Moving Together: Jill Harris Brings Innovative Fitness Practices to Coterie Cathedral Hill

But for some older adults, aging brings challenges — from maintaining consistent fitness routines to tailoring exercises to their personal strengths and limitations.

Fortunately for Coterie residents, FitSprings inventor Jill Harris brings her proprietary spring resistance workout system to the Cathedral Hill community.

A fitness program tailored to older adults

FitSprings is an innovative resistance training system that utilizes frame-mounted springs to help reduce impact and joint strain while promoting flexibility, strength, and balance. FitSprings emphasizes movements and exercises that work around physical weaknesses and mobility issues to strengthen as much of the body as possible, making it especially apt for older adults.

Harris brings a unique set of skills to her work. She’s been leading fitness classes for twenty-eight years, and many of her older clients have been with her since the beginning. This longstanding relationship has allowed her to see firsthand how her clients’ fitness needs have evolved over time and to adjust their exercise routines accordingly.

“I have clients in their eighties who started with me when they were in their fifties or sixties,” she says. “And to learn about the aging process alongside them and how their needs change helps me get a sense of what we need to focus on and how we can continue to help them stay strong and active as they age.”

One of the many benefits of FitSprings is that the movements are easily modified to accommodate individual clients’ needs and limitations. This not only means that just about anyone can find a FitSprings workout regimen that works for them, but it also allows clients to gradually adapt their routines as they get older.

A revolutionary collaboration

The Coterie-FitSprings partnership grew out of a fortuitous coincidence.

When Harris was looking for a new studio in 2022, she wanted a ground-floor space that would be accessible for her older clients, as some of them have difficulties with stairs. When she learned that Coterie’s Cathedral Hill residence was in the same building, it was a natural step to talk to Coterie about a collaboration.

“What I do is very symbiotic with what Coterie is doing,” she says. “I have a lot of experience working with older people, and I know how to keep them going and help with their well-being.”

Harris currently teaches a weekly 45-minute class in Coterie’s fitness center, utilizing a mix of weights, exercise balls, resistance bands, and other equipment. The focus is on continuous movements that build strength and improve balance and coordination, incorporating elements of Pilates, strength training, and physical therapy.

For an additional fee, residents who want an even more personalized FitSprings experience can sign up for one-on-one personal training sessions in Harris’s ground-floor studio.

The benefits of FitSprings are more than just physical. Because the exercises emphasize coordinated multi-limb movements over simple repetitive ones, they require a higher level of mental focus. Research shows that exercise involving coordinated motions may enhance neuroplasticity, improve memory, and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

A personal commitment to never stop moving

For Harris, FitSprings is more than just a job. The inspiration for the FitSprings method grew out of her personal experiences.

In 2017, she sustained severe injuries that made her usual workouts impossible. She found ways to keep exercising around her limitations by replacing traditional Pilates exercises with controlled resistance movements. By adapting her exercises to her body’s limitations, she was able to maintain a consistent fitness regimen without sacrificing effectiveness.

“What I learned from my experience is that you can never stop moving,” she says.

It’s a philosophy she passes on to her clients.

“If you break your hip or have hip surgery that requires physical therapy, you don’t stop exercising everything else. You still have your arms, you still have your core muscles. So, with all my clients, the message is that even if one part of the workout is missing, you still have to keep going.”