September 21, 2026
Share:
When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?
There’s something powerful about trying something new.
Maybe it’s walking into a yoga class for the first time. Picking up a paintbrush when you’ve never considered yourself artistic. Sitting down next to someone you don’t know. Learning an instrument. Trying a new food. Joining a fitness class you’ve always watched from the sidelines.
Or maybe “new” isn’t the goal at all.
Maybe it’s doing one more sit-to-stand than you could last month. Walking another lap. Holding your balance a few seconds longer. Returning to something you once loved—or simply deciding to give yourself another chance.
At GenCare Lifestyle, we believe growing older shouldn’t mean becoming less curious about what you can still discover, learn, improve or experience.
So this October, we’re asking one simple question:
What will you TRY?
During Active Aging Week, October 5–11, GenCareLifestyle communities throughout the Puget Sound will kick off something new of our own:
The GenCare 21-Day TRY-Athlon
From October 5–25, residents, families, team members and community partners are invited to join us for 21 days built around a simple idea:
Try Something New. See What Changes.
No pressure. No need to be the best. And no requirement to participate every day.
The 21 days simply give us time to try, practice, discover and see what happens.
Want to try something once? Great.
Once a week? Great.
Twice a week? Great.
Want to go for the full 21 days? Great.
Your choice. Your goal. Your pace.
There’s no right way to TRY.
Because the TRY-Athlon isn’t about keeping up with anyone else.
It’s you vs. you.
You decide what you want to try. You decide what progress means to you. And you decide how far you want to take it.
Two Ways to Join the TRY-Athlon
We’ve made participating simple. There are just two ways to join—and you choose the one that feels right for you.
1. TRY Something New
When was the last time you did something you’d never donebefore?
Maybe this is your chance.
Try yoga.
Pick up a paintbrush.
Join a new social activity.
Learn something new.
Try a different food.
Meet someone new.
Give meditation a chance.
Try a fitness class.
Pick up an instrument.
Or say yes to something that makes you think, “I’m not sure that’s for me.”
You might love it. You might not.
You may try it once and check it off your list. Or you might discover something you want to do again and again.
Either way, you’ll know something you didn’t know before.
Because you tried.
And sometimes simply being willing to try something for thefirst time is the win.
2. Beat Your PR
At GenCare, PR means Personal Record.
And here’s the best thing about a personal record:
It’s personal.
Maybe today you can complete six sit-to-stands. Could your next PR be seven? Eight? Ten?
Maybe you comfortably walk one lap. Could you try for two?
Maybe you can hold a supported balance position for seven seconds. What happens if you practice and reach 10—or 14?
You decide.
You aren’t trying to keep up with the person next to you.You aren’t trying to be the fastest, strongest or best.
It’s you vs. you.
Your starting point.
Your goal.
Your pace.
Your progress.
If you decide you want to challenge yourself throughout all 21 days, go for it.
If once a week feels right, that’s great too.
You are entirely in charge of your TRY.
Why 21 Days?
Because the 21 days give you something valuable: time to see what might happen when you give something a chance.
But let’s be very clear:
You don’t have to do something for 21 days.
Try once.
Try once a week.
Try a few times.
Or challenge yourself for the full 21 days.
Great. Your choice.
The point isn’t filling 21 boxes. It’s choosing something that matters to you and seeing where it takes you.
Maybe you discover something you love after one TRY.
Maybe you practice something three times and realize you’re getting better.
Maybe you get hooked and decide to keep going long after the TRY-Athlon ends.
Or maybe you try something and decide, Nope, that’s not for me.
That counts too.
Because trying gives you an answer you didn’t have before.
There is no perfect TRY. There is only yours.
What Does Progress Look Like as We Age?
That’s one of the questions behind the TRY-Athlon.
Because progress doesn’t look the same for everyone—and it shouldn’t.
For one person:
Balance: 7 seconds → 14 seconds.
That’s a new personal record.
For another:
Never painted → Finished a first painting.
That’s a win.
Someone else might say:
Never tried yoga → Walked into a first class.
That’s a win too.
And someone’s TRY might have nothing to do with fitness.
Maybe the goal is to become more socially connected. They decide to attend one new activity a week. Three weeks later, they’ve tried three things, met some new people and discovered something they want to continue.
That’s progress.
There isn’t one definition of success here.
Your goal. Your pace. Your progress.
Active Aging Is About More Than Staying Busy
This is also why the TRY-Athlon feels so naturally GenCare.
Senior living can be very good at talking about activities.
How many classes were offered? How many events were on the calendar? How many people attended?
