HEALTH and Wellness
Exercise tones body, sharpens mind
There was a time when Iris Andrews figured using the stairs counted as exercise.
No more: These days, the 69 year-old Copeland Oaks resident and current Tuscarawas lay leader pays a few visits per week to the new Wellness Center, where the recently established fitness program has her going by the numbers and feeling great.
“I usually start my exercise by riding a stationary bicycle for just over three miles,” Andrews said. “Then I go to the machines and do two reps of 10 each on the leg press with 65 pounds of weight, the leg extension with 35 pounds of weight, the leg curl with 55 pounds of weight, lateral pull downs with 45 pounds of weight, seated row with 65 pounds of weight and chest press with 30 pounds of weight.”
Whew! And she’s not done, either. Then come hand weights and flexibility exercises, which Andrews says have restored mobility to her once-frozen right shoulder and the left as well, on which she had rotator cuff surgery in 1995.
And though she was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996, Andrews has not become insulin-dependent, which she attributes not only to her medication and diet but to her regular exercise.
Although she has always enjoyed walking – as a former Girl Scout leader, she led wilderness hikes – Andrews admits she never saw herself as an advocate for exercise.
“I always knew it was something I should be doing more of,” she said. “But like many others, just didn’t think I had the time or took the time to exercise.”
She has also discovered benefits beyond those of the body.
For instance, Andrews said, recalling those hikes, “When you exercise outdoors you are able to enjoy nature and take in some of the wonders God has created. When you look at the beauty around you, how could you ever believe that God doesn’t exist?”
And indoors, she gets to spend time with friends and neighbors who are also taking advantage of Copeland Oaks new Wellness Center.
“I’ve even had folks who ask why I would want to move to Copeland Oaks and said that people go there to die,” Andrews said. “I tell them that I came here to live and I know I’m living well.”
She has also seen the program bridge generations, recalling what she heard from trainer Lexi Sawayda, a Mount Union College intern with the program now working at Ohio State University.
“She told me that when she first came to Copeland Oaks as an intern, she wondered what these ‘old people’ had to offer,” Iris said. “She found that they had so much to offer that she wanted to work with seniors and decided that would be her goal. Guess we aren’t so bad after all.”
Exercising is not always easy: Andrews remains active in both the UMC and at Copeland Oaks, which put demands on her time, and some days, it’s all too easy to simply not feel like putting in the work.
Still, Andrews said, “All of us need to keep moving in order to have a better life. As I’ve told people many times, ‘So far, God hasn’t whispered in my ear and said I can sit down.’”
