Functional Training For All Ages

PHOTO COURESTY OF VAIL VITALITY CENTER

By Kim Fuller Published for the Vail Vitality Center

Community is an important part of any health club atmosphere. Director of The Vail Vitality Center, Jeff Morgan, explains that for members and guests to feel at home, it’s a priority to create a healthy culture and familiar camaraderie.

“One big program in the fitness industry is that a lot of gyms and business owners are claiming they have ‘great community,’ without really understanding what that means,” says Morgan.

The Vail Vitality Center provides a platform of support for the community as a whole, with specialized programs for everyone from young athletes to older generations.

“Our community is geared towards all ages old and young,” shares Morgan. “We have taken the time to understand class size and how important our attention to detail means to each person we meet.”

The club builds individualized experiences for all skill levels with its classes and programs.

“Our goal is to build confidence in our community and to stay injury free, mindful, stress free, strong, educated, and to understand better ways to maximize life and longevity,” says Morgan.

Breaking Age Barriers

“We see such a broad demographic in our trying new things together, and at their own level,” Morgan explains.

He said as we age, the reassurance that we still “can” and performing alongside someone younger than you, breaks down all age barriers and builds a bond between all within a particular class or workshop.

“Love and companionship have been proved to cure a multitude of things,” Morgan says. “Finding that same feeling in our community and in a healthy environment benefits all ages tremendously.”

The Vitality Center’s Generation Functional Training is a fitness class designed exclusively for older adults. It’s a very low impact session that is designed to increase strength, range of movement, agility, balance and coordination.

As a group, participants will improve functional capacities, physical fitness level and sense of well-being. The class is held every Monday and Thursday at 10 a.m. It’s free for members or $35 daily fee for non-members, which will be collected at the Vitality Center front desk at time of arrival.

Accomplished mountaineer and Vail Vitality Center endurance coach, Ellen Miller, works with a lot of athletes ages 50 through 60, and beyond, incorporating discussions on how the aging process has started to impact their physical performance and overall lifestyle. Join Miller for outdoor intervals and endurance classes, or contact the club to set up a private session.

The best way to understand optimal ways to live a full, healthy life is to educate yourself. The Vail Vitality Center also offers educational lectures, comprehensive workshops in areas like nutrition, yoga classes and retreats, specifically designed classes and exercise prescriptions.

“We, as a team, will help each person stop the lifestyle guessing and better understand how aging is a good thing,” says Morgan. “Today and tomorrow, the Vail Vitality Center will be a resource for you to build your own community within our healthy home.”