According to the data-gathering site Statista, America’s top 4 New Year’s resolutions for 2025 are: save more money, eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight. According to Holly Creek Life Plan Community’s four fitness trainers, residents in this Centennial retirement community are exercising more, and seeing numerous related benefits as a result.
“A large part of our population is dedicated to instructor-led fitness classes,” said instructor Lindsay Flechtner. “I think a major reason behind that is our instructors keep classes fun and engaging and unlike fitness clubs, there is a lot of socialization before, during and after classes.”
Research at the Centers for Disease Control shows there are both immediate and long-term physical activity benefits for adults 65 and older.
Immediate benefits of exercise include:
- Improved sleep quality
- Reduced feelings of anxiety
- Reduced blood pressure
Long-term benefits include:
- Reduced risks of developing dementia and depression
- Lowered risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 Diabetes
- Lowered risk or 8 types of cancer
- Reduced risk of weight gain
- Living independently longer
- Improved bone health
- Reduced risk of falls
Emerging research suggests physical activity may also help boost immune function. The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate activity per week, 75 mins per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
Holly Creek’s four fitness instructors are aware of all these benefits and lead 25 low-to-moderate activity exercise classes that make exercise a fun and engaging social activity.
Sharon Wade, a certified Tai Chi instructor teaches the Tai Chi for Fall Prevention classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings following the general fitness and yoga classes.
“This class and the people who attend are truly the highlight of my day. These seniors are committed and put much effort into learning and staying fit,” said Sharon. “Two of the residents who regularly attend the class have their photo on the Encompass Health 2025 Calendar performing Tai Chi moves they learned in class!”
According to Sharon, two Holly Creek residents attended a retreat with Encompass Health staff and for the talent search, they stood before the group to demonstrate what they had learned and then noticed that more people joined in and followed them. “That’s exciting!” shared Sharon.
Instructor Ann Lantz leads general fitness classes Tuesday and Thursday mornings and shared, “I often have more than 20 excited and enthusiastic participants who enjoy the variety of my classes and being appropriately challenged with exercises that support their daily life activities.”
Ann added, “I love the feedback I get and the requests to target specific areas of strength, endurance and balance, and I love how much the residents appreciate the instructors and all the classes offered each week. My students’ commitment to good health and wellness makes it a pleasure to come to work!”
Unlike commercial health clubs, that see a huge influx of exercisers after the New Year and then a steady decline, Holly Creek’s class sizes and number of participants stays consistent throughout the entire year, according to Lindsay Flechtner.
“I think a big reason our class sizes stay steady no matter the time of year is because we change things up in each class to keep exercises fresh, and we also play awesome tunes in many of our classes, which makes for a fun workout,” said Lindsay.
Some of those changes include offering different balance exercises, different equipment, using leg weights, offering warm water aerobics and a focus on core muscles in strengthening classes.
All four instructors agree stretching is popular and a great place to start because it increases flexibility and makes it easier to tolerate exercise. Every instructor encourages their students to try new classes and shares the same message, “Try Tai Chi, try yoga, bring a friend, and keep it social.”
“My favorite part of the job is interacting with my students, making sure they are having a good time and seeing new friendships being built,” said Lindsay. “I’ve built several Spotify playlists to always have good tunes playing in my classes, and it turns out 50s and 60s doo-wop and R&B helps to get people moving. But we’re not just about the oldies. We listened to Taylor Swift when she was playing in Denver and not only were most of my students impressed, it’s safe to say we now have some Swifties at Holly Creek.”
A group of folks grooving to Taylor Swift tunes in a fun social setting sounds like it could be a college campus, but it’s just an ordinary day at one of Holly Creek’s 25 instructor-led fitness programs.
