Turning 90 and going to the gym doesn’t make you a senior athlete; it makes you a hero. We’re celebrating DiR Heroes with a tribute to active ageing.
One of the sweetest events of the year took place on 1 October, for the true heroes and heroines of DiR. For the International Day of Older Persons and older person’s week, DiR held its annual event recognising all members who have turned or will turn 90 in 2019: the DiR heroes. They were the focus of an event at DiR Maragall, our first club, where they were recognised with the “famous” plaque engraved with their name: a gift they display proudly in the halls of the gym for weeks after and that we know has a special place in their homes and in their hearts.
At this event, Toni Gimenez, who specialises in fitness for the elderly, hosts two sessions just for them, with nearly 100 participants in total. Many of them have been at DiR for nearly 30 years, exercising with Toni who, in addition to years of experience, also just finished a postgraduate degree in Active & Healthy Ageing Project Management at UPF to learn the best tools to promote the well-being of older people.
The WHO defines active ageing as “the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.” We’re talking about a concept that seeks to empower older adults, promote intergenerational solidarity and, above all, invite seniors to continue playing an important role in society.
Pablo Picasso said, “When they tell me I’m too old to do something, I attempt it immediately.” Because the ability to learn new things throughout life is one of the pillars of active or healthy ageing, along with health (physical and mental), safety and participation in society.
For years now, long before we started talking about active ageing, DiR has been aware of and sought to ensure older people find activities and teachers at our clubs that are specifically designed and trained for them. Plus, the senior segment enjoys lower fees and it is very common to find 70-year-olds at DiR participating in group classes, in the fitness rooms or the pools. echo
At DiR we are proud to have all these heroes and heroines as members; people who are loyal, disciplined and vivacious, with a youthful spirit and much happier than many younger people. If you’re lucky enough to run into one of our DiR heroes at your club, let some of their desire to live a healthy lifestyle rub off on you; smile at them and let them help you realise that your dreams are more important than your age.
As you can see, we couldn’t be more moved by this topic. So, we’ve prepared a video summary of this year’s event!
What do you think?