Last month, OATS announced a new addition to Team Senior Planet, our growing fitness program. With the help of volunteer “team captains”—all over the age of 60!—OATS is rolling out a range of fitness activities in community locations across New York City neighborhoods and beyond. The team captains will lead activities including walking groups, functional fitness classes, and gym workouts to get more older adults up and moving in a fun, social setting.

“We got a terrific response to our announcement about the new program,” said Fiona Adams, Program Lead at OATS. “Older adults from across New York City reached out hoping to find an activity in their neighborhood. The team captains will be instrumental in helping us expand our reach and meet this demand.”

While a handful of team captains will soon kick off their activities, OATS is looking for additional volunteers to share their passion for fitness and support others in their communities in exercising each week. It’s a fun way for volunteers to stay on top of their fitness routines and make new friends along the way.

Sound interesting? Here’s what we’ll need from you:

• Attend a team captain training session
• Commit to helping a group exercise for at least 10 weeks
• Attend all the weekly sessions or find someone to cover for you if you’re sick, etc.
• Help collect information about people’s progress and share with OATS so we can track our results and improve the program

Here’s how we’ll support team captains:

• Help promote your activity
• Provide you with a Fitbit exercise tracker for use during the program
• Train you in how to support your group and shape their fitness program
• Conduct regular check-ins to help with any issues you encounter
• Recognize you at a group celebration every three months

Team captains play an important role in helping their community get the exercise they need, and they’ll have fun doing it! If you’re an older adult who’s interested in fitness and looking for a fun, social way to make a difference, please contact Fiona Adams by email at fadams@oats.org or by phone at 917-446-2088.