Lorrie Ward said becoming a fitness instructor never crossed her mind. Now, a year after she began teaching, Ward has a loyal following at the Madison Improvement Club in Phoenix.
The 62-year-old fitness instructor is committed to creating a space for people 65 and older to work out with confidence. Ward was a finalist in the 2022 Instructor of the Year Award from SilverSneakers, a national fitness company serving seniors who stay active.
Ward speaks in a lively and enthusiastic manner and expresses a genuine interest in his students. She says that fitness has always been her passion, even before she became an instructor.
Ward said he played basketball in high school and received a basketball scholarship to college, and used to play softball as well. But beyond that, she said she also taught her children how to play several different sports and was always working out in some way.
“I come from a family of eight children, five boys. So, in order for the teams to grow, I was the sixth participant,” Ward said. “I guess you could say I’m a tomboy.”
Ward’s best friend and former SilverSneakers owner, Mary Swanson, 67, was the one who pushed her to teach her first class. Swanson opened her own gym, The Madison Improvement Club, after selling her company, and in 2021 she insisted that Ward teach a class associated with SilverSneakers.
“She is the wind under my wings,” Swanson said. “…I just encouraged her to try it and it was natural.”
Ward worked at SilverSneakers for 15 years in network development, eventually serving as COO, but said becoming an instructor never crossed her mind. Now, a year after she began teaching, Ward has a loyal following at The Madison, including Swanson.
Ward teaches a circuit strength class at 11 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at The Madison location in Phoenix through the SilverSneakers partnership. She says that 15 to 25 people attend the class depending on the time of year.
Ward says her group has come so far that even her grandchildren had trouble keeping up when they attended.
“I have a strong group of people that I push and they are absolutely receptive and amazing to everything,” Ward said. “So we thought a little outside the box here, (more) than your normal class of SilverSneakers.”
The class focuses on chair-based exercises with weights and resistance bands, but Ward proudly said her group does things a little differently.
“You’ll find other classes of SilverSneakers that are strictly chair-based,” Ward said. “We avoid the chair as much as possible.”
When asked why he thought this particular group had come this far, he gave the individual members full credit.
“They’ve done all the work. I’m just their coach,” Ward said. “I’m just there to play music and tell some jokes and make them laugh.”
While Ward bragged about her group, her class members also hold her in very high regard.
Nancy White, 68, began taking the class shortly after Ward began giving instructions. Ella White has since said she only misses him if she’s on vacation, even after undergoing knee replacement surgery. The procedure put White on hiatus for about two weeks and then she was back at it.
“Lorrie makes us all feel like we’re at our best,” White said. “It’s a pleasure to walk through the door.”
Swanson said it keeps track of what its members do in their lives, whether they’re heading out of town or heading to a dentist appointment. He has even written them business cards.
“It’s like I’ve adopted all these grandparents,” Swanson said.
White said she could tell that Ward cared about her and the other members who attended the class because she noticed small victories, like gaining an extra pound or two. White said that she and Swanson have now worked their way up to 20-pound weights.
She said the class has made it easier for her to come to the gym, which she said was hard to do at her age, and that she has seen real results.
Overall, though, it’s the community aspect, the “variety of people and their ages and their enthusiasm,” that kept White coming back again and again.
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While the 2022 award ended up going to Jen Burgmeier, an instructor who owns her own studio in Pennsylvania, Ward was one of five finalists out of hundreds of nominees, according to Debbie Johnson, senior public relations manager at Tivity Health, the parent company. by SilverSneakers.
Ward says she was so surprised to be a finalist that she didn’t believe the phone call she received from Johnson, which she thought had to be a sick joke, since it was April Fools’ Day.
“I was surprised to learn that I’ve only been doing this for less than a year here and I have so much support from my members,” said Ward. “It was absolutely amazing.”
She joked that she hoped her members wouldn’t mistake her for someone else, but her group is really like family to her.
“I love the older population, I love exercise and it’s such a safe and rewarding position,” Ward said.
The way Swanson and White described Ward’s style of instruction as a nonjudgmental space filled with laughter, encouragement, and great music. that style makes it clear that there was no confusion: the members of Ward really seem to value his unique technique and, more than anything, his care for each and every person who attends his class.
“It’s a great community with Laurie at the helm, and she’s just fun,” White said. “She knows everyone. She encourages everyone. She is happy to see us all. It’s wonderful walking through the doors here at The Madison.”
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Contact breaking news reporter Sam Burdette at [email protected] or on Twitter @SuperSecuritySam
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