Audrey Clamage of Lake Forest has been instructing seniors at Dickinson Hall senior center in fitness since 2008. She also teaches for the Lake Bluff Park District and other places along the North Shore.
Q. How long have you been into fitness?
A. I’ve been active even as a teenager and in college. I got into running in college some 25 years ago and I’ve run several marathons. I’ve always been at health clubs, a gym rat. I love to hike and when yoga became popular I started taking yoga classes.
Q. Have you taught fitness to those younger than seniors?
A. In the early 1990s, I taught a cardio class to 20 and 30-year olds.
Q. How did you get interested in instructing seniors in fitness?
A. My mother fell and broke her hip. I was very active in her rehab. I worked with her physical therapist and helped my mother do exercise when the physical therapist wasn’t there.
Q. Then what?
A. I was looking for exercise stretch classes for my mother to take and there were very few that were appropriate for her ability. I became certified as a Silver Fit instructor 11 years ago.
Q. And you started teaching at Dickinson Hall in Lake Forest in 2008?
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A. I started teaching a mat Pilates class for their members. I went from one class a week to (teaching) six classes.
Q. What’s the difference between instructing seniors in fitness versus younger people?
A. You have to be more mindful of their injuries, their range of motion, their balance. Modifications are key.
Q Are there fitness challenges specific to seniors?
A. Endurance is a little less. Monitoring their heart rate. If they are getting really out of breathe and can’t talk, we slow down.
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