By Chelsea Burton, Record Intern
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for The Hinesburg Record
For two mornings a week, St. Jude Catholic Church fills with chatting neighbors. They’re not there for mass – the group is headed to the local chapter of RSVP Bone Builders, a nationwide exercise program designed for people 55 years and up to help with osteoporosis and balance problems.
Bone Builders courses are spearheaded by AmeriCorps and exist across the country. Vermont has more than 60.
Eight years ago, Susan Rusten and Julie Soquet were commuting to Richmond’s RSVP Bone Builders program when they decided to begin their own chapter in Hinesburg, where they live. The classes help people in Vermont fill a need for regular physical exercise as well as social interaction – for many, two large components of healthy aging.
Why not bring one closer to home? they wondered.
With funding from the United Way of Northwest Vermont, which backs over 30 Bone Builders chapters in the area, Rusten and Soquet saw Hinesburg’s chapter open to all in 2018. There’s no fee to join.
Bone Builders programs nationally were created based on research from Tufts University, which suggests that strength training two or three times a week drastically reduces risks related to osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones thinner and weaker; according to United Way’s website, one in seven Vermont men and one in three Vermont women age 50 and up will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
“We’ve seen positive outcomes,” Rusten said. “People who have had various bone density studies done have seen either plateaued or increased bone density over time.”
She is not only a founder of the Hinesburg group but also one of its four instructors. She said her main goal is to serve the community and to improve the lives of people as they age.
Many women after menopause lose bone density, Rusten said. Bone Builders helps prevent bone deterioration and boost muscle strength through sets of stretches and workouts.
On a Wednesday morning class in early March, around 30 people convened in the church’s recreational room. They carried chairs to form a circle with a wheelbarrow filled with small hand weights at its center.
Rusten rang a bell to begin the class, halting the excited chatter in the room. For the next hour, she and three other women led the group through a typical class. That consists of four sections lasting 10-15 minutes: warm-up, arm strength, leg strength and cooldown.
Participants can tailor the workout to their own needs and abilities, choosing weights and increasing difficulty as needed.
The people there that day praised the program. One person shared how she had not been able to downhill ski in a decade, but since building up her balance and strength, she had been able to start again.
“It’s made a huge difference,” another participant said. “You can’t always quantify it, but you can feel it.”
Many also reflected on how Bone Builders helps connect people and reduce isolation, something people often deal with as they get older. The buzz in the room confirmed as much: Attendees gathered in pairs and chatted; afterward they’d walk to their cars together.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, some folks from the class even continued to meet online to catch up with one another, Rusten said.
Now, Hinesburg’s Bone Builders chapter is expanding.
Demand has been so high that there’s now a waitlist due to the limited number of weights and space in the church.
Accordingly, Rusten has recruited members interested in being trained to lead a second group. She, among others, said she’s excited to grow the program and help a larger number of people work against the effects of osteoporosis.
More info: If you are interested, reach out to Susan Rusten at suerust179@gmail.com