Exercise reaps big benefits for seniors

For 13 years, Geri Campbell has watched seniors reap the benefits of the popular exercise classes she leads at the Gold Country Community Center on the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

Seniors congregate at the center each weekday for exercise, dance and movement classes and some of them have been coming since the day Campbell showed up.

"They don't get sick of it, I'm amazed," Campbell said of her clients. "People get results, they can move again and gain strength and they get a great cardiovascular workout."

At a recent class, Campbell had them doing an exercise called "The Plank," which brought several good-hearted moans. The class members had to put their forearms on a mat and extend themselves upwards with their toes.

"The Plank is like a total body workout," said Campbell, 53, of Grass Valley.

But not everybody at Campbell's classes are expected to do things like The Plank when they walk in, as self-pacing and calmness are encouraged.

"I learned early on to have a fun class," Campbell said. "Sometimes people are worried about working out around other people, worried about their moves and steps, but we don't worry about that."

In a pamphlet entitled "Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging," the group tied to the federal National Institutes of Health says exercise only makes sense for seniors.

"For the most part, when older people lose their ability to do things on their own, it doesn't happen just because they have aged. More likely, it is because they have become inactive," the guide states. "Older inactive adults lose ground in four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Fortunately, research suggests that you can maintain or at least partly restore these four areas through exercise - or through everyday physical activities (walking briskly or gardening, for example) that accomplish some of the same goals as exercise."

For Karen Lilly, 60, of Nevada City, Campbell's class at the center not only offers such physical benefits but "is a wonderful support group. I came through all my chemotherapy and this was my fan club," she said, pointing to class members.

"The neat thing about this class is Geri is so sensitive to the special population," of seniors, said Gene Lilly, 63, of Nevada City and Karen's husband. "We have people here in their 80s."

Fusako Wasley, 77, of Nevada City showed up four years ago.

"I could hardly walk," because of her osteoporosis. "I was depressed because of my husband," who had just died.

"It's 99 percent better with the pain now," Wasley said. "This really helped."

"There is no bouncing, no jarring," Campbell said. "Jane Fonda was high-impact aerobics. Then we do strength training with exercise tubing and stretch at the end."

Campbell's likes to represent the class by telling the story of a former client they knew only as Alex.

"He was in his 80s and came in hunched over, grey and frail," Campbell said. "He started aerobics and in three months his posture was erect, his color was rosy and he had a big smile on his face.

"He flirted with all the ladies," Campbell said. "He was shameless."



Huge market

Gayle Lossman is another trainer who specializes in aging clients. She had always been fit, but when she got out of the insurance business in the late 1990s, she thought she might be too old to be fitness trainer.

"A huge market came into existence for senior trainers, who people felt they were more comfortable with," said Lossman, 62, who works at the South Yuba Club. "When you get to this age, there's still lots of things we can do, like play with the grandkids and go on vacations.

"If not, you're using a cane or a walker," Lossman said. "I run into people who say, 'What is the point?' My attitude is if you stay active, you get to really live until the day you die."

Lossman teaches the Senior Sneakers program at the club. Her boss there is Mike Carville

Carville landed the nationally-known program by outbidding other clubs in the Auburn, Grass Valley-Nevada City area.

"We've been battling to find a senior-friendly program," Carville said. "Seniors are just like the rest of us and need to be physically active because the body starts stiffening with age. We're told in our golden years we can sit back and not do much and that is really far from the truth."

Carville sees more than physical fitness through the Senior Sneakers program.

"It's huge emotionally and mentally and Gayle will tell you it's a primary source of social interaction," for elderly clients. "We do senior-appropriate exercise which are low impact because of older joints. You have to think about mobility, balance and intensity."

Lossman said she warms her classes up slowly, does a full body stretch and then moves on to marching to music and aerobics. Then the class uses strength bands, hand-held weights and squeeze balls, with some of the clients sitting down.

They stretch and then rest for five minutes before the class is over. Once every six weeks, the group has a social get-together.

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To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.



Exercise for

the aging

You can find inexpensive exercise programs for aging people at the Gold County Community Center, at Gate 2 of the Nevada County Fairgrounds, 11350 McCourtney Road, 273-4961.

Senior exercise programs for groups or individuals can also be found at health clubs in western Nevada County.