Working out with Mayor Marciano

Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano works out with other people during Workout With the Mayor at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, May 4, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

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Posted May 6, 2024 | By Jamie Berube, Correspondent

I was nervous when I got in my car to head to a community workout event with Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano last weekend. The last time I worked out in a group setting was a spin class I took in 2016. While I liked the class, there were too many people for my preference. Crowds can make me shy. Putting my nervousness aside, I laced up my sneakers and headed inside for the event.

On May 4, the city of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department, in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, kicked off its new program, Workout with the Mayor, at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, at 1821 NW 21st Ave.

“We formed a health and wellness committee for our community to help figure out how we were going to address physical and mental health, and this was one of the ideas that the committee came up with,” Marciano said of how the idea for the series came about.

Clint Hart, a former San Diego Chargers safety and owner of Healthy Harts Fitness, joined Marciano for the event. Inside the community center, I took in a sea of smiles and friendly chatter all around me. Everybody seemed pumped to work out with Marciano and Hart.

Hart said he feels that working out is extremely important for coping with stress.

“Fitness is a place that can detour depression and mental anguish and pain,” Hart said. “It helps you with things you have to deal with in life, like losing people. It teaches you that even though there’s pain, you have to push through it. If you can learn to push your body through vigorous pain, it trains your brain how to handle that pain.”

Hart said he has had a competitive spirit since he was little, when he began playing sports.

“Fitness made me stronger and made me better when I wanted to compete. So that is something that is encrypted in my DNA,” he said.

While people chatted, sipped smoothies and snapped pictures, I wandered onto a basketball court where Hart was getting ready to begin the session.

By 9:05 a.m., attendees were corralled together for a welcoming message from Marciano and an opening prayer with Hart. Then, the music came on and it was time to sweat.

On the court, around 50 adults and a few children followed the instructions of Hart as we danced, jogged in place and did jumping jacks, squats and aerobic exercises. Hart paused the music for water breaks and attendees were encouraged to grab free water bottles, fruit and snacks from vendors outside the court.

I was encouraged to see Marciano’s 9-year-old daughter working out next to her dad.

Halfway through the workout, my heart rate was up and in sync with the beats booming from the speakers. My hair became matted with sweat from the full-body workout. By 9:45 a.m., I was dripping beads of sweat. I was invigorated, pumped and proud to have made it through the session, shyness and all.

I spoke with Marciano and a few attendees post-workout for their thoughts on the kickoff of six events in the Workout with the Mayor series. Marciano said his favorite part of the event was seeing people coming together.

“I think there are enough negatives, so to focus on the positives of bringing people together and getting people active and the release of endorphins, that’s the part that I enjoyed the most,” Marciano said.

Marciano’s mother, Pat Michelet, attended the event after seeing it advertised on Facebook. She loves staying fit and said it helps her stay active while retired.

“You get so lazy, and you get in a rut where you’re just like, you don’t feel like getting up today,” Michelet said.

Latoria Bryant is a personal trainer and attends one of the gyms Marciano owns in Ocala, Zone Health and Fitness. She saw a flyer for the event and put it on her calendar.

“I’ve been doing this for like 13 years, and I just graduated last year with a bachelor’s in nutrition and health and a master’s in dietetics. My goal is to be a registered dietician, so I’m all about health. It’s my passion and my purpose in life. I’m excited for the series and think it’s great for the community,” Bryant said.

Denise Sarko says she is a friend of Marciano and knows him from the YMCA where she used to serve as a board member. She attended the event with her son, Cyle, who is a participant in the Special Olympics.

“We just love this community and the center,” Sarko said.

She and her son said they will try and attend all upcoming events in the series and plan to invite other family members to join as an encouragement to get fit.

“I think events like this bring everybody together, just like what was represented here today. I’m sure many gyms were being represented, but for the Zone and Healthy Harts to come together on events is wonderful,” Sarko said.

Marciano said for those intimidated by working out in front of others, the hardest part is taking the first step.

“I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and I think that one of the biggest barriers is people sometimes are intimidated, and the hardest part is taking the first step,” Marciano said

“I tell people, just step outside the box. Like today, I was nervous about dancing, that is not my deal, but once I got moving, I loved it,” he added.

Marciano encourages fitness newbies to put one foot forward and come out and try a session.

“As soon as people try it, they normally love it and stick with it,” he said.

Parents can bring their kids to the upcoming workout sessions when school breaks for summer.

“We found when we get the whole family working out together, it’s more likely to stick if you have the support of the family,” Marciano said.

The Workout with the Mayor series is free and open to the public. The next sessions are scheduled for:

• June 1 at Jervey Gantt Recreation Complex, 2200 SE 36th Ave.
• July 6: Tuscawilla Park, 213 NE Fifth St.
• 3: Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, 2105 NW 21st St.
• 7: Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E Fort King St.
• 4: Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave.

Details for each workout will be announced on the Ocala Recreation and Parks social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.