Zehringer keeps busy senior pace

By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN

News-Gazette reporter

At age 74, Barbara Zehringer keeps a busy pace with her work at the Randolph Eastern Fitness Center, where she has worked for four years.

She says, "I've always been a busy person, always had a job." Those jobs included 21 years at Backstay and six-and-a-half years at Body Company.

Now she serves as an assistant supervisor at the Fitness Center, where she keeps early hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 5 to 8 a.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she's there for later hours, 6 to 8 p.m.

Working under the guidance of physical education teacher Tim Welch, Zehringer schedules other monitors, answers questions about the machines, demonstrates the machines and does assessments for people. She receives minimal pay twice a year for her work at the Fitness Center.

More than the money, the job at the Fitness Center is a good thing for Zehringer as a way to help the community and to get further into her own fitness routine.

Of the 40 people who originally took the training to be monitors, 12 did some monitoring and now that figure is down to three people. When the Fitness Center first started, it was open every evening and Saturdays until noon.

Zehringer says, "People start out so enthusiastically, but then they drop off."

Still, some clients come in to work out before they go to their daily jobs. Those early hours can be difficult for Zehringer because she is a member of Eastern Star, and she helps cook dinners for the Lions Club twice a month, which makes for some late nights.

Even with the reduced usage at the Fitness Center, there are still quite a few regulars. Zehringer knows when to expect them and what their routines will be.

"Older folks are the most loyal users," Zehringer says. "We're really busy right after the holidays when people want to work off the extra goodies they've had."

Zehringer has been a walker, and she used to ride a bike. Right now she's having some problems with her shoulder, so she's limited in how she uses the machines at the Fitness Center.

"There are some things I can't do, but because of the arthritis, I try to keep limbered up. I do what I can," she says.

Using the Fitness Center costs $10 a month. A new client needs to sign a release and do a blood pressure test on the automatic machine. New clients are requested to fill out a basic health statement, but that is not required.