FEATURE
UC Davis "Fit for Life" Class Offers Both Health and Social Benefits
At this time of year, Jon Vochatzer can be found mostly at the UC Davis track working with college athletes—young and in their physical prime—who compete at the highest levels. As the men's head track coach, he emphasizes speed and endurance as he pushes personal best performances.
Three days a week, however, Vochatzer works with another team: 35
retirees, ranging in age from mid-60s to early 80s. And with this
group, the coach's strategy is of course much different. He
encourages them to meet personal goals, such as strengthening
certain muscles or lowering cholesterol, all with the aim of staying 
fit.
Vorchatzer's relationship with retirees began in 2003 when
Plant Sciences professor emerita Barbara Webster and three other
retirees sought some basic advice and information about walking on
the Davis track. As Vochatzer tells the
story, he answered their questions and helped them start a walking
program using the track. Soon they were adding weights to the program.
When the Activities and Recreation Center (the ARC) opened two years ago, the program—now called "Fit for Life"—moved indoors. Today the group meets with him for 90 minutes three times a week for a combination of group warm up and individualized work outs. The program has a long waiting list.
Vochatzer asks each member to get a notebook and write down their personal health and exercise goals. They also record what they do at each session, as well as their heart rates at various times during the class. Every three weeks, he checks their progress.
"The intent of the program is to encourage them to stay fit," says Vochatzer. "I want to give them exposure to things they are interested in and to make them stronger, more fit and last longer." He encourages them to continue to be active on the days the class doesn't meet. Many work in their gardens, bike or walk. On Sundays, they rest.
"It's wonderful," says Webster, whose own program
includes the rowing machine, walking on the treadmill with an incline
to get her heart rate up, followed by leg pushes, lifting weights
and bicycling. Her goal is to increase her stamina and strength and
to maintain overall good body weight and fitness.
Webster credits the class and the group with helping her cope with
her husband's death. "It was the exercise and the camaraderie
of the group that got me through," she says.
Bob Halferty, a retired senior facility planner and president of the UC Davis Retiree Association, joined the class a little more than a year ago with the goal of losing weight and improving his cardio fitness. His routine includes 45 minutes on a bike or treadmill, 100 sit-ups on a machine with weights and 50 calf raises with 25 pound weights. He lost 27 pounds and has kept it off.
The class has developed a social aspect, too. At the end of each quarter, the group gathers for lunch to celebrate their achievements, and they have a barbecue and pool party every spring. In addition, the group has organized wine-tasting trips, walks and dinners at local restaurants.
Both Webster and Halferty say it is Vochatzer who keeps them on track—literally and figuratively. Last year at the Woody Wilson Classic, an open track meet held annually during UC Davis' Picnic Day, members of the Fit for Life class jogged or walked one lap on the quarter-mile track as the crowd in the stands cheered them on. As Halferty says, "Jon has a lot of fun putting us through our paces."
UC Davis is not the only campus to offer wellness classes for UC retirees. Ask your local retiree center or association about activities available at your location.
Article originally published in the April 2008 issue of New Dimensions (Benefits Newsletter for UC Retirees)