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Fitness & Swimming

“Exercise is great because it just makes everything in life better” -Richard Simmons

In 1986, popular exercise guru Richard Simmons led his celebrity friends’ parents in a televised workout. Richard and his mom, Shirley Simmons invited Pauline Fawcett (Farah’s mom), Sal Pacino (Al’s dad), Jacqueline Stallone (Sly’s mom), and Harry Hoffman (Dustin’s dad) to work up a sweat. Decked out in their best 80’s pastel sweatsuits, the group had a blast showing that seniors can and should embrace fitness and have fun doing it. Check out Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes for a good laugh and a hefty dose of inspiration.

It’s the time of year when the enthusiasm we had for New Year’s resolutions begins to wane, but according to this Health in Aging story on top New Year’s resolutions for seniors, healthy eating and regular exercise are two of the most important changes you can make in the New Year!

Read this article on the website Elivingtoday which points to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) report stating that “Without physical activity, older people tend to grow weaker in four areas important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. The NIH maintains that:

  • Increasing strength and endurance make it easier to climb stairs and carry groceries.
  • Improving balance helps prevent falls.
  • Being more flexible may speed recovery from injuries.

The old saying “variety is the spice of life” definitely applies to exercise and varying your fitness routine eliminates the “exercise rut” that people tend to fall into. Switching up your fitness routine is an important element in sustaining it.

Here at Eastcastle Place, we are lucky to have great amenities that make life fun and exciting including our full-service fitness and aquatics center. More than just a pool, (though the pool is beautiful and inviting, especially on a cold, winter day in Milwaukee), the aquatics center offers classes and activities that can make your water workout fun.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the space, head over to our aquatics, spa and wellness center to say “hello” to Willy Heinrich, Eastcastle’s fitness and aquatics manager and to our hardworking fitness staff including Scott Anderson, our aqua aerobics and men’s water calisthenics instructor. Willy and Scott can give you a tour of this state-of-the-art space and answer your questions.

If you want to investigate fitness outings outside of Eastcastle Place’s doors, be sure to check out the Wisconsin Senior Olympics and dare to dream of being part of this amazing group! Our own fitness and aquatics coordinator Mary Blandino, who is a Senior Olympian champion.

YMCA Senior Fitness programs are another great way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Working out can become habit-forming, but in this case, that’s a good thing. Were you an athlete back in the day? Did you dream of competing in a sport?