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Reunited through fitness: Senior exercise group finds new home at local gym

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5 days ago

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Reunited through fitness: Senior exercise group finds new home at local gym

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102-year-old Peggy Roberts attended senior exercise classes for more than a decade. She’d get on a bus and arrive to class on time every week up until she died last summer. Her community at the gym called her an inspiration.

But when staff at the group’s gym ended their senior exercise class after years in May 2024, around 35 seniors were left without a facility to do their work outs.

The group tried a class at a new gym, but within four months it had changed ownership twice. After ownership changed, staff decided to do away with the chairs that the seniors used in their exercise classes. Once again, the senior fitness group was left without a gym that worked for them.

But longtime member Linda Rearden is happy to share that the group has found a new home: Premia Fitness in Fort Myers.

“The owner just started up the class as a favor to one of the people in our group,” Rearden said. “We really like it and would like to see our class grow back to around 25.”

Right now, the group has an average of 10 people per class. But the group members are hoping to find some of their friends from their previous classes.

“I know it’s a little bit of a social thing because we have fun, but we’re also trying to keep young as we age,” said Karen Summers, a member of the fitness class.

Tim Ahner leads the exercise class and focuses on functions that the seniors can use in their daily life, like the movements they take to get groceries off the floor, reach the highest cabinet, and going up and down the stairs. Ahner also guides the seniors through balance exercises.

“Slips, trips, and falls are some of the main issues that older folks have, so we always work on balance for a good 15 to 20 minutes,” Ahner said.

The class aims to keep the seniors in good physical health and prevent typical issues like falling.

“We’re just a friendly group who likes to get together and improve our issues or prevent issues,” said Sheila Dalton, a member of the class.

The class is also very customizable, so members can do whatever exercies feel right and safe.

“This is one of the few classes we’ve been able to find in town that’s actually safe for our age group where we have chairs for stability,” said Tony Amodio, one of the class attendees. “Nobody else provides chairs or safety equipment for our age group.”

Right now, the class is held at Premia Fitness every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. A membership is $30 per month, but certain insurance companies may cover the cost.

Premia also offers a non-contact, boxing-based program for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

You can find out more about Premia Fitness by checking out their Facebook page, calling (239) 672-4691, or emailing tim@premiafitness.com. You can visit Premia at 5636 Youngquist Road, Unit 3-4 in Fort Myers.

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