BRUNSWICK

1. First of all, please provide for us a little history on Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness.

Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness was established under current ownership on April 1, 1998. Rob Manter is the current owner of Maine Pines, but originally came to the club as a tennis pro, and worked as the tennis director at the club for more than 10 years. It was known as Merrymeeting Health & Fitness at the time.

The club in its original purchase state was mainly the tennis courts and it did not have much of a fitness area.

Fitness was added later and has undergone various upgrades and renovations over the years to bring it to its current condition, which boasts three exercise rooms (Aerobics Studio, Spin/Pilates Studio, and Yoga Studio), a weight room and a cardiovascular area.

Maine Pines also has six indoor tennis courts, a babysitting room and, as mentioned earlier, three studios for group fitness.

Massage therapy is offered at Maine Pines on select days, and Midcoast Physical Therapy is located on the first floor for added convenience to the community.

2. Can you describe the programs you

offer — on the racquet side and fitness side?

Maine Pines is a full-service club with tennis and fitness programs for all levels and ages.

On the fitness side, group fitness classes are the specialty of the club with more than 50 classes that include aerobics, toning and sculpting, Pilates, Barre, Pound, Silver- Sneakers, Zumba, Spin and Yoga.

There is also a weight room with Cybex weight equipment and free weights on the first floor.

Upstairs is the cardiovascular room with treadmills, arc trainer, ellipticals, rower, recline and upright bikes, stepper and stair mill.

On the tennis side, there are clinics, leagues, lessons, match play, and contract times. You can play a little or a lot, whichever is preferred. There are also programs for all ages and levels, including beginners to learn the sport of a lifetime.

Maine Pines is the perfect place to get fit, love life and have fun!

3. Why is it important to exercise? And how often should a person work out?

Exercise is very important especially as people age. It helps with strength, stability, flexibility, mobility and balance. People that exercise regularly beginning at a young age reap the benefits as they get older. However, that is not to say it is ever too late to start, because that is just not true.

There are benefits to be gained at any age and starting point. Physicians are recommending more and more that people get regular exercise that raises their heart rate and incorporates weight training as well. Simply walking is just not enough.

The ideal is to exercise for 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week on alternating days. There should be at least one day off after two consecutive days of strength training.

It is amazing after three short months the difference people can feel if they are exercising regularly.

4. Maine Pines has gone to great lengths to make its facility more energy efficient. Why is that so?

Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness was built in 1974, so obviously there are improvements to be made on an annual basis and capital improvements over time. The facility is more than 50,000 square feet including the tennis courts and fitness facility, so heating and electrical for this size facility can be daunting.

Over the last few years, Maine Pines has purchased some new equipment for the fitness area, added solar panels to the roof, laid new carpeting downstairs, added heating and cooling systems in key areas, and changed the lighting throughout the club, including the tennis courts to LED more energy efficient lighting. Maine Pines was able to reduce electricity demand by 60 percent with the new lighting.

Maine Pines is proud to create a facility that is both welcoming and highly efficient.

5. What makes Maine Pines so special? What is your contact information for people seeking information about Maine Pines?

The contact information is as follows:

• Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness

120 Harpswell Road

Brunswick, ME 04011

• Telephone: (207) 729-8433

• Visit us online at mainepines.com

Maine Pines is a special place because of the people. Our members, our staff, our instructors are truly wonderful and make Maine Pines feel like a true sense of community. Maine Pines has some great programs and classes, but the people really make the difference.

Come see for yourself.

• Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness
120 Harpswell Road
Brunswick, ME 04011
• Telephone: (207) 729-8433
• Visit us online at mainepines.com

• WOULD YOU like to participate in The Times Record business feature Five Questions? It’s easy and it’s free. If so, please send an email to editor Patrick Gabrion at pgabrion@timesrecord.com. Thank you.

Comments are not available on this story.