Retire VA 23 - 22

Don Butler
believes that " a
lot of men think
[exercise classes
are] a women's
thing, not macho
enough. "
mentally as they are physically. "
Linda Corbitt, who admits to being
" 24 in my mind, " but 64 according to
her birth certificate, works both as a
student and a trainer. She is retired
as a regional sales manager and
taught computers and business in
college for nearly two decades.
These days, she teaches low
impact aerobics and body pump (a
weights class). Meanwhile, she also
takes several classes to keep fit and
says emphatically, " I love teaching
all ages! " Her focus is " on form.
Correct form reduces risk of injury.
She emphasizes balance because
it " reduces risk of injury. " There is
a focus on resistance training and
weights to create stronger bones and
bigger muscles which also reduce risk
of injury.
The cardio element of her
Anne Lavery believes " It is important to
integrate strength because we tend to lose
muscle. "
modify the moves according to ability
and pace. I like to let seniors know
that balance [in advanced age] is not
natural and it needs to be worked on.
It is important to integrate strength
because we tend to lose muscle, and
endurance is also important. "
She gets to know her students,
" learning the different levels within
the group, " she stresses. " Abilities
vary quite a bit, so they are given
options on the exercises. " Some
students, she says, " come with
reservations, but they quickly relax
in class. ... Every class teaches me
something about how to help. "
Tinaglia admits training " is a hard
job. " At times, I have to adjust, too.
I break. ... [The classes] are good
for us physically and good for us
mentally. They can be as challenging
22 Retire-VA.com / RETIRE-VA 2024
workouts " is good for respiratory
health and I approach all classes that
I take with the above in mind. Also,
with every class I take, I try to go in
with a positive attitude and give it my
all. I figure I'm putting the time in, I
should make the most of it. "
Training is a great occupation in
retirement, she says. " The primary
reward in teaching fitness classes
(for me) is helping people lead
healthier, happier lives. I also love
watching them follow my lead and
enjoy themselves while they're doing
something good for their bodies.
One of the challenges of teaching is
keeping the music and the routine
fresh and updated. I don't want the
class/music to get boring or stale.
My goal is for my students to be fit,
healthy and happy with the class. "
Steve Edwards, head of OLOC
Nation in Roanoke, is a young trainer
who has worked with older individual
clients for the past six years and
his Gold-N-Years is " dedicated to
getting them on the right track with
fitness and keeping them on track
with preventive maintenance. " His
approach, he says, " is in balance,
stability, corrective exercises and
mobility phase.
" The clients then progress at their
own pace in Phase 2, which is the
stabilization strength and endurance
phase. " The third phase is general
maintenance, where Phases 1 and 2
continue.
His mission, he says, " is to start
a wave to get seniors excited about
safely and effectively training
(emphasis on senior men due to
stubbornness) again, no matter their
age, illness or weight. " He is looking
to eventually open a gym dedicated
to older students.
Petite 73-year-old Cinda
Curfiss has been taking exercise
classes for more than 30 years
and schedules three a week these
days, supplemented by regular
games of pickleball. " It makes life
more fun, " she says. " There is such
camaraderie. " A former teacher,
Curfiss says the classes almost
always attract a heavy majority of
women because " men don't have the
flexibility and I don't think they like
the music. They'd rather play golf. "
Don Butler, 79 and retired, keeps
busy as a student with classes and
pickleball. " I've been doing that
off and on forever, " he says, but
he is often one of one or two men
in the exercise classes. " A lot of
men think it's a women's thing, not
macho enough. " But he disagrees.
" I get mental focus, agility and
strength " from the classes. He finds
the older teachers probably more
understanding of his goals and
capabilities. " Somebody younger
might not consider that. "
" Even with all our aches, pains and
other trials we are facing, we need to
keep our body and mind in motion. It
is good for the soul and is an uplifting
joy that may just get you through
that hard day. A member in one of
my classes told me her mother said,
'I would rather workout than rust
out!'' " says Lavery. I
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Retire VA 23

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