Ageless and Moving: Charlotte Michos’ Program For Active Seniors

A guru for the graying helps them stay strong

From 1993 to 2010, registered nurse Charlotte Michos ran the popular Ageless and Moving program at Bard College. What started off with the modest goal of just getting people active through simple exercises quickly burgeoned to 72 classes a month, including aqua aerobics, yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi.

charlotte michos
Charlotte Michos’ “More Than Stretch” video

Today, Michos still runs Ageless and Moving, but no longer at Bard. Instead, she works one-on-one with clients, who range in age from their 40s to their 90s. Michos employs the same magic mix of exercise disciplines, but now she also uses her experience as a certified legal nurse consultant to recommend specific exercises for medical conditions and to help her clients navigate the health care system.

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Of course, people are living longer, and they expect to have the same vibrant level of fitness that they enjoyed in their younger years.

Michos says that many of her clients have suffered an injury and gone through physical therapy but aren’t quite ready for the gym. “People feel intimidated by gyms and are more secure working with someone in the health field,” she says. Michos also specializes in helping older patients avoid medication, using exercise, for example, to build bone and muscle.

“Keeping it simple is the most important thing,” says Michos. “People have little successes and we build on that. I don’t assume that someone wants to hike the Rockies. Many people just want to be able to travel or drive somewhere and see their grandchildren.

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