Make a ‘JOYful’ move for ‘JOYnts’

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Paula Lord is a lifelong gymnast and dancer who is painfully familiar with the heavy toll vigorous movement can exact on the body.

She’s also a certified expert in Pilates, neuroplasticity and postural rehabilitation who has developed a movement program for seniors that, among other benefits, increases joint mobility and helps the nervous system better communicate with the body.

“I speak from personal experience about returning to health from a body that has been quite broken with pain from overuse and poor mechanics,” said Lord, who owns BODY by Gym Roots in Fishers studio. “My body continues to improve daily, monthly and yearly.

“I continue to experiment on myself and apply my own teachings so that I am sharing what truly works.”

Lord, 53, created the program, JOYful JOYnts, 1 1/2 years ago as an in-person class. She began offering it exclusively through Zoom in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. New sessions are streamed each Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. and are offered free through the end of the year. Recordings are available that can be accessed at the user’s convenience.

Lord leads each class.

A Fishers resident, Lord is a Certified Pilates Teacher and a graduate of the USOC Sports Science College. She is a Master of the Sport for USA Gymnastics, the highest level of coaching certification, and has a degree in physics. Moreover, she studies neuroplasticity, postural rehabilitation and energy healing and designed JOYful JOYnts with seniors in mind.

“I have been teaching and observing people in movement from the most functional, high-performance elite athletes to the least functional, (such as) people with injuries, illnesses, special needs, seniors, etc., so my eye has been uniquely adapted to see more than the average trainer,” Lord said. “I am confident and driven to share this program for the benefit of as many people as we can reach, especially with the focus on seniors, who have very few options in the way of proper fitness.”

Specifically, JOYful JOYnts is a movement program that combines brain balancing, or neuroplasticity, and joint mobility exercises to “lubricate” joints and remove blockages to help participants move more comfortably while enhancing strength, flexibility and endurance.

“I was dealing with a few concerns for which I was hoping the JOYful JOYnts class could make a difference – posture, balance and lower back pain,” said Don Collins, a JOYful JOYnts client in Anderson. “I’m grateful to the class for improvements in my posture and balance, and the class has taught me things to do to continue improving.

“By the way, I’m 90 years old.”

Lynn Moskovitz-Thompson, a Westfield resident, is the business manager for the JOYful JOYnts program. Although targeted to seniors, she said people of all ages can benefit from the exercises.

“I have provided support in growing the program and standardizing the program (and) curriculum and creating a teacher training program,” said Moskovitz-Thompson, who has a degree in kinesiology and is the former owner of a movement facility. “My experience comes as an enthused participant of the program.

“My daughter, a gymnast and dancer, has participated in the program and received wonderful benefit.”

Sessions are free through the end of the year. They are available to individuals as well as to wellness facilities, senior facilities and assisted living facilities. To join Zoom classes or access them for facilities, visit GymRootsinc.com/joyful-joynts.


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