a week. If you have been sick, out-of-town, or just too bust, and so have not been working out for many days, don’t wait until a more propitious day for a new beginning, such as a Monday, or the first of the month, or a worst case scenario, next January (again). The best time to start again is now.”