Windsor Locks Senior Center offering three starter fitness classes

The Windsor Locks Senior Center is offering three affordable fitness classes for seniors this season. Photo by Kyle Kernan.

The Windsor Locks Senior Center is putting the fun into fitness this winter with three affordable starter classes for seniors.

All three classes offer a variety of exercises that cater to a particular issue or preference. To take one class, seniors are required to pay $5, and the fee to attend the full six-week session of a class is $30 per person.

The classes include a water fitness class, Zumba Gold - a Latin-inspired line-dancing class - and chair yoga. All activates offer a variety of exercises and poses to increase overall strength, balance and flexibility.

Dee Abrams, an instructor for the classes, stresses it’s important for seniors to get beyond the stigma of it being a senior center. “The reputation of the classes over the past few years has been great, and seniors seem to love it,” Abrams said.

Abrams has a relaxed teaching style and tailors the fitness routine to benefit the preferences of her students. If a student, for example, wants to go at his or her own pace and not a count-by-count regimen, that’s fine. It’s better if they get the moves right, Abrams said.

Chair yoga sessions began on Jan. 27, at 11:30 a.m., at the Windsor Locks Senior Center. Chair yoga is a gentler form of yoga that is practiced sitting in a chair, or standing using a chair for support. Within this type of yoga class, one can cover standing, seated and prone postures. It is a type of yoga that has caught on with seniors who seek relief from chronic back pain, hypertension, arthritis or vertigo, Abrams said.

Ruta Hoffa of Windsor Locks said that she finds the chair yoga exercises very relaxing, and she has learned to pull in breaths deep into her stomach to feel more at ease.

Zumba Gold is another exciting alternative for seniors at the Windsor Locks Senior Center. This particular Zumba technique is known for the zesty Latin music, like salsa, merengue, cumbia and reggaeton; the exhilarating, easy-to-follow moves; and the invigorating, party-like atmosphere. It also targets baby boomers. It takes the Zumba formula and modifies the moves and pacing to suit the needs of the active older participant, as well as those just starting their journey to a fit and healthy lifestyle. The Zumba Gold program begins on Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Senior Center.

The popular water fitness class has already begun its six-week session and takes place on Mondays at noon at the Candlewood Suites located at 149 Ella Grasso Turnpike. The class tests one’s abilities for water-walking, range of motion and strength while in the water.
You are one-tenth of your body weight in the water, Abrams said, which makes it easier for an older participant to exercise in water. The class members practice range of motion, stretching and water-walking. When asked their feelings about the class, the women in a recent class shouted, “I love it!” and “it really helps!”

Elaine Barberi, an active senior, has taken the chair yoga and water fitness classes for three years and still bikes 4 miles a day in the spring and summer.

To sign up for a class, call 860-627-1425.