At St. Anthony’s, we’re proud to offer our residents unparalleled amenities, and among those amenities is our state-of-the-art fitness center! Our Independent Living and Assisted Living residents are invited to work out with friends in one of our group classes or use our high-quality equipment to create their fitness routines.
Not every senior living community has a specialized center for senior fitness on-site, but St. Anthony’s encourages a healthy lifestyle for all our senior residents. Explore why we believe movement and fitness routines are such an essential aspect of our communities.
Why Senior Fitness is Important
As we age, our bodies have different needs and capabilities, but we never outgrow the importance of movement and fitness for maintaining our health. In fact, staying active is even more important for aging adults!
Seniors who get regular exercise are less susceptible to chronic disease, heart attacks, falls, and other physical and mental illnesses. Fitness helps relieve osteoarthritis pain, prevents bone loss, and allows seniors to have a more positive, happy mood overall.
Four Benefits of a Senior Living Community Fitness Center
Beyond the physical and mental health benefits of fitness for the individual, here are four additional reasons a fitness center is a must-have for any senior living community:
1. It Promotes Group Exercise
Group exercise is a great way to invite seniors out of their private apartments and get them to socialize with their peers. When you have a friend or community to support you, it’s much easier to make exercising a habit!
At St. Anthony’s, we offer a variety of group exercise classes from low to medium intensity, so there’s a class for everyone to feel welcomed and supported.
2. It Provides a Safe Fitness Environment
Working out alone can be dangerous if there is no one around to assist in the case of an emergency. A fitness center is a safe place for seniors to work out with staff always ready to lend a hand and help them find the right exercises for their needs — even if they’re not doing a group fitness class!
3. Equipment is Selected for Senior Needs
Two of the most critical areas of fitness for seniors are balance and joint support, strengthening their bodies to walk and manage their activities of daily living on their own even longer. This requires specialized equipment and fitness programs designed for safe strength-building.
All our equipment and fitness programs at St. Anthony’s are curated with senior exercise needs in mind. Through our partnership with EmpowerMe Wellness, residents of St. Anthony’s have access to personalized, goal-based physical therapy that helps them build endurance, strength, and balance with equipment and routines designed for their needs.
4. It Makes Fitness Accessible to Everyone
Senior living communities are home to older adults in a wide range of life stages, from completely independent and physically fit to Assisted Living or Memory Care residents who require a wheelchair to get around. Regardless of physical capabilities, fitness centers at senior living facilities are designed with accessibility in mind, leaving no resident behind.
When we say accessibility is our top priority for senior fitness at St. Anthony’s, we mean it. We have group programs curated to varying levels of physical ability, including Sit N Be Fit classes for working out from the safety and comfort of a chair (something we do daily with our Memory Care residents)! Any of our programs can be adapted to fit individual resident capabilities, and our staff is always eager to support residents in developing a wellness plan!
5. It’s Fun!
We love filling our residents’ life enrichment calendars with creative activities to keep them active, social, and joyful. Having a fitness center on-site does more than just get seniors out of their apartments. It gives them fun activities to look forward to and another opportunity to spend time with their friends, all while doing something that is extremely rewarding and beneficial to their health.
Senior Wellness at Our St. Thomas More Wellness Center (and Beyond)
At St. Anthony’s, our St. Thomas More Wellness Center is fully equipped and features a variety of classes and workout options to help seniors stay active every day. Beyond our low to medium-impact fitness classes that we invite anyone to participate in (even visiting family members), our facility is decked out with strength training machines and free weights for residents who prefer to structure their own workout routines. And if you need help coming up with a plan for your workout or learning how to operate any of the machinery, a staff member is always available to support you.
Health and wellness at St. Anthony’s extends far beyond our fitness center doors. Our residents are able to live an active and healthy lifestyle by strolling through the gardens with one of our Walk and Chat groups, and by enjoying chef-prepared, dietician-approved meals with friends in the dining hall. In addition, our Daily Mass in the Chapel and a relaxing massage or mani/pedi at the All Saints Salon & Spa is great for mental and spiritual wellness.
We believe that wellness should be approached holistically, not just from the physical health perspective, which is why our top-notch fitness center is just one piece of the senior living experience at St. Anthony’s. To learn more about this intentional approach to senior living, and see our community for yourself, contact us to schedule a tour.
