The Meridian 50 Plus group exercise indoor sessions will resume Starting Monday January 5, 2026 . The group will meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m. ET in the Meridian Mall Food Court.
50 PLUS Group Photo October 1, 2025. (Photo by Danneisha McDole, Meridian Township)
50 PLUS Group Photo October 23, 2024 (Photo by Noel C.)
On Monday September 23, 2024 we celebrated the 31st anniversary of the Meridian 50 Plus exercise group.
Here is a little background on our history:
Way back in 1993 the group was sponsored by MSU evening college They often had students from MSU sports, health related majors and future teachers attend. In later years MSU evening college dropped the program. At some time in the past, Sparrow Hospital sent trained folks to do blood pressure checks but that program eventually ceased. Up until the year 2020 and the Covid 19 outbreak, exercise took place at the Mall. The group met outdoors at Nancy Moore Park during the summer of 2020 and then at the Central Park Pavilion through the winter when the Mall was closed. The Mall required insurance and It was eventually sponsored by a very generous Meridian Township who took on the responsibility and expense. Currently the program meets outdoors in the newly refurbished Central Park Pavilion (The old Farmers Market) through early December, and then moves to the Meridian Mall Food Court starting in early January.
This is a diverse group of active seniors who enjoy the camaraderie and healthy atmosphere of exercise your way.
There is no exercise session if Okemos-Haslett schools are closed for weather or any other reason.
Everyone in our exercise group, or anyone 50+ interested in an exercise session designed for seniors, is encouraged to stop by the Central Park Pavilion or the Meridian Mall Food Court (Outdoor Pavilion in warm weather, Mall Food Court in cold weather) at 9:00 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for an exercise session designed especially for seniors of any age. Wear clothing appropriate for outdoor exercise and maintain social distancing as appropriate.
To read an entertaining “50 Plus” testimonial click on this link: Three Hours a Week.
We are hopeful that everyone has received a Covid-19 vaccination or is scheduled for their booster vaccination soon, so the “herd” will stay healthy!
The Stretch and Flex Exercise Routine for your home use can be accessed HERE
This is a Stretch and Flex workout for people 50 years of age and over.
We Stretch and Flex and Work Out while we have fun!
The Meridian 50 PLUS Kazoo band on July 21, 2023. (Photo credit: Noel C.)
50 PLUS Group Photo September 19, 2022
Photo courtesy of Meridian Township Parks and Recreation
The Tuesday November 9th 2021 group lunch at Old Chicago in Okemos MI
(Arrangements by Bob Dz, photos credit, Karen J.)
The October 19, 2021 group lunch at Chili’s in Okemos, MI
(Arrangements by Bob Dz, photos credit, Karen J.)
The September 15, 2021 group lunch at Fiesta Charra in East Lansing
(Arrangements by Bob Dz, photos credit, Karen J.)
The exercise group in the old Farmers Market on October 2, 2020 (photo credit, Noel C.)
The Last days of summer 50 Plus Exercise Group photos (photo credit, Noel C.)
The 2020 Summer Picnic Photos (By Noel C) (Hot Dogs by Bob Dz)
(Click on any photo to get the big picture)
October 21, 2019 Group Photo
October 1, 2018 Group Photo
Our youngest exerciser
August 2018 Meridian 50 Plus Birthdays Celebration
The August 2018 birthday celebrants
Cake Envy (When you are 2)
Mom and the birthday boy (our youngest exerciser)
August 2017 Meridian 50 Plus Birthdays Celebration
Photos courtesy of Molly Nevins
Photos from the Meridian 50 Plus picnic in Okemos on July 3rd 2017
Photos courtesy of Noel Copiaco
Photos from the 5o Plus workout group breakfast at Blondie’s Barn in Haslett on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
October 21, 2016 workout session photos.
Photos credit: Meridian Township
Photos from the Wednesday July 20, 2016: Group Breakfast at Blondies Barn in Haslett
Group Photo from the September 4, 2015 Workout Session.
