I love having brand new people come to my Chair Yoga class at the local library branch. This class is their longest‐running Senior program! We are going into our 7th year and the room is packed with people 55+, and many more are 70+.
I always look around the room and find the new faces and make sure I take the time to shake their hands and introduce myself. This particular woman, let’s call her Betty, was very proud of the fact that she walks 10,000 steps every day. I asked her if she wore a pedometer and she grinned from ear to ear. “YES! Why of course!” She said she wasn’t sure if she really needed to do yoga since she did all this walking, but a friend told her to check it out. She came up to me after class in a bit of a state of shock. “I did not realize that I was not moving my body in all those different ways you had us do today. I thought I was getting plenty of exercise, but now I realize that my body needs alot more stretching, bending and twisting to get rid of my aches and pains!” I smiled my knowing smile because I was pretty sure I would see Betty and her pedometer again.
So, remember ‐ exercise is great! But make sure to get a balance of a little bit of everything. Yoga, walking, gardening, sewing, swimming, playing … and smiling! 🙂