I have been working part time at the Dorothy Visser Senior Center Fitness Center in San Clemente for the past four months. Anyone aged 50 and up can join, and I am proud to say that two of our members are very close to turning 90.
I adore the senior population, and am so grateful to have this opportunity to work with them in the arena I am so passionate about. Even better, I get to witness their fitness progression. It means a lot to them, and it might mean even more to me. I know fitness is not an age, and that improvement in strength, flexibility, endurance and balance will occur for everyone putting forth consistent effort in an exercise program. When I see them stand up straighter, maintain better balance and walk with ease of motion, I am soulfully rewarded.
My seniors impart their wisdom and life experience on me daily, and when I have opportunity to help them, it is my small way of giving back. Their generation did not have the wealth of knowledge and resources that we have today with health education, medical advances and prescription medications. If they knew then what they know now, many would have opted earlier for healthier lifestyles. Though many seniors have multiple health challenges, they all can be better managed with exercise intervention. It is never too late to start an exercise program, and for those willing- await tremendous rewards.
