By Christine Galeone

Although January is nearly over, it’s still a new year. And it’s still an ideal time to focus on getting healthier.

One of the greatest things that you can do for your health, if you’re a smoker, is to quit smoking. There are some excellent online resources that can help people achieve that goal, such as CDC.gov/quit and smokefree.gov.  

But for everyone, smokers and nonsmokers alike, improving overall fitness and nutrition can go a long way to fostering better health. Fortunately, Grafton businesses and organizations can help.   

The Grafton Senior Center is trying to help seniors to get and stay healthy. The center’s exercise classes include Breathing and Healing Chair Yoga, Fall Prevention Exercise, Cardio Barre Exercise, Tone and Stretch Exercise, Zumba, Senior Bootcamp and Senior Exercise Class.  

Similarly, Grafton Community Television has also been helping seniors. GCT airs the center’s previous Senior Strength and Balance class at 10:30 a.m. every day. The classes can be viewed on Ch. 34 on Verizon and Ch. 191 on Charter.

In North Grafton, Anytime Fitness offers various coaching options to help people reach their fitness goals. New members who are 18 years old or older and live in Grafton can get a free trial by signing up on the business’s website, anytimefitness.com/gyms/954/grafton-ma-01536/.

In Grafton, another option is Fitness Asylum. The fitness center offers an array of classes at its four area locations. And it currently offering a $5 for 15 days trial, which people can sign up for on the business’s website, http://fitness-asylum.com/intro-offer/.

If you have an interest in martial arts and self-defense training, Premier Sport Taekwondo in North Grafton can help you through a variety of classes. Premier Sport Taekwondo, www.premierkick.com, teaches martial arts, taekwondo and self-defense classes for kids, teens and adults. Although they might be sold out by the time this column goes to press, special highly-discounted two-week passes to the studio’s martial arts classes are being offered through mid-February or until they sell out. They include the Women’s Positive Mindset classes, Adult Taekwondo classes and Teen Taekwondo classes.    

For adults, teens and children who want to get fit and express themselves through dance, there are at least a few Grafton businesses that can help. Dance classes for children, teens and adults of all ages (including people with special needs) are available at Grafton Common-based Beatz Dance Studio, www.beatzdance.com. In addition to its adult Zumba and Tap classes, the studio has adult Ballet Tone and Technique, Dancers’ Way to Wellness and Hip Hop classes. Several dance classes for kids and teens are also available at North Grafton’s Dance It Up, www.danceitup.com. And all levels of Irish dance classes for children and teens can be found at Murphy Academy of Irish Dance, www.murphyacademy.com. 

Finally, if you live in Grafton (North, South or Grafton proper) and you’re going through a time of hardship that makes it difficult to prepare home-cooked meals, you can request a nutritious meal from the nonprofit Meals that Matter. Lori Houlden Girard, who runs Houlden Interiors, started the nonprofit in 2024 and delivers the free meals on Sundays. For more information, visit www.mealsthatmatter.net.

Whether you need to quit smoking, gradually improve your fitness level, or eat more nutritious food, the positive changes you make should make you healthier. And being healthier should make you happier as well!

Note: It’s best to check with your doctor before starting a new fitness routine. 

Contact Christine with your business news items at [email protected].