Aging nicely…

 Inhale, exhale, soft knees, don’t forget to breathe

Senior Exercise class is nothing like whatever you image it to be.

First of all, no two members are alike. Second, the difference between the enrollment and the attendance is amazing. Third, no one seems to think the beginning and ending times have anything to do with them.

Let’s begin with the obvious question: why did I think I needed to teach a senior exercise class? Did I not have enough to do since retirement? Did I run out of books to read, classes to attend, friends with whom to have lunch and shopping and movie and theatre dates, closets to clean, dogs to walk, grandchildren to cheer on, stories to write…had I already mastered the Italian language? The truthful answer to all of these questions is that I had not even scratched the surface of most of them.

I received an email that stated the need for instructors for a variety of senior self help and self care classes. My first thought was that I could help others while helping my husband and myself. Self-care in managing chronic conditions was too clinical for my taste. Some other classes ran for 24 weeks, I am an undiagnosed ADHD person so 24 weeks was too long for me. Balance is one of my weak points , so I could not picture myself teaching others to do what I struggled with myself. Then we came to a simple stretching class, which utilized exercise bands and ran for 12 weeks. Seemed straightforward enough. I took the training. I received a manual and about 8 months later, I was given a class. They were great.  The age range was from about 60 to about 85. They were a committed, classy, interesting, involved group of mostly women who stuck with the program for the most part for all 12 weeks. The class ended, they wanted to continue, they were told there was a waiting list and they would have to sign up and get on the waiting list.

I waited to be called for the next class. I kept waiting. I called the Senior Services department and was signed up to become a trainer of peer leaders, or more simply, people to teach the exercise classes. It seems there was a great shortage of instructors…not enough to go around to all of the potential students. I finished that training. I waited to be called to train peer leaders or to teach an exercise class. No call came.

Six months after the first exercise class ended, I had still not had another class or anyone to train as a peer leader.  My husband and I left for Florida for 2 months. While I was away, I was emailed with the news that a class was being formed. One of the women in my leadership training class was to be my co-peer leader and the class would start in April.

When we returned from Florida, we discovered that all of the plans that had been made for a time and place were in jeopardy due to a scheduling glitch. Friday mornings, my preferred day and time, were not available. A frantic search ensued. There was a class roster in the ready and all we needed was a time and place.  Finally a place was secured, Wednesday afternoons was the only availability. I had a string of Wednesday plans. I told the director, she said that if I would agree to teach the class, she would cover the days I needed to miss. And so began the senior exercise class and a new relationship for me with a new troop of brave, interesting women. My co-peer leader has a schedule that would make my head spin and lots of positive energy. So far, she has had perfect attendance…me-not so much!

Just to give you an idea of how long this has taken. I took the first training approximately 18 months before the second class was scheduled. Why, you may ask, does it take so long? This is a non-profit agency with just about no budget. What we do, we do for free. There is no money to pay instructors or rent space or advertise. So everything we do has to be in a free location, with a volunteer instructor and with free advertising.  Some of the students from the first class are enrolled in the second class. I am very proud of them and pleased to learn that they asked for me.