Miami faculty nominated for SilverSneakers’ ‘Instructor of the Year’ award

SilverSneakers, a senior fitness program for adults 65 and older, receives thousands of nominations each year for more than 800 instructors across the United States to receive the “Instructor of the Year” award. 

Hillary Swift, assistant director of fitness at Miami University and a SilverSneakers instructor, won runner-up for the award this year. 

SilverSneakers offers multiple types of classes, such as yoga, water aerobics and strength training. Swift started to teach the classes in 2017, then taught part-time at Miami’s Recreational Center until 2021. She started as a full time employee, the assistant director of fitness, last August. 

Fritzi Wellman, a regular member of Swift’s class, initiated the nomination. The rest of the SilverSneakers participants in Oxford received an email to nominate their instructor, and followed in Wellman’s footsteps. 

Mike O’Dell, 74, has attended SilverSneakers classes at the recreational center for almost 10 years. He said he’s had numerous instructors, but Swift is the best by far, and class attendees are fortunate to have her in the program.

“Hillary has such enthusiasm and a million-dollar smile that brings energy to we seniors that arrive at class often tired, a little achy and not necessarily fired up to work out,” O’Dell wrote in his nomination. “Within minutes that all changes when she walks to the front of the class.”

John and Yvette Harman, both 72 years old, took the elevator to get into the recreational center when they started classes three years ago because they had trouble going up the two flights of stairs. John said now that's not even an issue because Swift knows which muscles to work. 

Yvette said classes have more than doubled in size since she and her husband started. She believes it’s because of Swift. 

“She's almost a force of nature,” Yvette said. “She is ambitious. She wants us to be better at getting more fit (while) working within any constraints we have as we age. And yet she really encourages us to try to push ourselves and do the best we can within our abilities.”

Yvette said she likes this approach because as people get older, they need to keep their strength, flexibility and mobility, and that’s what Swift inspires class members to do.

However, Swift does more than teach fitness; she knows every class member’s name, asks them how they’re doing or how their kids or grandkids are each time she sees them, and never shows up to class without a smile on her face.

Yvette said it’s nice to have somebody who takes an interest in the class members as people and just chats with them, especially for older people who may feel a sense of loneliness as they age. 

Swift felt surprised and delighted to learn her students nominated her, and even more so that she made it into the top 10 finalists. 

“I love teaching these classes,” Swift said. “Award or no award, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing because I love it, but it is wonderful. I would love to just let the spotlight shine on Miami University and shine on our community of SilverSneakers.”

Swift said she would love to have more SilverSneakers instructors in the community, as she’s currently the only instructor who teaches the specific classes at the recreational center. She said the instructor training program is fun, along with teaching the demographic. Class feels like a party to her, as attendees work out and socialize at the same time.

“It's just such a blessing to show up and feel joy, to feel connection, to help people maintain and build on their strength so that they can enjoy their life longer,” Swift said.