By Talina Hendrickson
Recently, the fitness center at John Knox Village underwent an expansion project that has increased the size of the center to 2,360 square feet. The renovation included adding new fitness equipment as well as installing vinyl flooring.
Classes range from Latin dance, chair yoga and senior fitness and are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Focusing on physical, emotional and social wellness, the Fitness Center has a wide range of independent and group activities.
The physical wellness program encompasses exercises to assist with range of motion, strengthening as well as improving your balance to help prevent falls. The Chair Yoga class is a great choice to help with balance, while the Senior Fitness class helps build strength.
Helping to improve your joint function, range of motion exercises assist in keeping your joints flexible while reducing pain and improving balance and strength. It is recommended when doing range of motion exercises to start at your head and work your way down to your toes to help you remember each exercise. It is also recommended to do the exercises each day or as recommended by your physician.
Range of motion exercises should be done in the same order each day exercising on one side of the body, then repeat on the other side.
Emotional and social wellness as well as physical wellness are part of the eight dimensions of wellness integral to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as we age. The Fitness Center contributes to our emotional wellness by providing support, comfort, assistance with adapting to change and improving our coping skills as we experience changes in our lives.
Residents are able to stay socially active through the center’s group classes. Participating in group classes increases engagement between residents, reduces risk for disease and strengthens our immune system. Regular participation also lessens symptoms of depression and increases our longevity. Resident volunteers teach all of our aqua aerobics classes, Tai- Chi and Senior Stretch classes.
To learn more or join a class, make sure to visit John Knox TV and the portal for the class schedules. Fitness orientations and assessments are available Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment to orient new users with the facility and equipment.
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