The Roanoker - January/February 2018 - VL74

RETIREMENT

any long-time professionals
face retirement with dread
wondering "What now?"
For those who want to expend a lot of energy or a little, the simple
answer is: In the Roanoke Valley, there's
plenty to keep you active and useful.
Anne Lavery, a 69-year-old group exercise instructor at Green Ridge Recreation Center in Roanoke County, spends
her days working with a lot of aging people building muscles, endurance, balance and confidence in her wide variety of classes. She's the mother of seven
home-schooled children who is trim, fit,
enthusiastic and still far from retirement.
She suggests: "Gym or no gym, you
can start your exercise regimen by
walking. Walk around the house, or up
and down the block if you are able to
do so. If you are able to join a gym or

health club, start with a beginner or
low impact class. If you can only do
10 or 15 minutes, that is fine. Eventually, you will be able to exercise for a
longer period of time as you become
stronger."
Lisa Stauffer, 50, has been an executive in banking, insurance, real estate and communications and now she
teaches exercise classes and revels in
it. "Exercise helps me be who I am," she
says. She teaches five days a week and
also works out on her own. "Classes
have a social aspect that helps us make
it a priority of our schedule."
Volunteering has become something
of a baseline for many seniors who like
the idea of making a difference in their
communities. The opportunities are rich
and numerous. Here is what you can
count on in recreation and volunteerism:

RECREATION &
EXERCISE
For those needing a variety of

physical activities centered in one
place, consider the following:

Roanoke City Parks and
Recreation, 540-853-2236
Broken into the four regions of
the city with programs in each
quadrant. Features cards,
games, arts programs, guided
hikes and tours, volunteer trail
cleaning programs.
Roanoke County Recreation
Department, 540-772-7529
An active department with
many programs at the
Brambleton Center (TaiChi, trips, arts, yoga, body
enrichment, Jazzercise,
Medicare tips, financial
planning) and Green Ridge
Recreation Center, a 76,000
square-foot health club. Green
Ridge features exercise classes
(many geared for seniors) with
certified trainers, a wellness
center, track and shallow pool.
Salem Senior Center,
540-375-3054
The activities here are
designed specifically for
the aging population: trips,
photo contests, bridge, music
performance and jams,
dominoes, yoga, chair yoga,
basket weaving, caning, TaiChi, ballroom and tea dancing,
ceramics, needlework,
quilting, art.
Council of Community
Services Retired Senior
Volunteer Program,
540-985-0131
RSVP offers a wide variety of
volunteer opportunities for
the aging and training to help
with that volunteerism.
Vinton Senior Center,
540-983-0643
The center offers trips, lunch,
line dancing, Tai-Chi and other
programs.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 76

74 | 2018 VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE

http://ourladyofthevalley.com

The Roanoker - January/February 2018

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