Women are often the ones making sure everyone else is cared for. We manage work, households, appointments, children, aging parents, relationships, and countless responsibilities that others may never see.

Somewhere along the way, our own needs can fall to the bottom of the list.

But making ourselves a priority is not selfish. It creates room for the things that protect our health: moving our bodies, caring for our emotional well-being, maintaining meaningful relationships, and doing things that bring us joy.

At Sanara Wellness, we believe wellness is shaped by more than what we eat or how we move. It is also shaped by whether we feel connected, supported, and understood.

That belief inspired our Women in Wellness: Community Spotlight Series.

While Sanara Wellness serves women nationwide through our fully virtual programs, this series gives us the opportunity to recognize women making a difference within their own communities. We will be spotlighting women who offer movement classes, holistic and complementary health services, education, supportive gatherings, and other wellness resources.

Their work may look different, but they share something important: they are creating opportunities for women to care for themselves while connecting with others.

We are beginning the series with Erica Jajliardo, a Massachusetts dance and fitness instructor who has turned her lifelong love of movement into a way to support people in her community.

A Lifelong Love of Dance and Fitness

Erica’s love of dance began when she was five years old and started taking lessons at Debbie Sichol’s Dance Center. She explored several styles of dance and especially loved performing the routines she learned for friends and family.

By high school, her interest had expanded to fitness. Erica joined a local gym, began strength training, and continued working out throughout college.

After college, she decided she wanted to share that passion through teaching. In 2011, she became a certified Zumba instructor and went on to teach at several gyms and studios.

Today, Erica teaches dance and fitness classes at Alice’s Fitness and Dance in Sturbridge. During her five years there, she has met many women who share her love of movement and the energy that comes from doing it together.

“Teaching allows me to combine my two passions that have been a part of my life for many years,” Erica shared. “I truly enjoy helping others discover the joy of movement, build confidence, and develop a lifelong approach to wellness.”

While Erica continues teaching at Alice’s, her love of movement has also led her beyond the studio and into the broader community.

Bringing Free Dance Fitness to Her Community

With grant support from Kiva Centers, Erica now offers a free weekly dance fitness class at the Casaubon Senior Center in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

The class gives women a comfortable, no-cost way to move, have fun, and connect with others without needing a gym membership, dance experience, or complicated fitness plan.

It is also an opportunity to set aside one hour that belongs to them.

That may sound simple, but for a woman who is used to putting everyone else first, protecting one hour for herself can be a meaningful step. Prioritizing our health does not always require turning our lives upside down. It can begin by choosing one thing that helps us feel stronger, happier, or more connected, and giving it a regular place on the calendar.

Why Community With Other Women Matters to Our Health

There is something especially meaningful about women having spaces where they can gather with other women.

Shared experiences can create understanding. Familiar faces create belonging. Encouragement from another woman can make it easier to try something new, return after a difficult week, and remember that we are not moving through every season of life alone.

The CDC reports that meaningful social connection can help us manage stress, support healthier habits, improve sleep, and contribute to a longer, healthier life.

The need for connection does not begin in old age. A 2025 national AARP survey found that 37% of women age 45 and older were experiencing loneliness.

Community spaces like Erica’s class cannot solve every form of loneliness, but they offer something valuable: a consistent place to be around others, form relationships, and feel part of something.

When women meet in the same place at the same time each week, a class can become much more than an hour of exercise. Not every friendship begins with a big conversation. Sometimes it begins by standing next to the same woman each week, exchanging a smile, or laughing together while learning a new step.

Over time, familiar faces can become a community.

Connection is an important part of what makes a class like Erica’s so valuable. The movement itself also offers benefits that become increasingly important as women move through midlife and beyond.

Why Movement Matters for Women After 35

There is nothing magical or alarming about turning 35. Our bodies do not suddenly change overnight. However, it is a valuable time to become more intentional about movement.

According to the National Institute on Aging, muscle mass and strength typically peak around ages 30 to 35 and gradually change afterward. As women move closer to perimenopause, menopause, and the decades beyond, maintaining muscle strength, bone health, balance, mobility, and cardiovascular health becomes increasingly important.

Current guidelines recommend that women work toward at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. Any amount of movement is still better than none, especially when someone is just beginning or returning after time away. (U.S. Office on Women’s Health)

If most of a one-hour dance fitness class is performed at a moderate intensity, it could provide approximately 40% of the minimum weekly aerobic goal.

Dancing is also a weight-bearing activity because it is performed while standing and moving against gravity. Weight-bearing movement can help support bone health, while the different steps and direction changes can challenge balance, coordination, and muscle function. These benefits become increasingly valuable as women move through midlife and beyond. (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Movement does not have to feel punishing or be centered on changing the way our bodies look. It can be music, laughter, energy, confidence, and some much-needed girl time.

The kind of movement we enjoy is often the kind we are most willing to continue.

Erica’s class brings these benefits together by offering women a welcoming place to move, have fun, and connect with others.

Join Erica for a Free Community Dance Fitness Class

Day: Tuesdays
Time: 5:45–6:45 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the community
Location: Casaubon Senior Center, 153 Chestnut Street, Southbridge, MA 01550

Whether you already love dance or are simply looking for a welcoming way to move and connect with others, consider setting aside this one hour for yourself.

Putting yourself on your own schedule may feel like a small decision. But those small decisions are how we begin building stronger bodies, meaningful relationships, and healthier lives.

You deserve a place on your own list.

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Not near Southbridge? Look for community centers, senior centers, recreation departments, and local studios offering accessible wellness programs in your area.

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Are you a woman working in wellness, or do you know a woman serving other women who deserves recognition? Send us an email! We’d love to spotlight her work and help more women discover the support and resources available in their communities.