Blind Bay Hall has teamed up with Iris Bemister to put on a new fitness class this year – Fitness for Independent Living.
Bemister was previously trained and certified to provide this type of exercise program in Saskatchewan and is now bringing this service to Blind Bay.
“When Iris and I first discussed starting this class, I wondered if it would be feasible given that there are already some fabulous fitness classes at other venues in the Blind Bay area,” says Betty Schriver.
Bemister explains, however, this class would be a complement to other programs currently offered in the area.
“There are a lot of individuals who could benefit from a gentle exercise program that focuses on improving balance, strength, flexibility and who may shy away or may not be suitable for a robust program,” says Bemister.
This class would be smaller in size and would provide exercises that would benefit individuals who are concerned about maintaining their independence as well as improving their health.
The focus of the program is to improve the quality of day-to-day activities as well as decrease the risk of falls.
Falls can happen to anyone but the most serious injuries happen to young children and older adults.
Falls have a significant impact on individuals, their families and the health-care system – estimated at $2 billion annually as reported by the Public Health Agency of Canada (2014)).
“I was surprised to hear that 20 to 30 per cent of older adults fall each year,” Schriver says.
“I wondered if I was too young to attend this class, after all I’m not even a senior, but that nagging back pain I have been having lately was precluding me from doing the regular amount of hiking and walking that I usually did so I thought I would give this program a try.”
Schriver joined the class along with a dozen or so other individuals and was surprised at how much benefit she got out of the class, despite the activity being described as “gentle exercise”
While exercises may be gentle, they targeted muscles that are not used enough during normal activities.
“With this class, Iris provided options to enable me to exercise at my own pace,” Schriver says.
“And when I felt the exercise affected my back, I modified it to ease the discomfort, and where it didn’t, I pushed myself to get a better workout.”
Also a surprise was how much fun the class was.
“Iris definitely knew how to add some comedy and fun to the activities and the small group became a welcoming sight each week.”
Schriver says the physical benefits of exercise are well-known and a double bonus when they are good for the soul as well.
The introductory session ended before Christmas. Feedback surveys were positive with several participants indicating that twice a week would be even better.
A new session will be starting on Monday, Feb. 8.
If you are interested in participating in the program, contact Betty Schriver at bschrive@telus.net or 250-675-2249 to pre-register.
A four-week session once a week costs $25; twice a week $40; and drop-in $7. Discounts are available for hall members .