stretching , balancing exercises , and juggling . Ron assured his participants and the Wellness Committee that we can all be very fit as seniors . For those seniors who would like an extra challenge , he also has a seniors ’ acrobatics team .
Ron ’ s mission is to improve the health of seniors in Lacombe and for the city to become a “ Blue Zone ,” a term used to identify areas with high longevity , as described in Buettner ’ s book , The Blue Zones : Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who ’ ve Lived the Longest . As many as ninety people were attending Ron ’ s popular seniors ’
program before schools went online due to COVID-19 . Ron stated , “ I hope the people in Lacombe will develop a culture of wellness to build a strong immune system to help prevent diseases , which would also lower costs to our health system .”
After attending Ron ’ s presentation , I was fascinated by how much activity seniors are capable of doing , as shown in Stephen Jepson ’ s video and Ron ’ s PowerPoint presentation on his seniors ’ fitness program . There is no guarantee that we will all become centenarians , but it was interesting to learn some of their secrets to a longer and healthier life , as studied by Dan Buettner . ARTA members would acquire proactive ways to maintain good health by participating in a similar session . It will also be beneficial for Ron to demonstrate some of the fitness activities along with his session , as was planned for CARTA ’ s Biometric Day prior to COVID-19 . We hope this event will be able to happen soon .
Photo : Mark Mulzet
After retiring from Lacombe Junior High School , Jeanette Van Hyfte focused on health and wellness . She was on CARTA ’ s wellness committee for thirteen years and the ARTA Wellness Committee in 2019 – 2020 . With her husband , Mike , Jeanette participated in Ron ’ s classes for three years . While she thinks of Ron ’ s acrobatic team as her ultimate goal , she says it ’ s a little too daunting at this time .
ARTA members and other Lacombe seniors stretching into Ron Schafer ’ s exercise class , pre-COVID-19
news & views WINTER 2020 | 43