“Move it, or lose it,” is one of many mottos repeated at least three times a week at Horseshoe Pond Place, 26 Commercial St. No, the citizens of Horseshoe Pond aren't being surly – this motto applies to the senior resource center's “stretching and strengthening” class. The hour-long class run by senior services director, Colette Farland-Vogt, offers simple yet effective exercises that help participants become stronger and more flexible.
I first learned about the class several weeks ago, when I was invited to Horseshoe Pond Place for a pot roast lunch. While there, I spoke with several residents about their favorite activities at the senior resource center and Colette's class was mentioned time and time again. When one resident expressed how the exercise program had changed his life, I knew I had to experience this miracle class for myself.
So, on Feb. 11, I went back to Horseshoe Pond to get the full scoop. I arrived to a room with approximately 13 people sitting in a circle. I took a seat next to Colette, so I could keep a close eye on the moves. Hey, I knew I was there to break open a story, but figured I could also use a little stretching and strengthening as well.
The moves were, as many of the seniors previously described to me, rather simple. Most could be done from a chair, and you certainly don't break a sweat. However, even though the exercises were low impact, I could easily see how repeating the exercises a few days a week could be good for the body. For example, there's a rather simple one that doesn't require much more than extending your leg and then moving your foot around with your ankle. A week prior, I had hurt my foot in a running accident, but by doing this easy-peasy move, I felt my foot getting a much needed stretch I didn't even know I needed.
This sensation is what I imagine many of the seniors in the class felt throughout their entire bodies. As folks get older and bodies get a little more fragile and a little less agile, many seniors find themselves with certain body aches that can make it difficult to move around. Colette's class helps get those old bones movin' once again, just by, well, moving them. Don't take my word for it, though, the proof is in the participants.
Take Claire Hibbard, for example. Claire, age 74, pulled a ligament in her foot when she was younger. “When you're a teenager, you do crazy things,” she recalls. She has been dealing with foot pain since her youth. Well, until she began taking Colette's class, of course.
Then there's Roger Britton, also in his 70s. Roger not only has arthritis and a condition called spinal stenosis, but has also survived three strokes. After taking the class for a year, Roger says he has gotten back most of the movement in his hands and can once again tie his own shoe and button his own buttons – simple tasks the rest of us take for granted. Roger says the biggest benefit has been improving the mobility in his neck, and he does a few of the neck exercises taught to him during the class on his own time. “It's the greatest thing that has ever happened,” he claims.
Colette does one move in which everyone does the box waltz, solo. Well, everyone except for Roger and his wife, Pat (a cancer survivor), who do the box waltz together. Watching them waltz together, both of them beaming as if it were the first time they ever had the pleasure of dancing with one another, you'd never guess they ever had any aches and pains.
Also impressive is Elizabeth Chisholm, 89½ (Elizabeth really wanted that “½” put in there). She once relied on her walker to maintain balance, but no longer has that problem. She now only needs her walker because she has a bad back. Elizabeth has also lost 12 pounds since beginning the class, a feat any woman, at any age, can be proud of.
There are many other stories that the folks at Horseshoe Pond Place have to tell, but if your body’s aching, perhaps you should experience the class for yourself.
Don’t worry, Colette’s very nice and encourages all beginners to take it slow and only do what they are capable of. Another benefit? Colette does many of the exercises while singing and everyone joins in. Who doesn’t like an old fashioned sing-a-long? You don’t need to be a resident of Horseshoe Pond Place to partake in the class – it’s open to anyone, and best of all, it’s free! Donations are, of course, always welcome and appreciated.
The class takes place at Horseshoe Pond Place on Mondays at 9 a.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. For further information, give Colette a call at 228-6956.