Those things matter.
But at GenCare, we want to know something more:
What happened because you participated?
Did you get a little stronger?
Did you walk a little farther?
Did your balance improve?
Did you discover something you enjoy?
Did you learn something?
Did you meet someone new?
Did you gain confidence?
Did you surprise yourself?
Did something that seemed difficult at the beginning feel a little different after you gave it a chance?
Those are the stories we’re interested in.
It’s part of the thinking behind GenCare’s Whole LifeLiving™ philosophy: looking beyond simply staying busy and creating opportunities for people to remain engaged, connected, curious and involved in the different dimensions that contribute to living fully.
We don’t just want to show what people do at GenCare.
We want to show what can happen because they do it.
Families: Your TRY Counts, Too
The TRY-Athlon isn’t only for GenCare residents.
We’re inviting families to get involved, too.
Come take a class with Mom.
Try something Dad enjoys.
Have lunch together and try something different.
Challenge yourself to your own personal record.
Or choose something neither of you has ever done and experience your first together.
Sometimes the best encouragement isn’t telling someone:
“You should try that.”
It’s saying:
“I’ll try it with you.”
Imagine discovering something new together—not because anyone had to, but simply because you both decided to give it a TRY.
Those are the experiences that can become great memories.
Looking for Senior Living? Come TRY Us.
If you’re exploring senior living for yourself or someone you love, we have an invitation for you, too.
Instead of simply hearing us describe GenCare, come experience it.
Choose your TRY.
Join us for a class.
Attend an activity.
Try a meal.
Come to an event.
Meet some of the people who live here.
Or tell us about something you’d like to work toward and let us help you give it a TRY.
A traditional senior living tour can show you an apartment, dining room, fitness center or common space.
Those things are important.
But there’s another question we think is just as important:
What might life here actually feel like?
The TRY-Athlon is an opportunity to find out.
Come in. Participate. Meet people. Try something.
No pressure. No expectation that you’re ready to make adecision.
Just an invitation to experience GenCare.
And perhaps discover something about yourself along the way.
Active aging isn’t something we should simply talk about with residents.
Try something new.
Challenge your personal record.
Join a resident for an experience.
Encourage someone else who is trying.
Because curiosity, growth and progress don’t have an age limit.
And trying something new is a lot more fun when an entire community gets involved.
What Happens When an Entire Community Starts Trying?
This may be the part we’re most excited to see.
Throughout the 21-Day TRY-Athlon, we’ll celebrate participation and progress across our communities.
Not just how many activities happened.
We want to celebrate the TRYs.
The firsts.
The progress.
The personal records.
The unexpected discoveries.
The connections.
And the stories behind them.
Maybe it’s a resident who walked farther than she thought she could.
Someone who discovered painting at an age when he never imagined picking up a brush.
A daughter who joined Mom for a class and ended up having just as much fun.
Someone who walked into an activity alone and walked out having met a new friend.
Or a person who tried something once and decided it wasn’t for them.
That counts, too.
Because sometimes the value isn’t in becoming great at something.
It’s discovering that you’re still willing to begin.
What Will Your TRY Be?
Active Aging Week is a perfect time to remind ourselves of something that’s easy to forget:
There are still firsts ahead of us.
Things to discover.
Things to learn.
People to meet.
Goals to reach.
Personal records to break.
And perhaps a few things you’ve spent years saying you’d try someday.
Someday sounds a lot like October.
So we’re inviting you.
No pressure.
No need to prove anything.
And certainly no need to keep up with anyone else.
This is you vs. you.
Try something once.
Try it once a week.
Try it a few times.
Work toward a personal record.
Or give yourself the full 21 days and see where it takes you.
Entirely up to you.
That’s what makes this a TRY-Athlon.
It’s not about how much you do.
It’s about being willing to begin.
So this October, we're inviting you to do something wonderfully simple:
Give it a TRY.
Maybe you’ll get stronger.
Maybe you’ll discover something you love.
Maybe you’ll meet someone new.
Maybe you’ll surprise yourself.
Maybe you'll do something you thought you couldn't do anymore.
Or maybe you'll simply get to say:
“I tried it.”
There’s really only one way to find out.
What will YOU try?
Join the GenCare 21-Day TRY-Athlon
October 5–25, 2026
Kicking off during Active Aging Week, October 5–11.
Try Something New. See What Changes.
Ready to TRY? Contact your local GenCare Lifestyle community to get your TRY-Athlon Passport, join an experience or schedule a visit.
Your goal. Your pace. Your progress.
You vs. you.
