'It is my Joie de Vivre!' Group of seniors in Kanata find way to stay fit outside
A group of Kanata seniors have found a way to stay active during the pandemic safely.
Susan Kunstadt has been a fitness instructor for nearly five decades. Her indoor classes were cancelled in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
"Two years ago when everything closed, even my community centre, I was thinking. ‘Am I ready to quit?' And I was not ready to quit!" said Kunstadt.
The 73-year-old says once she got the green light to gather outdoors in small groups safely, she started an outdoor, one-hour class at the Eva James Community Centre in Kanata.
"I sent an email and I said, 'Monday morning 9 o’clock at Eva James but outside, that was around March 18 (2020)' and two years later – we are still here!” Kunstadt says.
The class is free and takes place three times a week.
"This is my community service that I do – I have lived in Bridlewood for 43 years."
Kristin Timmins has come to classes since the beginning.
"I feel so much better after the exercise. You have to live in your body so you might as well exercise in it," said Kunstadt.
Lise Lajeunesse joining midway through the pandemic after encouragement from her neighbour.
"I had just retired, I came, and I got hooked immediately! Love the class, love the people it is so much fun. It is my 'Joie de Vivre!'" said Lajeunesse.
The class takes place rain, shine- or even blizzard. Even on Monday during the record-breaking storm, group members showed up.
"In ten minutes, everyone says they are sweating, we are outside – vitamin D!" says Kunstadt.
Kunstadt says the turnout and the seniors’ commitment shows just how important exercise it.
"Not just for our bodies- but for our mental health now. I am working on flexibility, balance, mobility, we have weights," said Kunstadt. "In the summer we used rubber bands-but we can’t use them in the winter, it is too cold for them, they are too stiff.”
Ruth Moreau, a regular to class, says it is a way to beat the pandemic blues.
"Totally! We are just so happy that we have this, I don’t know where we would be mentally if we hadn’t had this outdoor adventure three times a week."
Kunstadt says she has no plans on stopping teaching the class.
"I have taught fitness for 43 years, I feel very satisfied, and very proud of these elderly… nothing will stop me!”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.