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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cSome come to the class just for the community of one another \u2014 others come get a hug from me or to be encouraged. For many, this is their family,\u201d Andress pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of Andress\u2019 love for dance, Zumba, and overall fun, she has her clients exercise to loud music with lots of client participation in the loudness, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost times, you can hear me from the parking lot,\u201d Andress exclaimed with a big smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even her adult children tell her that she\u2019s sometimes \u201ctoo loud.\u201d Andress\u2019 energy and her commitment to her members, both in and out of class, was soon noticed by the SilverSneakers national organization. Andress and her class submitted her name to the group\u2019s 2024 Instructor of the Year award program. She also sent in a short video about her class to be reviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andress thought, \u201cHow cool would it be to have Lynchburg on the national map?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Not long after her submission, SilverSneakers contacted Kinetix to say that Andress had made it to the top 10. Shortly after that, she found out that she made it to the final four. SilverSneakers sent Andress and her members all the resources needed to hold a celebration party, along with T-shirts featuring the organization\u2019s logo. SliverSneakers also presented Andress with a crystal award plaque that says, \u201cTop Finalist: Lorena Andress.\u201d But the celebration wasn\u2019t over. Andress\u2019 class got together and threw her their own party, inviting WSET ABC 13 TV reporter Brigette Kelly to cover it and participate in the class. Kelly said she had a lot of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andress\u2019 SilverSneakers clients boast incredible longevity. She said that many of her regulars are the women she first began working with at Curves. One of her ladies told Andress that she didn\u2019t realize how much fun exercising could be. That enthusiasm keeps her coming back each week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of SilverSneakers, Andress also teaches a seniors balance class. She has some clear and simple advice to help those over 65 stay healthy. The key is to do something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to stay moving. You have to be consistent and dedicated to your health,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the future, Andress would like to bring in representatives from local senior services organizations so her clients can learn more about what is available here in Lynchburg. Andress\u2019 experience is deeply inspired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen God opens that door of opportunity to go beyond [what you love], it\u2019s huge. It\u2019s such an honor.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AS WE age, one of the things that becomes more challenging is staying active and healthy. When we get older, it can become harder to move and exercise as much as we did when we were in our 20s and 30s. How can exercising for seniors be fun, create community, and be physically beneficial?\u00a0 For […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":22524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n