At the age of 68, many people begin to think about retiring, taking it a bit easy, maybe even slowing down after a long career. 

Not Charlie Abate. 

At age 68, 24 years ago, Abate began a new career as one of the most popular and appreciated fitness instructors on Cape Cod, an endeavor from which, at the age of 92, he has now chosen to take a well-deserved rest. It was a position he accepted out of a desire to maintain a consistent exercise regimen not only for himself, but for other seniors in the community. 

“The YMCA offered a small fitness class in Brewster at the time, which I attended. The instructor would frequently go away on trips with her husband,” Abate recalled. “She would be gone for two weeks or so. We kept having all of these substitutes. I didn’t have any problem with her going away on trips, but I was concerned about the continuity of the exercise. So I called and had a talk with the person in charge.” 

The conversation turned into a job offer. 

Abate had never before considered teaching exercise, but he decided to give it a try. He took a course and became certified. Not one to follow along with someone else’s ideas if he didn’t think they were best for the people in the class, he soon started making a few changes. 

“At the time, the YMCA didn’t think there should be an aerobic component of the class,” Abate explained. “I felt that aerobic movement should definitely be part of it. That got me thinking about developing something on my own.” 

Abate paid a visit to Barbara-Anne Foley, the director of the Harwich Council on Aging at the time. When he offered to teach a fitness class at the COA, Foley said thank you, but they already had one. As he turned to go, she had second thoughts. Would Abate be willing to teach a class early in the morning? The only class they had to offer took place in the afternoon, and many seniors had expressed a desire to get their exercise done first thing in the morning. Abate accepted the offer of an early morning exercise class, and the rest is history. 

“I always had big classes,” Abate said. “There were usually about 70 or more people in each class. Eventually I taught two classes every day, a pretty vigorous class and then a class more suited to older folks or those with less mobility. I taught those two classes for over 20 years.” 

Abate developed a total body fitness workout especially designed for seniors who want to remain active. The workout was safe, steady and relaxed, fusing stretching, toning, calisthenics and movement exercises into unique, hour-long musical routines that were easy to follow, energizing and loads of fun. He estimates that he choreographed  over 600 routines to mostly pop music for his Senior Fit classes, including both fast selections and slower numbers for warm-ups and cool down periods within the class.

Abate pointed out that a big reason he stayed with his exercise classes for so long was the continuous support he received from the Harwich COA directors over the years.

“All of the COA directors, and Carolyn Carey, who directs the Harwich Community Center, went overboard trying to be helpful, and they were just grand to work with, as well as all the custodians. It’s a very pleasant place to work,” Abate said. “So saying goodbye to those good folks was not easy. It’s a great place.”

Retirement is a pleasure, Abate said, with one exception. For the first time in a long time, he now has to make sure to set aside time to exercise. Then he has to make sure he sticks to the plan. 

“It’s not as easy as it was when it was a part of my everyday life,” he said. “Exercising to music is a wonderful way of keeping up your spirits and sticking to a rhythm or tempo. I think that’s one reason people kept coming to my classes, and it gave me a great feeling seeing so many smiling faces.” 

Abate is enjoying spending more time with his wife Amy and taking their three-year-old rescue dog, Bria, for walks. He looks forward to more time for visits with children and grandchildren. 

“My five children are grown, and I have to count all of the grandchildren on my fingers,” Abate laughed. “They are growing up so rapidly.” 

At the age of 68, many people begin to think about retiring, taking it a bit easy, maybe even slowing down after a long career.
Not Charlie Abate.
At age 68, 24 years ago, Abate began a new career as one of the most popular and appreciated fitness instructors on Cape Cod, an endeavor from which, at the age of 92, he has now chosen to take a well-deserved rest. It was a position he accepted out of a desire to maintain a consistent exercise regimen not only for himself, but for other seniors in the community.
“The YMCA offered a small fitness class in Brewster at the time, which I attended. The instructor would frequently go away on trips with her husband,” Abate recalled. “She would be gone for two weeks or so. We kept having all of these substitutes. I didn’t have any problem with her going away on trips, but I was concerned about the continuity of the exercise. So I called and had a talk with the person in charge.”
The conversation turned into a job offer.
Abate had never before considered teaching exercise, but he decided to give it a try. He took a course and became certified. Not one to follow along with someone else’s ideas if he didn’t think they were best for the people in the class, he soon started making a few changes.
“At the time, the YMCA didn’t think there should be an aerobic component of the class,” Abate explained. “I felt that aerobic movement should definitely be part of it. That got me thinking about developing something on my own.”
Abate paid a visit to Barbara-Anne Foley, the director of the Harwich Council on Aging at the time. When he offered to teach a fitness class at the COA, Foley said thank you, but they already had one. As he turned to go, she had second thoughts. Would Abate be willing to teach a class early in the morning? The only class they had to offer took place in the afternoon, and many seniors had expressed a desire to get their exercise done first thing in the morning. Abate accepted the offer of an early morning exercise class, and the rest is history.
“I always had big classes,” Abate said. “There were usually about 70 or more people in each class. Eventually I taught two classes every day, a pretty vigorous class and then a class more suited to older folks or those with less mobility. I taught those two classes for over 20 years.”
Abate developed a total body fitness workout especially designed for seniors who want to remain active. The workout was safe, steady and relaxed, fusing stretching, toning, calisthenics and movement exercises into unique, hour-long musical routines that were easy to follow, energizing and loads of fun. He estimates that he choreographed over 600 routines to mostly pop music for his Senior Fit classes, including both fast selections and slower numbers for warm-ups and cool down periods within the class.
Abate pointed out that a big reason he stayed with his exercise classes for so long was the continuous support he received from the Harwich COA directors over the years.
“All of the COA directors, and Carolyn Carey, who directs the Harwich Community Center, went overboard trying to be helpful, and they were just grand to work with, as well as all the custodians. It’s a very pleasant place to work,” Abate said. “So saying goodbye to those good folks was not easy. It’s a great place.”

Retirement is a pleasure, Abate said, with one exception. For the first time in a long time, he now has to make sure to set aside time to exercise. Then he has to make sure he sticks to the plan.
“It’s not as easy as it was when it was a part of my everyday life,” he said. “Exercising to music is a wonderful way of keeping up your spirits and sticking to a rhythm or tempo. I think that’s one reason people kept coming to my classes, and it gave me a great feeling seeing so many smiling faces.”

Abate is enjoying spending more time with his wife Amy and taking their three-year-old rescue dog, Bria, for walks. He looks forward to more time for visits with children and grandchildren.
“My five children are grown, and I have to count all of the grandchildren on my fingers,” Abate laughed. “They are growing up so rapidly.”