In addition to a diverse massage menu (click here for more on the benefits of massage for muscles and more), Renaissance also offers classes designed to address all legs of the three-legged stool of muscle health: strength, flexibility, and endurance. After all, muscles don't just hold us up and move us about. Muscle health and vitality pay off for all systems of the body, and imbue us with a well-founded sense of well-being.

Please check this area of our web site for detailed information on upcoming classes, activities, or demonstrations. Or, better yet, sign up for the Renaissance newsletter and learn about classes as soon as they are planned. We also host special events other than our classes & workshops from time to time, so be sure to check out the events calendar for information on these special events.

Current Classes & Workshops:

  ~  Gentle Pilates
  ~  Strong Woman Classes with Dr. Lynn Keenan



Gentle Pilates

Join Pilates instructor and massage therapist, Cathy Bangs, for this gentle, progressive class designed to introduce you to the many benefits of Pilates.

In this class you will start from the beginning, understanding the role of core muscles, how to recruit them for strengthening and flexibility, and enjoy the developmental process of gaining core strength and postural alignment.





Strong Woman Classes with Dr. Lynn Keenan

Osteoporosis is considered one of our nation's greatest health threats. It is estimated that fully 55% of Americans over 50 years old are at risk of osteoporosis. The disease is characterized by the loss of bone density. The inner structure of the bones weakens so much that they become susceptible to fractures, especially in hip, spine, and wrist bones. One in two women will have an osteoporosis fracture in her life, and women's risk of hip fracture alone is the same as her combined risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer.

Fortunately, bone density loss can be prevented, stopped, and even turned around through moderate exercise. This is how bones grow, by responding to the strenuous tug of muscles attached to them, or to the stress of footfall (as in walking, running, or dancing).

Researchers at Tufts University are discovering ways to build bone density by studying the impact of weight-training on the bones of men and women 40 and older. The findings from their studies have changed the ways we think about osteoporosis. What was once viewed as an inevitable part of aging is now considered a preventable disease among the vast majority of people.

Perhaps the most well-known of these researchers is Miriam Nelson, author of the bestselling series of Strong Women and Strong Men books. Her research is showing that a simple weight training program in which participants lift small hand and leg weights for an hour just twice a week is turning back the clock on bone density loss, and creating several unintended benefits as well-even among men and women in their eighties!

For those who benefit from some instruction and encouragement in the first few weeks of a new lifestyle change, Lynn Keenan-who trained in the Tufts model with Dr. Nelson and the Tufts staff-offers the Strong Women program, an 8-week course to get you on your way to the kind of results found above. To learn more, attend an information session at Renaissance.