Upbeat, old school hits like “Wooly Bully” and “You Really Got Me” blared through the halls of The Longfield Center auditorium in Hanford during a Friday afternoon aerobics class recently.
The class was taught by Gloria Duran who will be celebrating her 90th birthday in just a couple of weeks, on May 9.
The workout marked Duran’s return from retirement, nine years ago; though she only accepts work on an as-needed basis as a substitute instructor.
When the class came to a conclusion after a brief cool down, some attendees at the class and long-time students of Duran’s excitedly expressed to her, “you still got it!”
Duran makes every effort to maintain the class at a high energy level and that includes carefully curating a select list of songs that could be enjoyed by all. She plays chart-topping tracks out of her Sony boombox CD player.
“I like the '50s music, I like the big band music. I select music that I think my ladies would enjoy. It’s all music that is taped for aerobic classes. I usually get my CDs from power productions,” said Gloria.
PowerMusic.com is the audio production company Duran refers to. All songs featured on the playlist are modified with an upbeat tempo made suitable for the more moderate pace of aerobic exercise.
Duran’s active lifestyle, no doubt, has been pivotal to her health, longevity and well-being. She became a certified aerobics and steps instructor in her 40s and proceeded to instruct classes regularly until she was 80 years old.
She started out playing softball as a teenager and as an adult Duran was committed to coaching a women’s softball travel team called the Hanford Aces. The team was developed exclusively for women from Hanford and Lemoore who had surpassed the age limit for playing on city recreation teams but wanted to continue playing.
Duran enjoys the connections that can be made when participating in physical activity together. Students have even become friends that she plays cards with on a regular basis.
“I enjoy the exercise and the social aspect. The girls become like family,” said Duran.
At the Longfield Center classes are offered to members several times a week. Arleen Roosevelt has been attending exercise classes there for two years.
“It’s really fun and it's a great deal,” said Roosevelt.
Monthly membership allows access to all scheduled classes and is priced at $16 a month. The Longfield Center provides a cool refuge and exercise locale for the heat ridden summer months in the Central Valley.
