Rinnie Wood is all about helping people age gracefully while prioritizing health and wellness. As Fitness Director of the award-winning retirement community, Trezevant, and an active personal trainer with over two decades of experience, Rinnie shares how to keep the momentum going steadily into retirement years.
“I’ve always had two loves: fitness and community work,” the energetic powerhouse explains of her involvement at Trezevant, located in midtown Memphis.
Under her guidance, the facility escalated their workout offerings from seven weekly classes to a whopping 37 – eight of which are led by Rinnie herself – including Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, pool classes, light-weight circuits, a strength and balance class called S.A.I.L., and more.
“As we age, we must pay more attention to our bodies.”
To stay healthy at 69 years old, Rinnie works out most days, opting for low-impact cardio five times per week, plenty of light-weight resistance training, and solo walks along the Mississippi River to get her fix of quality outdoor time.
Being the senior living community’s fitness director for 14 years and one of Trezevant’s seven instructors, Rinnie loves moving alongside people and encouraging them to push just a bit more.
“I get to watch people’s lives be transformed. I enjoy seeing people get physically stronger and feel mentally better.”
The health guru follows the 80/20 rule, living a mostly healthy lifestyle “while having splurges and enjoying different eating opportunities,” such as local hotspot Bari Ristorante’s pan-seared sea scallops dressed in orange zest and anise liqueur, alongside husband Keith.
Between her own health and fitness journey and work with Trezevant’s three levels of resident care, Rinnie confidently explains that “at any age, we pretty much need the same things. We need variety, we need people, and we need movement.”
Besides building strength, working out increases mental acuity, backed by a resounding 30 years of research that indicates exercise’s ability to delay or avoid possibilities for dementia.
“We’re all concerned with losing memory or diminished brain processing, and exercise makes a difference,” says Rinnie, who always tries to accommodate people at their highest challenge point.
For those looking to jumpstart their fitness journey, she recommends finding something you enjoy and can feel successful in that’s doable for you, then building on that.
Her biggest piece of advice is variety. “Try different things. I see more injuries when people do the same thing repeatedly. Our muscles and joints need to be used differently over time.”
The same goes for her and Keith’s love of various foods, his cooking linked to his New Orleans roots and hers to ethnic cuisine. Both incorporate the full spectrum of the rainbow paired with quality proteins.
Leading Trezevant’s fitness programming, Rinnie feels lucky being surrounded by people who are “well educated, bright, and want to explore every option to live the richest life they can. Trezevant is a wonderful place to work alongside exceptional people.”
IG: @trezgram
By Shlomit Ovadia
Photo by Tindall Stephens
