‘Movement For Life’ Exercises Keep Township Senior Citizens Fit

Franklin Park resident Joanne Overbaugh leads a class in “noodle” exercises at the Quail Brook Senior Citizens Center.

You don’t have to exercise every day, but you do have to move every day.

That’s the mantra of Franklin Park resident Joanne Overbaugh who, for the past two years or so, has been leading seniors at the Quail Brook Senior Citizens Center in weekly “movement for life” classes.

Overbaugh uses common items – such as a ball – to show seniors how simple movements can help keep them limber.

“The movements are extremely fun and easy to do,” she said. “I’ve incorporated a lot of movements that are really easy, but are really working their muscles.”

“I do things like eye-hand coordination exercises to keep the, alert,” she said.

Overbaugh started volunteering at the New Brunswick Road center about 2 1/2 years ago, she said.

Seniors participate in warming-up exercises.

“I started working with Meals on Wheels,” she said. After a while, Overbaugh went to center manager Allison Toth “and said I’d like to do fitness.”

The director of the Madison-area YMCA for about a decade, Overbaugh had experience with exercise programs.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Overbaugh said.

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