Marcy Modica’s Backyard Bodies offers outdoor fitness classes for locals.
Photo courtesy of Backyard Bodies
Launched by a Purchase resident, Backyard Bodies hosts outdoor fitness classes to burn calories and stay connected with the community.
We’ve all spent an inordinate amount of sedentary time at home due to COVID-19, with few fitness routines incorporated. While there were some who managed to exercise at home after gyms closed this past year, many didn’t and felt isolated — which presented Purchase resident Marcy Modica with an opportunity. The former SLT instructor craved human connection during quarantine and began hosting two fitness classes per week in her driveway. Her friends felt similarly and requested more. Modica created her fitness business, Backyard Bodies, as a way for Westchesterites to get moving in a safe environment while being around others.
She explains that Backyard Bodies connects the best fitness instructors from around the county with locals. Offerings include total-body conditioning classes, which incorporate dumbbells, bands, and bodyweight; sculpt/barre classes; and dance classes — all in the open air, in individuals’ yards. Modica and Backyard Bodies instructors hosted the open-air classes in their own yards this past year. Modica says an individual can also host a class on their own property with an instructor. Come spring, Modica intends to rent Rye Brook’s Crawford Park, a popular option she offered in the fall. Classes are typically 50 minutes in the morning (for $32) — ideal for those who want to burn calories and be around others but don’t yet feel comfortable heading back to traditional gyms or studios.
