OCTOBER 2013
SUNRAYS | 29
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
It was an afternoon last fall when Viva Jones took a quiet walk with her dog
Foxy on a trail near their home. Suddenly, she found herself sprawled on the
ground, dazed. She had tripped, and she couldn’t muster enough strength to
pull herself up. Slowly, she began crawling hand and knee through tall grass
to a tree about 30 feet away, thinking she could use the tree as leverage. In-
stead, she managed to pull herself just to the trail’s edge. Viva, 82, was alone
and stranded.
Fortunately, Viva only had to wait 10 minutes on the side of the Pecan Grove
Trail before she was able to wave down a fellow resident on the golf course. He
helped her up and offered to drive her home. But, with only a skinned knee, she
declined his offer and continued walking at a slower pace. “I thought, ‘Oh dear,
now I’mmoving into the use-a-cane era of my life,’ and I was pretty bummed,”
she says. “Needing help to get up was a real surprise to me.”
When her daughters heard about the tripping incident, they didn’t buy their
mother a walking cane the following Christmas. Instead, they treated Viva
to 10 sessions with a personal trainer at the Fitness Center. Within a month,
Viva was working out twice a week with trainer Victoria Young. The former
sports buff, who once enjoyed tennis, racquetball, golf and mountaineering,
was determined to recoup her lost strength and stamina. “I was fortunate to
inherit a genetically fit and strong body,” says Viva. “It did me well for many
years without specific exercise, as I was a very active and energetic person. After
about age 70, I began to feel the effects of aging and gave up on the sports.”
Viva says she saw tremendous improvement not only in her physical strength
and agility, but also in her sleep habits and her mental acuity after those initial
personal training sessions. For the first time in years, she realized she was
beginning to feel good again―“well knit, and surprisingly optimistic,” as she
puts it. So the retired elementary school teacher and principal, who enjoys good
friends, good restaurants, ceramic sculpting and oil painting, has continued
her twice weekly workouts with Victoria. She vows to keep personal training
a “permanent factor” in her busy life―so she can stay sharp and on her feet
for the trail that lies ahead.
FREE Equipment
Demonstration
2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 2 p.m.
Join a certified personal trainer for
an inside look at a piece of fitness
equipment, including proper set-up
and how to use it most effectively.
October 9 | Texas Drive
Lat Pull Down
October 23 | Cowan Creek
Shoulder Press
Group Fitness Tutorial
Mondays, October 14 & 28,
10 a.m., Cowan Creek
Whitney Alex-
ander, Sun City
Texas Group Fit-
ness Coordinator,
will answer your
questions about
Group Fitness classes. If you want
more information about the classes
offered, join us at 10 a.m. in the
Cowan Creek Amenity Center on
Mondays, October 14 and 28.
October Group Fitness
All Access Pass
Unlimited Group Fitness
Classes for only $55!
Purchase your October All Access
Pass and join us for any class all
month. This great deal is good for
any of the 100-plus classes on our
group fitness schedule each week,
with the exception of Series Class-
es. Enjoy Pilates, Cardio, Cycling,
Aqua, Yoga, Tai Chi andmore! Only
$55. Expires 10.31.13. Nontransfer-
able. No refunds.
Rates for Personal
Training Sessions
1/2 Hour ................................ $30
One Hour .............................. $45
5 - 1/2 Hours ........................$115
5 - One Hours..................... $200
Questions? Email john.rutan@
sctexas.org or visit our website.
FITNESS
Athlete of the Month
By Lynda Dufour
Viva Jones
Personal Trainer:
Victoria Young
