On Tuesday, October 6, there was no skirting the enthusiasm Community at Rockhill residents have for their fitness program. As part of the Wellness and Fitness Center’s Active Aging Week observations, Senior Fitness Program Specialist Alicia Fergus shared a hula-inspired seated work-out, streamed live on the community’s in-house television channel. Several residents and staff, donned with grass skirts and flowery leis, joined her for the dance demonstration
The International Council of Active Aging sponsors the weeklong campaign celebrating the positivity of aging in the 21st century.
In addition to the hula-inspired dance session, Alicia presented a wellness session on Fit for Function and the Sport of Life. The presentation encouraged all residents to keep moving and make healthy decisions.
“We tried to make this week’s celebration a mix,” Alicia explained. “Yesterday’s presentation was a lot of information. Today’s dance lesson was a fun component.”
Fitness is an ongoing focus
Fitness, however, is not just a one-week focus at the Community at Rockhill but a year-round concentration. Alicia has had to pare back the Wellness Center’s normally robust schedule due to COVID social distancing requirements. However, she still offers a live-stream class three days a week along with in-person group exercise classes. In addition, the indoor pool is open for individual swim times as well as the fitness workouts in the cardio and weight rooms.
“We try to make it easy for someone to be active,” Alicia explained. Residents wishing to participate in the wellness center first receive a personalized fitness assessment including evaluating fall risk, endurance, strength and other factors. “We then tailor the program to the resident,” Alicia said. “We design whatever works best for them, based on their needs.”
“I work with residents to emphasize my favorite quote: ‘You don’t deteriorate because you age; You deteriorate because you stop moving.’ Our goal is to keep residents moving so they can continue to age well.”