Seniors are exercising their fitness options

Seniors are exercising their fitness options
By Tiiffany Ray

The Birmingham (Ala.) News
Harold Finch, 76, lifts hand weights at the downtown YMCA in Birmingham, Ala. He says one of the biggest benefits of the SilverSneakers program is the social interaction.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — About a month ago, Emma J. Square took her first SilverSneakers exercise class at the YMCA as part of an ongoing effort to improve her health since having open-heart surgery in 2004.

She's liking the results.

"I think it's wonderful," said Square, 74. "I'm enjoying it immensely. It helps me get use of my arms and legs and not be stiff from just sitting around."

Square is among a growing number of seniors who are focusing greater attention on physical fitness. Various organizations are developing programs to meet the demand.

"More than anything else, it's a growing awareness that the boomers are booming, and you've got to keep them healthy," R. Michael Gall, a Huntsville-based senior-fitness expert, said of the trend. "And you can't keep them healthy just by feeding them pills."

By 2030, the U.S. will be home to 70 million people who are 65 or older, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Jack Rejeski, a professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University, said that as the senior population booms, "it behooves everyone to pay attention to this now rather than wait until it's here."

Physical activity plays a significant role in countering the process of physical disablement, Rejeski said. A recent pilot study by researchers at Wake Forest and three other universities found that people 70 and older with some physical disability benefited substantially from a yearlong physical-activity program, particularly regarding mobility, he said.

Senior centers, churches and health clubs are becoming increasingly attentive to the needs of seniors.

Gold's Gym International recently partnered with AARP to market its gyms through the retiree organization, said Jeff Marks, vice president of operations for Gold's Gym of Birmingham.

SilverSneakers is a national program offered through participating health plans that provides seniors free gym memberships (participating sites can be found at www.silversneakers.com).

SilverSneakers classes combine strength, flexibility, balance and endurance training in a program that can be done sitting down. Jayme Creamer, fitness director for the downtown Birmingham YMCA, said some tentative SilverSneakers participants gradually have moved on to water aerobics, weight training and other exercises.

They've also made new friends. Harold Finch, 76, said one of the biggest benefits of SilverSneakers is the social interaction.


"I just enjoy the people, meeting the people," he said. "That's so wonderful, to see the smiles and the greetings. And then I just feel great. I don't mind eating that extra hamburger."

Gall, 70, said water aerobics and other water-based classes are popular among seniors and others with mobility problems because being in water relieves about 80 percent of body weight.

Tai chi also is popular, he said, because it requires little sweating but involves mobility, range of motion and balance — all critical areas for seniors.

Gall said all kinds of exercise can be modified to accommodate seniors of varying levels of physical ability, but "you've got to make it fun." He recommends walking, dancing and other activities in tune with seniors' daily lives.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company