Stepping with the Oldies

So, Wednesday is my last day for my Step and Abs aerobic classes for the Summer semester. Classes start again when the Fall Semester starts. I learned so much about the body and how to teach people to move their bodies in ways that improve their posture, appearance, and health. The majority of my students were college age women with fairly fit bodies. Today, however, as my class began, a wonderful 61 year old man walked in beaming with excitement of the idea that he was starting a new adventure. I could read on his face that he was so proud of himself for trying something new. I immediately thought, "Shoot! How am I going to modify this routine so I don't send this man to the hospital." For those who don't know, step aerobics is kind of like dancing on stairs. It is high intensity with fairly low impact. Anyway, I started with the very basic, basic steps and showed the rest of the class how to increase intensity with add hops, arms, and jumps. All the while, I kept my sweet man at the basics. He struggled so much with coordination, but he smiled the whole time. He thought he was on top of his game, but in reality, he looked like he was a lost chick from his mother. Still, he kept going. We did lunges, squats, and push-ups. Every time, I thought he was going to pull something due to bad form, but his smile never disappeared from his face. I was so impressed with his outlook and courage to come into a dominate young female class and do his best. It was so fun.