Fit and Fall Proof Internship

This semester I was able to do my internship here in Idaho. I didn't really know what to expect but it turned out to be greater than I expected.

I taught 3 exercise classes for older people. First off, I am super shy, especially around older people. Thankfully, there were 2 other girls teaching with me, so we took turns and it made it easier to interact with the people.

Because we had 3 classes we ended up teaching everyday. This got tedious after a while, but once we got past that I just really enjoyed going to see the people. My last class was today, and during the cool down, I got a little teary eyed thinking I will never see these people again :(

I am relieved it is over, but I am sad to leave.

This is our Ammon group. It was our biggest class, but also my favorite. Unfortunately a few people are missing from the photo. There were so many wonderful people in this class. Toni and Robert, Don and Jerry, Glenn and Elma Jean, Deloris and Rita, and Dwayne to name a few.

Rita is 61 years old and has downs syndrome. She is the sweetest person I will ever know. She was always complimenting us and her sister Deloris. "Thats my sissy, she's pretty". She always said hi to Toni. She always noticed when people were wearing the same shirts. She was easily distracted and we had to work with her during the workout. But I felt so privileged to be able to know her.

Another funny this is Don and Jerry are married, and Glenn and Elma Jean are married, but Glenn's wife didn't come for the first bit. Jerry and Glenn would always joke around and it was pretty funny. But the funny part is that Gretchen and Jenny (my fellow teachers) didn't find out for a few months that they were brother and sister. All along they thought Jerry was flirting with Glenn right in front of her husband. Too funny.

I love every one of them. And I will miss them.

Our Milo group was a bit different. It was a lot smaller and a different bunch of people but I also loved them. Coming to class for them was routine and kind of a getaway, as some of them had sick spouses and were carrying some burdens. This made them a little quieter but still wonderful. Clyde was such and interesting person to meet. He is so funny but its hard to crack him. We had to really try to talk to him and get to know him, and when we did he would respond and turned out to be such a hilarious old man. I will definitely miss him and this class. They are so sweet. Its so funny because Clyde is super slow and his wife Doris is super fast. They are so cute together and they came every class except once when Clyde had surgery.

Our Rexburg class was also wonderful. So many great people came. It was a chatty group but we loved it. A few of the ladies were cute because they always made sure their outfits matched. Green pants? Green shirt!

Anyway. I am glad I was able to do this internship. I know that the participants are benefiting from it. They always say they feel better after the exercise. There was a lady that first came just a few weeks ago. She was walking with a cane and had fallen recently so her home teacher told them they should come. She is already doing better and I can see the improvement. She doesn't rely on her cane and much and she is walking faster. I love it!

It's a good reminder to stay Fit for Life!