SU Gerontology Center’s Lifelong Learning Institute offers well-being class and tries for Guinness World Record for most participants in an exercise class ages 50 and older

Jaime Winne Alvarez
315-443-3784

The Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) of the Gerontology Center at Syracuse University will offer “Age and Engagement: Well-being,” an exercise and nutrition class for participants ages 50 and older, on Saturday, July 19, from 9-11 a.m. at Onondaga Lake Park. As part of the two-hour class, the LLI will try for the Guinness World Record for most participants in an exercise class for people ages 50 and older.

“Age and Engagement: Well-being,” will be taught by SU exercise physiologist Mary Pagan, a wellness expert and practitioner of the Okinawan Longevity Program. Students will register and pay for the course on site; registration begins at 8:30 a.m. There is a $5 fee for the class, which covers annual membership in the LLI. The course is free to current LLI members.

The class will run rain or shine behind the Onondaga Lake Park Visitor Center (next to the Wegmans Playground) and is designed for participants ages 50 and older who want ideas on how to stay healthy longer. Participants will learn the top 10 healing foods for older people; simple exercise movements to improve appearance, bone density and posture; have a fitness demonstration from the “Fit for the Next Fifty” team; and learn how to meditate and breathe to promote clearer mental focus.

Onondaga Lake Park offers free, convenient parking. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle and lawn chair.

The SU Gerontology Center includes 30 faculty members who are engaged in aging research, education and policymaking. The center hosts scholarly conferences, oversees an undergraduate and graduate certificate in gerontology and works to coordinate and foster interdisciplinary activities relating to gerontology across campus.