Photo credit: Darkus Beasley, HOMTV/Meridian Township
Location: Meridian Mall Food Court
Dates: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday*
Time: 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Price: $1.00 per class
Registration: Sign up on-site
*NOTE: 50 Plus Workout sessions in the Mall are cancelled if the Mall is closed due to a power outage or other unusual event or if Haslett and Okemos public schools are closed because of inclement weather such as ice/snow accumulation or flooding.
Interesting 50 Plus Tidbits:
Designed especially for older adults, each 50 Plus fitness workout session consists of stretching and flexibility movements involving the major muscle groups throughout your body.
– On site registration at the Food Court in the Mall is available for the 50 Plus program immediately prior to the start of each session.
– Receive a free 50 Plus T-Shirt when you register for the 50 Plus program.
– Exercise bands are available for purchase by 50 Plus participants for $3.00.
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By Vic Rauch
I’ve been participating in a thrice-weekly exercise class for almost a year. That’s three hours a week that I would normally have spent drinking a third and fourth cup of coffee while reading the New York Times and Washington Post.
On this smoke-shrouded August afternoon I’m thinking about the more than 100 hours of low-impact activity I’ve done in the old Meridian pavilion and mall. I consider those hours well-spent, and a pretty good deal for just one dollar.
My venture started after I mentioned to my neighbor Darlene that Covid had crimped my regular walking routine. She suggested trying the 50-Plus exercise program. I’m not a self-starting exerciser. After heart-bypass surgery in 2001, I relied on a cardiac exercise class at Lansing Community College until 2016, when LCC eliminated it.
I hoped the Meridian class would be similar, with options for warmup exercises, walking, badminton, stair-stepping, stationary biking and cool-downs. The LCC experience was especially fulfilling because it re-introduced me to a 1960s MSU classmate I hadn’t seen in nearly 40 years, and I developed long-lasting relationships with a dozen other people.
My first visit to the Meridian class was by a circuitous route. I assumed that it met in the Meridian Mall. I had seen such a group in the food court when I’d been there for an occasional early morning walk on cold or rainy days. Already late, I parked and rushed in. Nobody there. Oh, yes, Darlene had said they meet in the pavilion until winter. But no one was there, either. Aha, she was referring to the old Farmers Market pavilion next to the Township Hall!
Exercising was well under way, when I walked in. Georganne took a break from running the show. She walked over to me and introduced me as Vic. Darlene had tipped her off. Georgann asked me to tell something about myself.
I said the first thing that popped into my mind, “I bleed Green.”
“Vic bleeds Green,” she announced. All but perhaps two participants applauded or cheered. Georganne followed up by telling everyone that Darlene had indeed told her that we were neighbors in the same condo building.
Then, in an effort to negate any possible confusion, she declared that I would be Victor and that another Victor, a long-time member in the class, would be Vic. Or was it the other way around? The matter was settled in a way when classmates began referring to us as Vic 1 and Vic 2.
I soon learned that we go through the same exercise routine every session, with Georganne calling out the movements for various stretches, bends and flexes. One exercise involved sitting and doing rowing motions as she sang “Row, Row Your Boat.” Others join in with round-singing choruses.
The exercises seemed easy compared to the ones at LCC. But really, they aren’t that much different. At the least, I’m moving body parts that I don’t when I’m at my computer or watching TV. And we get doughnuts at least once a month to celebrate this or that, or nothing at all. All that, and commentary on the day’s news and weather from Georganne.
After a few months in the program, I realized that I’m coming to know some of the people as friends, much like the LCC experience. I’m finding mutual interests and some friends in common. Doris and others go out of their way to greet me. Joan recommends books to read and share. A guy wearing a blue hat with an “M” always has a joke or short story.
One of my claims to fame was coaching Derek Jeter in Little League a few years back. But the other Victor is willing and able to talk about piloting a plane, taking long bicycle rides and one crazy adventure back in the ‘60s, when he crossed Lake Michigan in a bathtub. I can’t beat that.
Meridian50Plus 
