Move it or lose it.
Those words apply to all ages when it comes to maintaining and achieving mobility and fitness levels and as the population ages there is some wisdom in those words.
The Prince George Chateau offers many options for keeping fit, including stationary bicycles, walking both indoors and outdoors, sit and stretch, yoga and seated yoga, tai chi, fun fitness classes, line dancing, bean bag baseball and even an anatomy class so attendees will be aware of what muscles are where as they do their exercises.
Lisa Cassidy, engage life coordinator at the Chateau, also offers classes to people in the community who have multiple sclerosis. Cassidy has received positive feedback about how effective the exercises are for participants and always encourages them to continue to exercise at home.
"I think our aging population is capable of more than we give them credit for and I think they need to recognize that too," said Cassidy.
Seated yoga can be very effective.
"The seated yoga class makes the mind body connection - that mindfulness that you will find in a traditional yoga class but making it an adapted movement for people seated in a chair," said Cassidy. "So it does bring in the meditative aspect. During the class a lot of the traditional yoga poses are modified for an aging body."
Sit and stretch sees Cassidy pulling from elements of her regular fitness classes she teaches out in the community and what she's researched particularly for the seniors demographic.
"I think what's really unique to the sit and stretch is pulling in brain teasers and I will always pull in that type of stuff and use props - like balls you can get at the dollar store, and I did that intentionally so that people can continue their exercises in their room," said Cassidy, who will ask people to rotate their left wrist in a circular motion while making the up and down motion of painting a fence with their right arm. She also challenges people to switch things up a bit by brushing their teeth with the opposite hand they usually use.
"Brain teasers are good for all of us," said Cassidy, who attended a fitness conference geared for care givers of an aging population that confirmed her beliefs. "We tend to be habitual movers and every day we just do the same movement because that's all that's required. So I am always looking for those aspects where it gets people to do the opposite of what they're used to. Just because you're used to always doing something with your right hand it doesn't mean you can't do it with your left."
Bean bag baseball is a bean bag toss into a board where there is a space for first, second, third and home, foul ball and out. A participant will toss the bean bag and where ever the bag lands is where the person physically walks to in the room.
"It's a lot of fun and gets people moving that might not move in any other fashion but they'll come out for bean bag baseball," said Cassidy. The game draws many members from the community to join in the fun and there have been classes of young students participate, and a Cougars hockey team challenge.
"It's a lot of fun and it's about finding ways to inspire people to move and that's what's important."
