“After working for four and a half decades, retirement sounded good. No more worries about what hour of the day it is. It’s just leisure living! That’s what I thought. When I retired five years ago, it was early 2020 at the time when we experienced inconveniences and limitations on the places we could go. I managed to stay busy by doing landscaping and tending a vegetable garden for two seasons during summer.

In 2022, I had my yearly medical exam and blood tests. It was a real eye opener of what retirement was doing to my health. Erratic blood reading results, 30 lbs. over weight and afternoon fatigue. I have to admit, I was indulging in the most unbalanced food consumption. Pastries and ice cream and oh, do I still miss those second helpings! Although I was exercising at the neighborhood gym two to three times per week. I noticed improvement, but I did not have a way to measure my health progress.

In November 2024, during my first visits to Active at Reed’s Crossing, I participated in a few aquatics classes. Then in early December 2024, Ms. Sierra at Active asked me if I wanted to participate in The ZONE. During our dialogue I learned that she is a knowledgeable and experienced instructor in the field of physical fitness. While signing up to become a ZONE member, I was given a MyZone electronic device that monitors important information like my heart-rate, my effort and more regarding my personal workouts.

12-weeks later, I’m happy to say that to this day, I have exceeded my monthly goal by 465 MEP’s for a total of 2465 towards a Bronze Status Level. MEP’s stand for “My Effort Points” and MEPs are a metric used in the Myzone fitness tracking system to measure the effort put into a workout. They are calculated based on a person’s heart rate and maximum heart rate. 

Retirement has started to be more enjoyable and I have noticed lots of physical improvement in my coordination, strength, energy, agility and ergonomic awareness. A special thank you to Ms. Sierra for her professionalism as a fitness instructor, Ms. Alina for your kind smile at the check-in desk, Mr. Mohammed and everyone involved in making Active Wellness Center at Reed’s Crossing the best Wellness Center in the neighborhood.”

Thank you for sharing your Active story with us, Sam! The Active team loves seeing you at the gym and are inspired by your willingness to try something new for your health and your overall dedication and effort toward your health and all of your workouts. We see you with the awesome MEP increase! Way to go! Thanks for being part of what makes our community awesome.