Although some exercise enthusiasts tend to stick to only one or two different forms of fitness—strictly running and lifting weights, for example—there are some that do a little bit of everything. Keeping their interest going and continually challenging their bodies in new and different ways, these multilayered fitness routines may be the secret to staying in shape—and it’s something that Harry Garrison excels at.
After working many years at General Motors, Garrison is now famed throughout the Flushing, Michigan area for teaching spin classes for over two decades and guiding race walking programs (competitive walking programs) since the 1990s. Today, he’s 80 years old (though you’d never know it by looking at him!), and he prides himself on still being able to do things he wants to do and helping people along the way.
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“I teach spin classes twice a week at Henry Ford Genesys Health Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and I also train race walkers throughout each summer to prepare for the HAP CareSource Crim Festival of Races, which is every August in Flint,” he tells Parade.
He adds that if he weren’t in decent shape himself, he probably wouldn’t be able to help people do the things that they want to do.
“I think that’s probably my biggest achievement is being where I’m at with physical abilities, and that’s through the exercise that I’ve done over the years,” he reflects.
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Jumping Over Hurdles
While Garrison says that fitness has always been a part of his life (even when he was a kid growing up in Maine), he leveled up his fitness game as soon as he met his partner, Wanda. Their first date was a 3.5-mile run in 1984. He believed he was in pretty good shape, so he went out on a run with her. That’s when he realized he wasn’t in the tip-top shape he thought he was.
“So, from that time forward, I got into more and more exercising and doing a lot more activities, which helped me with my health and fitness,” he says. “The more I did, the more I wanted to do. It made me feel a lot better doing it.”
Another challenge that Garrison had to overcome in his fitness career were his problems with breaking bones, an issue he’s faced since he was a child.
“But the more I work out, the more the muscles help support the bones in my body,” he says. “If I do happen to fall and slip, I don’t break something. This is what the doctors have told me: if I can make the muscles stronger, that helps my bones as I get older.”
Additionally, Garrison has had both hips replaced and has a pacemaker as well.
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Harry Garrison’s Workout Routine
Spinning
Garrison says that he exercises “every single day.” Some of it is cardio, some of it is just weights and some of it is a mix of both. He says that he’s at Henry Ford Genesys Health Club three times a week, and spends around three hours there during each session.
“That way, I can just take my time,” he explains. “I don’t rush through things. The body needs rest, so that’s why I set up a program where I can do that. So, I’ll do the spinning class, and I’ll do the weights: a planned workout. It might be the upper body one day and then the lower body the next. Or the entire body.”
He teaches two spinning classes per week and joins as a participant in a third class.
Race walking
When he’s not spinning, Garrison leads race walking groups, something that he does once a week during the summer.
Lifting weights
After each spinning class, Garrison takes around 45 minutes to lift weights.
“I don’t try to get bulked up or anything—I just try to stay in shape,” he says. “I’ll do my weights after I do my spinning classes because the combination of weights and cardio really makes your body more fit.”
He refers to a sheet as he completes his strength training workout, where he tracks his weights, reps and sets. One day, he’ll work his upper body, with a focus on triceps, biceps and shoulders. Then for his next workout, he’ll center on the lower half of his body and include leg exercises on machines.
“I don’t usually do my lower half on the days I do my spinning or walking because my legs are already going to be tired,” he adds.
He uses a combination of resistance machines and free weights. “To me, the machines are better than free weights because they are set up properly, and you can get a better workout doing them that way,” he says.
Lawn mowing
Garrison counts mowing his lawn as exercise. “I have a self-propelling mower, and I don’t even use the self-propeller—I just push it myself,” he says. “I use that as exercise, and I enjoy it. And then I’ll go out and work around the yard.”
Stretching
Stretching is also a part of Garrison’s fitness routine, but at times, it’s something that this cardio devotee is reluctant to include.
“I have a problem with stretching,” he says. “I have to push myself to do that because you need that also to loosen up those muscles and not end up injuring yourself.”
Fitness travel
Garrison enjoys taking fitness-based trips with his partner, Wanda. “We have done cycling tours on the East Coast and we visit Mackinac Island four times a year for races. We recently visited New Zealand, and next year, we will hike and race through Scotland,” he says.
Golfing and skiing
“I still ski, and that helps,” Garrison says. “Playing golf, too—all those things help. Just trying to stay active really is my workout.”
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Final Thoughts
Garrison encourages fellow seniors to exercise each day, noting that many people simply get up in the morning, sit down and won’t do anything, “and that doesn’t help them.”
“Just get moving, because the more we move around, the easier it’s going to be on your body,” he advises. “And it’s going to make it easier on you as an individual to do things. I still do a lot of work around the house. By me staying active, it helps me be able to do all the things around the house that I need to do.”
And he says that it doesn’t matter what you do. “If you play golf, just walk, go ride a bike, whatever. Whatever is going to keep you moving is what you need to do,” he explains.
Garrison concludes by saying that when he thinks about his age, he doesn’t allow it to control his well-being. “Just because I’m 80 doesn’t mean that I can’t stop moving,” he says. “I think mentally, you have got to be fit as well as physically. That’s going to help you keep moving as you get older.”
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Source
- Harry Garrison, spin instructor at the Henry Ford Genesys Health Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
