USA: Seniors Stretch Mind and Body

HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY(NorthJersey.com), January 8, 2005: Clara Adrignola was an overweight, two-pack-a-day smoker heading for a heart attack when she started walking for exercise 15 years ago. The walking led her into a health club. The health club led her into an aerobics class, then workouts with a trainer. Last summer, the workouts led her - at age 67 - into a bikini. "My husband loved it," she said, giggling. "He took pictures of me in it." Older Americans like Adrignola are joining health clubs and fitness programs faster than any other age group. They may be jolted by a loved one's illness, told by a doctor to get moving, or impelled by a desire to chase the grandchildren without running out of breath. Health club membership among those over 55 has more than tripled since 1987. "This category's growth has outpaced all other age groups," said Bill Howland, research director for the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association. Most days, Adrignola can be found in a sports bra and skin-tight pants lifting weights or power-stepping at the gym. She keeps up with, and sometimes embarrasses, athletes half her age. "Clara can do things 20-year-olds can't," said Erica Alexander, her trainer and group fitness director at Spa 2 in Paramus. Things like 100 consecutive push-ups and bicep curls with 40-pound dumbbells. She can bench-press an 80-pound barbell. Not only has she avoided the jellied underarms and widow's hump of advancing age, she has added muscle and hardened her bones. And Adrignola is far from the oldest person in the gym. Recently, Spa 2 hosted a 90th birthday breakfast for one of its long-term members. "I get there three times a week," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified because she lives alone. "I work out about an hour: Twenty minutes on the bike, 20 on the treadmill, and 20 in the pool." Both mind and body are stretched, she said. "It's mental gymnastics every morning. I walk in and it's: 'Hi, Rachel. Hi, Susan. Hi, Tom.' I know all their names." As seniors tone and transform through strength training, Aquacise, tai chi and aerobics, they're doing more than improving their health. They're developing and maintaining strong arms that can carry groceries and laundry, a sense of balance that keeps the body from falling, and bonds with active friends that keep the mind alert - all of which helps older people stay independent. "It's never too late," said Marianna Shihadeh, Spa 2's membership and marketing director. "You don't have to wear elastic waistbands and long sleeves for the rest of your life. We have a large group of seniors and they're full of confidence and very outgoing." At the Ridgewood YMCA, Health and Fitness Director Carol Livingstone unlocks the doors at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. "It's mostly seniors waiting to get in," she said. "There's about 20 at the front door, and a few more at the side." They swim laps, relax in the whirlpool, hop on the treadmill and lift weights. Early-morning chatter in the women's locker room - in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese - is as often about dates, upcoming cruises and babysitting the grandkids as it is about medical tests and retirement. Trainer Rob Wrage at Bally Fitness Center in Englewood Cliffs has also noticed that the older set now seems more interested in exercise. "We aren't going to make these people bodybuilders or models," he said. "But they can get out of the house, open bottles, reach high cabinets more easily. "A lot of times, older people are very sedentary," he added. "We help them to increase their flexibility, strength, range of motion, and balance." The Matrix Fitness Center in Pompton Lakes counts among its members people who've never exercised and some with walkers and wheelchairs. "The majority of people who come in here clearly have a medical risk," said Dan Lynch, president of the club, a joint venture with St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital. Some members are referred by physicians, who are provided with quarterly progress reports on their patients. Computerized equipment helps them maintain an optimal heart rate and set the weights and seats appropriately. Pat Leible, 63, of Glen Rock started strength training at the Ridgewood Y after a bone-density scan three years ago showed osteoporosis. At a recent checkup, her bone density had increased, and osteoporosis was no longer evident in her neck. She credits her chest presses, leg extensions and other exercises. Older club members are concerned more about quality of life than losing weight, Howland said. "It's more holistic: 'Regular activity on a regular basis allows me to remain active in the rest of my life,'Ÿ" he said. Signs of generation-creep can be as obvious as the gray-haired Aquacise teacher and Sinatra tunes for the dance routine. Some others: # Newer clubs are designed with softer lighting and fewer mirrors, to minimize attention to wrinkles and sags. Subliminally, this conveys the message that exercise is more about how you feel than how you look. # Not all bikers are like Lance Armstrong. Wide-bottomed seats are standard now on stationary bikes - and most have backrests. # Classes are more joint-friendly. In addition to highly choreographed step routines, most clubs now offer yoga, Pilates (a form of exercise that emphasizes core strength), and tai chi. Aquacise is popular with older members because the water enables arthritic joints to glide more freely. Some clubs have added classes specifically for seniors, such as the Ridgewood Y's ALERT (Adult Light Exercise and Relaxation Techniques). Many clubs, aware that health concerns are an issue, have heart-rate monitors on treadmills and other machines. The layout of health clubs acknowledges their new role as social centers. "For years the idea was to squeeze treadmills into every available space," Howland said. Now clubs deliberately leave room to hang out. Parties are popular. Maybe it's a sign-up sheet in the locker room for a trip to the Grand Buffet, or a dance at the gym, with tinsel hanging from the fans. Adrignola loves it when her "gym family" comes over to the house for dinner. Most clubs offer senior discounts. Some charge less for members who use the facility during the day, benefiting retirees. Chronic health conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure and osteoporosis are motivators, not impediments. Exercise helps keep them under control, in some cases even reversing their progress. Research has shown that men who walk at least two miles a day cut their risk of dementia in half, compared to those who don't. Women over 70 who walk at least 90 minutes a week do better on tests of mental functioning than those who walk less than 40 minutes. Exercise helps fight depression and anxiety. "It improves their self-image, so they feel stronger and more independent," said Dr. Terry Ginsberg, a geriatrician at the University of Medicine and Dentistry's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford. "You're never too old to exercise," Ginsberg said. At Spa 2, Adrignola marvels at her own transformation. "I was like butter when I started, just butter," she said. "I couldn't go up a flight of stairs." Once she started, though, she loved it. Before she knew it, she had given up her weekly manicures and bingo games to spend more time at the gym. With her earnings as a Saddle Brook crossing guard, she hired her aerobics teacher as a personal trainer and started pumping iron. As her physical strength grew, so did her inner strength. She's found the courage to make young friends at the gym and reassure newcomers dazzled by her fitness to "Keep at it, it will come." More important, she's outrun a terrible legacy. She has outlived her mother, who died at age 49 of heart disease; her father, who died at 53 of the same thing; and all three of her siblings. "I feel so good," she said. "When I see what I've done in my life - what I'm able to do now, certain things I accomplished. ... Oh my gosh, I don't believe I did it. It makes me feel so good about myself.'' By Lindy Washburn washburn@northjersey.com Copyright © 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.