Locks Fitness Center open house draws new members

Ann Marie Claffey (center), director of the Windsor Locks Senior Center, and her assistant, Laurie Lapoint (left), checked in with Locks Fitness Center personal trainer Dee Abrams as the open house came to a close. Photos by Judy Henderson.

Each new year prompts resolutions - and getting in shape is one of the most common. Perhaps that’s why so many Windsor Locks seniors took advantage of the Jan. 6 open house at the Windsor Locks Senior Center’s Locks Fitness Center to become new members.

Convenient, bright and featuring just about everything one might need or want to get started on a new exercise program - including a huge wall-mounted flat-screen TV - the fitness center offers the kinds of exercise and strength-training equipment seniors need most to achieve and maintain optimal wellness. Explained Ann Marie Claffey, the Senior Center director, “The large machines were purchased with a Special Funding Initiative Grant secured through the Aging Services Division of Connecticut’s Department of Social Services. The rest were donated to us when two local Curves fitness center franchises were closing.”

There to introduce new members to all of the center’s diverse equipment was Dee Abrams, a certified personal trainer whose longtime involvement in town-sponsored fitness programs and classes makes her both an excellent instructor and a familiar face among the town’s senior population. According to Abrams, “Exercise is important at every stage of your life, and as we get older it can be a very natural way to help manage weight, joint, or other health issues.”

That’s why Joyce Church joined with her husband - and now, after six months as members, they are pleased to report that using the center is working out well for them. Said Church, “It’s convenient and it has everything. You have more stamina and your muscles feel stronger.”

And indeed, that’s what Barbara Donagher is hoping. “My husband and I retired a couple of years ago, and we decided we need to get going. In three months, you won’t recognize us!”   

Open house guests were treated to free chair massages by certified massage therapist Amanda Lefbvre, refreshments, complimentary water bottles and health bars, as well as entry into a raffle for a free three-month membership to the fitness center. In addition, they were given t-shirts screen-printed with the word “LOCKS FIT,” which not only includes the town’s unofficial nickname, but is an acronym for the fitness center’s official name and slogan - Let Our Center Keep Seniors Fit, which was created by Senior Center Director Ann Marie Claffey.

Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays, the Locks Fitness Center is located at the Ettore F. Carniglia Senior Center at 41 Oak St. All new members receive one-on-one orientation, as well as assistance setting up a fitness routine tailored to their individual needs. Resident memberships are $35 for three months, $65 for six months, or $125 for the whole year. Seniors wishing to learn more about becoming a member or joining any of the other fitness classes available through the town are invited to call the senior center at 860-627-1425.