The New Hampshire Veterans Home, 139 Winter Street, in the Town Hall in Tilton, New Hampshire is hosting an Ageless Grace® certification program, to take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and 14.
Ageless Grace® is a seated exercise program that works the core and activates the organs and systems of the body. The 21 tools of the program are based on the cutting-edge science of neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to change structurally and functionally. Anyone, including those with physical disabilities and challenges, can participate at his or her own level of ability.
The certification program, which authorizes individuals to teach the program, will be held Saturday, July 13 from 9 – 6:30, and continues on Sunday, July 14, from 8 – 12:30. The cost is $325.00.
A personal practice seminar will be held Friday, July 12 from 1 – 5 p.m. The cost is $55.00.
A class for the general public will be held on Saturday, July 13 from 12:30 – 1 p.m.
Register at www.agelessgrace.com, by clicking on the Certification and Seminars tab.
The program is being facilitated by certified Ageless Grace® educators Lucia Cote and Jane Rosen. Cote introduced Ageless Grace® to the NH Veterans Tilton Home two years ago. She says, “I have seen frowns turn to smiles, limited mobility turn to ease of movement, and a dreary Monday morning turn into a joyous occasion! It has been my honor to lead these distinguished men and women and I look forward to the opportunity to train others to continue this work!" Jane Rosen says, “It’s always a thrill to me to see people who don’t have the exercise habit begin to move their bodies in a safe and structured way and feel good doing it. Even people who seem surly or grumpy coming in begin to laugh and smile and join in to the fun. The biggest surprise for me is what a good core workout I get using the chair as a base for my movement.”
It all began when Denise Medved, founder and creator of the program, was studying in a graduate program in gerontology. She was stunned to discover that the material in a course called “The Architecture of Aging” meant designing homes and work spaces for people so that when they lost their mobility, they’d be prepared. Being prepared meant having a wheelchair ramp already installed; handrails in the walk-in shower; kitchen counter heights at wheelchair level. Cabinets and shelves should be installed no higher than can be reached without bending down or standing on a step stool.
While it’s inevitable that some people will indeed lose their mobility, Medved was appalled at the conventional thinking. She began to think about the possibilities if the focus was shifted away from accommodating physical limitations, to doing everything possible to forestall those limitations, or at least diminish the severity of them. She was convinced that many of the so-called inevitable signs of aging were really not inevitable at all; they were simply “lack of practice” of the skills needed to maintain youthful function.
While she spent many years in the world of advertising and public relations, Medved also has a substantial track record in the fitness industry, so she was familiar with movement and the human body. For nearly 15 years, she was one of 13 Black Belt Nia Technique trainers in the world. She has been teaching Nia for 26 years, and is a certified personal trainer and a tai chi instructor.
Her background enabled her to approach aging with a different mindset. She felt it was time to change the model of aging in the world, beginning with the brain. With this aim in mind, she spent seven years creating Ageless Grace®: 21 Simple Tools for Lifelong Comfort and Ease™, incorporating the latest research in the field of neuroplasticity.
Each tool addresses a primary factor that causes physical aging, and all the tools stimulate and utilize the five functions of the brain—analytic, strategic, kinesthetic learning, memory/recall, and creativity and imagination. From birth through approximately the age of 21, the brain is busy creating a complex web of neural pathways. But functional and cognitive skills that were developed through traditional childhood games, sports and leisure activities are typically no longer practiced in adulthood. Ageless Grace® serves to re-open those pathways, and equally important, stimulates the creation of new ones by having participants perform movements that are novel and creative.
Regardless of the level of someone’s physical condition, performing the tools in a chair activates the core of the body, including the internal organs and systems, such as the respiratory system, endocrine system, and digestive system. Being in a chair also increases stability and range of motion. This allows people of all ages and abilities (including children), to perform the movements. Those with weight and joint issues, diabetes and other challenges such as those in wheelchairs or with other physical limitations, also can practice Ageless Grace® as a wonderful way to get moving.
Medved recommends doing just two or three tools each day - no more than 10 minutes per day. One 10-minute session is all that’s required to get plenty of benefit from the program. No need to go to a gym, no need for special equipment; all that’s needed is a chair.
More than 500 certified Ageless Grace® educators have been trained in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Educators are teaching in retirement communities, elementary schools, rehabilitation programs, community centers, churches and synagogues, and in fitness centers.
For further information, contact Lucia Cote at nialucia@gmail.com or 603-759-1801
or Jane Rosen at janerosen@nycap.rr.com or 269-757-1425.
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