When Chris Henry, 78, of Chester Springs, Chester County, wakes up in the morning, she has her coffee and breakfast before doing chores around the house, which gets her body moving to start the day. The Phoenixville Area Senior Center in Chester County. (Courtesy of the Phoenxiville Area Senior Center) On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she heads to the Phoenixville Area Senior Center for exercise classes three times a week. The 45-minute chair exercise classes she started taking a year ago was a change from her previous workout, which for many years was centered on yoga. “I was doing yoga and I got tired of it and wanted to get more of a workout, and that’s why I chose the chair classes,” Henry said. “Yoga was good, but you aren’t constantly moving, and in the exercise class I’m constantly moving.” About 18 to 26 people attend the classes where weights, balls and bands are used throughout the session, which is considered an intermediate class. “Intermediate classes are ideal for people getting back to exercise, maintaining what they have or maybe slowing down,” said Julie Gaudan, the center’s executive director. More energy for the day The class is challenging enough that it has Henry yearning for it to be finished, but she doesn’t regret having taken it. “During the class I’m wondering when it’s going to end, and then afterwards I’m really glad I did it,” she said, adding it gives her more energy for the day. The center’s main goal in offering exercise classes is to help seniors improve or maintain their fitness and slow decline. In addition to the chair exercise class, they offer beginner yoga, Tai Chi and line dancing. “We want to try to maintain where they are, or improve or slow decline,” Gaudan said. For those looking to improve their current physical state, they have a circuit class that is their most challenging offering. It includes participants who have been consistently increasing the weight of their dumbbells. “I have to keep buying heavier and heavier weights,” Gaudan said. “Some are using 8- to 10-pound dumbbells.” Core work While most sit during the chair exercise class, a few prefer to stand by their chair to do the exercises and only use the chair in cases where they need to grab on for balance. Most of the center’s classes involve core work, which also aids in balance. “We want to keep them as flexible and well-balanced as possible,” Gaudan said. “Balance is an issue, so strengthening the core is important. A fall will set people back.” Chair exercise class participants with their bucket drums, partially donated by Home Depot. (Courtesy of the Phoenixville Area Senior Center) Once a month they incorporate drum sticks and barrel drums into the class to mix things up. “That’s also good for the core,” Gaudan said. “They are reaching above their heads and tapping on the side and tapping in the front — it’s a noisy class and they love it.” How to fall-proof your house The Center is in the process of offering an 8-week course on exercises for balance and how to fall-proof your house. “It’s evidence-based training by the state and county,” Gaudan said. “It comes from the National Council on Aging, and they have researched and validated the training.” They plan to offer the course again early next year. The Phoenixville Area Senior Center has been putting its new outdoor courtyard to good use with cornhole during the unseasonably warm weather spells we’ve been having. (Courtesy of the Phoenixville Area Senior Center) Since the weather has been unseasonably warm, they have been able to put their new outdoor courtyard to good use through the offering of activities such as cornhole. Members of the Phoenixville Area Senior Center socializing outdoors in their new courtyard. (Courtesy of the Phoenixville Area Senior Center) “It will make things accessible to people less steady on their feet since the ground was uneven due to some trees that had grown there,” Gaudan said. “The courtyard was made possible with a PA Department of Aging Senior Community Center grant.” Regular at the center Henry, a regular at the center who takes advantage of all their offerings and is very social by nature, has friends she enjoys seeing when she spends time there. “I have an 95-year-old friend who does the chair exercise class with me,” Henry said. “She’s my idol and I want to be like her.” After the exercise class, which ends at 10:30 a.m., sometimes Henry will stick around the denter until they serve lunch. “Yesterday I stayed for lunch and then they had bingo afterwards and I won,” she said. “I won $16.” On the go Other days, Henry might enjoy going shopping, meeting a friend for lunch or volunteering. For additional exercise beyond the classes at the senior center, Henry likes doing work outdoors this time of year while the weather is still pleasant, which also gives her a chance to get some fresh air and sunshine. You can usually find her on the go. “I have a leaf blower, and I blow the leaves and I’ll go out and water my plants,” she said. “I don’t take naps during the day. Get moving at your local senior center Senior centers in the area offer an array of classes for all abilities. To find out more, visit the following websites to see exercise class schedules and other program offerings: • Phoenixville Area Senior Center: www.phoenixvilleseniorcenter.org • TriCounty Active Adult Center: www.tricountyaac.org • West Chester Area Senior Center: www.wcseniors.org