I just got back from exercise class and feel tired and oh so virtuous! The first twenty minutes of the class is aerobics. For the last month or so our leader has introduced some new steps which are faster and harder. I cannot let my mind wander for one second or I am off course. I think this is as good for the brain as it is for the body. We also do some lifting and stretching exercises both standing and on the floor. We easily get down on the floor but getting up again is pretty funny. I really never did exercise much in the past, not like the younger generation, but now that I am retired and class is less than a block away, I have no excuse.
Diane, our leader, has a BA in Health and a Certification from the American Council of Exercise. Diane also directs a Water Wellness Class, a Stretch and Strength Class, and a Pilates Class. She tells me that "Pilates" was started by a man by that name who was helping to rehabilitate veterans using five different sets of exercises which than became known by that name. In January Diane will teach Tai Chi for arthritis prevention. I think that Tai Chi has a meditative component as well and I will find out when I take the class. I did read on Google that this exercise helps to improve coordination which older people certainly need in order to prevent falling. I will report back on this in January.
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