By James Pruitt jpruitt@digitalfirstmedia.com Twitter: @BigPruitt

Enhance Fitness group with instructors Pam Mansfield (back row, second from left) and Karen Brannon (front row, third from left).

program offered at the Center is an evidence-based exercise program called Enhance Fitness (EF). This program is a low-cost, highly adaptable exercise program offering levels that are challenging and safe for older adults of all ability levels. One-hour group classes include stretching, flexibility, balance, low-impact aerobics, and strength-training.

Pat Flinn has been an EF participant for nearly six years. After I lost my husband, I needed to have a purpose to get out and stay active. I dragged my sister Jan to this exercise class and weve both been enjoying the physical benefits and friendships weve made. We have some members who stay in their chairs to exercise, but I like to challenge myself with extra weights, extra repetitions, and a faster pace. Its adaptable to your own needs, thats what makes it so great.

The outstanding success of Enhance Fitness is its positive participant outcomes. EF participants have shown a 52 percent improvement in depressive symptoms and 35 percent improvement in physical functioning. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also published a study showing that Enhance Fitness showed promising evidence to drive down total healthcare costs, decrease unplanned hospitalizations, and decrease mortality rates for participating Medicare beneficiaries.

The Chelsea Senior Center partners with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM), who currently holds licensing for EF programs in 26 sites throughout Metro Detroit and Flint. All EF instructors are group

exercise and CPR certified, but also receive a special EF training and certification. Twice a year, NKFM staff come out to Chelsea and run fitness checks to measure EF participants physical status. These fitness checks measure any change in physical ability, upper and lower body strength or endurance, and balance.

Ken and Vi Johnson are new Chelsea residents who moved here from Minnesota to be closer to family. In their 80s, the Johnsons realized they were not getting the exercise they needed and made a commitment after Vis hip surgery to get back in shape. The program is very good and manageable. The instructor is always very

encouraging and reassures us that its OK to do it at your pace. Weve been in the program for two months and can recognize changes in the way we walk and are looking forward to being more physically fit.

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Senior Center offers Enhance Fitness in Chelsea, Grass Lake

The MilwaukeeBrewers have exercised the club option in manager Ron Roenicke'scontract, keeping him with the team through at least the 2016 season, the club announced Thursday.

Roenicke, 58, has been with the Brewers since 2011. It has been his only stop as a manager.

In Roenicke's first year with Milwaukee, the Brewers won a franchise-record 96 games. They won their first NLCentral title in 29 years but lost to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.

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There had been speculation the Brewers might fire Roenicke after the team's second-half collapse last season but the team announced in October that he would return in 2015.

The Brewers led the division by 6.5 games on July 1, and held the division lead for a total of 133 days. They were tied for the division lead on Aug. 31 but went 9-17 in September and finished eight games behind theCardinalsin the division.

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Brewers excercise 2016 club option on manager Ron Roenicke

Having already locked up Giancarlo Stanton through at least 2020, the Marlins have secured the services of an even younger core player. Christian Yelich, their 23-year-old leftfielder, has agreed to a seven-year extension worth $49.57 million. It's the second-largest extension for a player in his service class, and it marks further evidence that the Marlins are trying to build around a stable cast of players.

The 23rd pick of the 2010 draft out of Westlake High School in California, Yelich debuted for the Marlins on July 23, 2013 and made a solid showing as a 21-year-old rookie, batting .288/.370/.396 with 10 steals in 62 games. He extended a similar performance across his first full season, batting .284/.362/.402good for the same 112 OPS+ as the year beforewith nine homers and 21 steals. Batting primarily in the leadoff spot, he scored 94 runs, the highest total by a Marlin since Dan Uggla scored 100 in 2010.

The annual breakdown of the deal has yet to be reported, but presuming that it incorporates this seasonduring which Yelich is making $570,000it will run through 2021, with a $15 million club option and a $1.25 million buyout for '22, his age-30 season. Had he not signed, Yelich would have been eligible for arbitration after the '16 season and for free agency after the '19 season. His deal falls shy of the seven-year, $58 million extension to which Andrelton Simmons agreed last year, the largest for a player with between one and two years of service time, but it beats all other comers in that service class according to data at MLB Trade Rumors:

That's good company, of which only the extension of Gyorkowho suffered through a miserable season marked by plantar fasciitis last yearhasn't worked out, though of course it's early in most of those deals.

Via the Sun-Sentinels Juan C. Rodriguez, Yelich is just the third homegrown Marlin to receive a contract of at least four years since owner Jeffrey Loria bought the team in 2002, following Josh Johnson (four years and $39 million in '10) and Stanton. His deal is the second-longest in team history behind Stanton's record-setting 13-year, $325 million deal, topping the six-year, $70 million extension that Hanley Ramirez signed in '08. Johnson and Ramirez were both traded as part of the teardown of the free agent-laden '12 team.

Based on the track record of agent Scott Boras, it's highly unlikely that the 22-year-old Fernandez, who's currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, will agree to an extension, but if he did, it would likely top that of Yelich. Fernandez has two years of service time, meaning that he can be arbitration eligible after this season and a free agent after '18both consequences of the team opening the '13 season with him on the roster instead of keeping him down in the minors to start the year, as the Cubs may do to Kris Bryant.

With Yelich joining Stanton in the fold, it will certainly be interesting to see how many of these other Fish take the bait, but even if not all of them do, the Marlins have secured another important piece of their future.

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Marlins keep building for future with longterm deal for Yelich