OsteofitnessTM seems to attract a variety of interesting and creative individuals. Sarah Forrester is one of the members in the Lexington OsteofitnessTM chapter. For this month’s newsletter, she has offered to open and share her experience with the class and a little bit about herself. Sarah discusses her family, her passion for travel and her creativity in making textiles for various purposes.
1. How did you come to be part of Beverley’s OsteofitnessTM program and how long have you been a member?
I came across the listing of Beverley’s class in the Lexington Recreation Center catalog and signed up for my first class a couple of years before the pandemic. I have continued to sign up for every session since.
2. How has OsteofitnessTM helped you in your life?
Beverley has taught me a lot more about what it means to have osteoporosis and some of
what can be done in the way of diet, supplements and exercise to help minimize its effects.
Because of Beverley I am committed to eating better, moving correctly, improving my posture and exercising every day. She’s great at encouraging us to build more exercise into our daily lives, such as heel lifts at the kitchen counter.
3. What is your favorite part of the class? What is your favorite exercise?
My favorite part of the class is the stretching at the beginning and the end, and my favorite exercises are the lunges.
4. How do you find time to strengthen and keep up with exercises outside of class?
I take my dog for a walk every day and while I’m walking, I try to be aware of my posture and incorporate some of the silly walks and lunges. I tune in to a radio station that plays 60’s and 70’s music and try to do at least 20 minutes of movement that includes: running on the spot for a minute, fist pumps and leg lifts. I do other exercises as well and do them until I break a sweat.
5. What are your interests and hobbies? What are you passionate about?
I have a small business where I make women’s’ clothing out of repurposed textiles that I sell from home and in a few boutiques. I also repair church vestments. That keeps me busy as I have to source my materials, launder them and then decide what to make. What makes me most happy is the feedback I get from my customers when they tell me how fabulous they feel in what I made.
6. Do you like to travel? If so, where have you gone and what are some of the activities you have done?
I love to travel. As a result, I sometimes miss weeks of class. Being as fit and feeling as strong as possible gives me great travel endurance. This year I have already been to Oaxaca and Portugal, and I will be going to Slovenia with my daughter in August and then to Guatemala with my husband in the fall. I’m very interested in folk art, especially traditional textiles, so I like to go places that have rich traditions in those areas. In past years I’ve been on tours to study embroidery in Romania and Estonia, have traveled in in Central and South America as well as many visits back to England.
7. What is your background? What are some things you would like to share about yourself?
I was born in England, but grew up in Kenya, East Africa where my father was a doctor. I was put on a train at 6 years old with my trunk to be sent to boarding school in Nairobi, and then put on a train at 12 and off to boarding school in England. At 17 I came over to America as an exchange student and
decided to stay. My parents divorced, so I put myself through college where I trained as a landscape architect. I met my husband in college, but it was years later that we fell in love and got married.
8. Do you spend a lot of time with your family? Are there any experiences you would like to share?
I have 2 daughters who are well on the way in their lives. India lives in Allston and works in
medical administration at Dana Farber and my other daughter, Sage, just graduated from Pratt Institute with a master’s in urban and Community Planning. My husband is poised to retire from a long and successful career with his own company that does Master Plans and Landscapes for campuses and cities. We hope to travel extensively while we still can and enjoy our old home. We live in the oldest inhabited building in Lexington, which was built in 1725, so we intend to have a big 300-year party next year.
9. What is your view on healthy aging, as well as how to stay independent and active?
I think it is very important, as we age, to stay physically moving and engaged in things we enjoy. Daily exercise is very important as well as involvement in some kind of political or social outreach. Friends are also very important. I belong to an Episcopal Church in Cambridge that I have been going to for over 30 years. I have developed deep friendships with people there as well as people in my needlecraft world.
10.What advice do you have for other members of the class?
My advice is that we remember the pearls of wisdom that Beverley gives us. She once told me to stop slouching, and as a good product of British Boarding school, I tend to obey my teachers, especially when it is good advice. Like Sarah mentioned in this edition, other members have also mentioned the importance of exercise, support from loved ones, and staying involved in hobbies, interests, and political or spiritual passions is the key to healthy aging. Always keep doing what you enjoy! Beverley teaches this in class, and it is good her students are like products of an English boarding school, they listen.
