Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2018

184 www.RetiringToSC.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.ReadMP.com senior living C omedian George Burns once famously said, “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.” He made a good point; health and exercise are a major component of the foundation to live longer, so why should new and fun ways to get a workout be reserved for millennials? Today, seniors across the Mount Pleasant community have a lot more than bingo and mahjong to keep their muscles strong, their bodies balanced and their minds sharp. “I see a real need for the baby boomers like me to stay in shape physically because it’s so crucial – you’ve got to keep moving to stay healthy, and it’s crucial to connect with other people. They’re both very important,” said Marie Keller, a cardio dance and exercise instructor at the Mount Pleasant Senior Center. Her class, “Body Works By Marie,” is geared toward women 55 to 75 and combines light aerobics and mat work with yoga to burn fat and sculpt without risking muscle injury. The class’ impact reaches much further than simply exercise. The camaraderie of the class creates a social bond among the participants that improves mental health and has been so successful that she has brought a similar version of the class to Seacoast Church. “I’ve been teaching at the Senior Center for seven years, and my class there has established a strong following of women. It’s like a sorority – we laugh a lot in class. I am teaching exercise but constantly talking; we have joke time before we do planks. Women that come there look forward to connecting with each other and getting a good workout and having fun,” she said. “We call ourselves ‘The Recycled Teenagers.’ We do things outside of the exercise class together, and, if someone needs something or a husband passes away, we gather together. The bond we form is just as healthy as the exercise itself.” Mount Pleasant’s Senior Center offers plenty of other unique ways to get a workout. Find your Zen through yoga and Pilates, which incorporate breathing and core strength in different ways, or Barre class, which blends ballet moves with yoga and Pilates. Nia, initially an acronym for non-impact aerobics, combines martial arts, yoga and dance to improve mind and body strength. Kick up your heels in dance classes such as tap, line dancing or Zumba, which is set to Latin rhythms. If you’ve never played pickleball, it’s not too late to learn; classes on the sport that combines tennis, racquetball, badminton and table tennis range from beginner level to both indoor and outdoor play. Senior living communities also offer fun ways for their residents to get moving while connecting with other people, being social and keeping up mental as well as By Anne Toole Be Young, Be Fit, Be Happy