Nothing but a number: Age not stopping baby boomers from being fit

Published 8:27 pm Saturday, May 18, 2013

BY COSHANDRA DILLARD

cdillard@tylerpaper.com

Robbie Waters, 50, is a fit grandma and she wants to keep it that way. Her flattened abdomen and toned arms could rival that of women half her age.

She didn’t get her physique by putting in hours at the gym or spending a lot of money.

Over the years, she got on the dance floor to burn calories. Ms. Waters would dance at nightclubs “from the time they opened the door until they closed,” about five nights a week.

“The music was energy,” she said. “It made me feel better. I looked forward to it.”

Men who tried to dance alongside just frustrated her. Regulars at the club understood that she was just getting a workout in.

“You’re not going to get any points with this,” she recalled a DJ telling a wannabe suitor. “She’s just coming to exercise.”

Ms. Waters has never let age get in the way of her fitness goals. While she stays active, she credits her faith and genetics as the secrets to her energetic disposition.

“I am 50, according to my birth certificate,” she always says. “That’s my birth certificate saying I’m 50. When I look in the mirror, I can’t believe that.”

BABY BOOMERS HAVE SIGHTS ON THE GYM 

For adults such as Ms. Waters, it’s not enough just to live longer. Now more than ever, adults 50 and older are maintaining an active fitness regimen, which often includes going to the gym.

And according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, the number of health club members 55 years and older grew 343 percent from 1987 to 2003, compared to 180 percent for members ages 35 to 54.

They know that longevity isn’t always synonymous with good health. Thanks to medical innovation and pharmaceuticals, lives get extended even with a diagnosis of a chronic illness. For example, two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese, and more than 26 million people suffer from type 2 diabetes. Heart disease continues to be the No. 1 health problem in the country.

The baby boomer generation — those born between 1946 and 1964 — will spur a large demographic shift in the U.S. in the next 17 years.  The 65-and-older population is expected to jump to 72.1 million, or about 20 percent of the population, by 2030. This is compared to 55 million in 2010.

The fitness industry understands this shift. Some clubs that have a majority 50-plus membership and utilize machines modified for older adults are sprouting in parts of the United States. Health clubs already have been tailoring to older adults, with group fitness activities such as Zumba Gold and Silver Sneakers.

Ms. Waters has charted a return to fitness after slacking up on the club scene. She’s discovering the benefits of group fitness classes and weightlifting, with passes to a local gym.

“I love working out,” she said. “I love running. To me, it’s amazing. It’s like an adrenaline rush. Fitness is basically one of the keys to healthy thinking, feeling healthy, feeling happy and it’s a confidence booster.”

During Zumba, she’s the most vocal one in the class, which gives other members a little chuckle.

“I make all of those noises because it’s burning,” she said. “I just have to holler.”

The vibrating Latin and hip-hop music also gives her something to shout about.

“I just feel it in my spirit,” she said. “I hear the music, and I just go with it.”

SEEKING HEALTHY AGING, CONTINUED MOBILITY

Older adults who regularly work out say they want to avoid what some believe is inevitable as they age.

“I think there is a great fear,” Lee Ann Loggins, 53, said. “People don’t want to end up in a senior facility. I’ve noticed the elderly people who never do anything and they deteriorate a lot quicker than people who stay active. I don’t want to end up sitting and laying around and not able to do anything.”

Growing up, her parents were active, so it kept her busy, too. Mrs. Loggins participated in tennis and gymnastics. She’s also tried kickboxing, waterskiing, hiking and walking. But most often, someone may catch her at the gym lifting weights. While some women of all ages may be intimidated by weightlifting, it’s a must for Mrs. Loggins.

“I like to have muscle, and I like to be firm,” she said in between a training session.

More importantly, she said, people have to just get up and do something, anything.

“I encourage people to take the first step,” Mrs. Loggins said. “Just make sure you have a goal. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll get. You don’t have to be some power lifter off the bat.”

Rudolph Johnson, also a weightlifter, has consistently worked to chisel his body. The 66-year-old remains active and stays in the gym at least four times each week. He also walks and bicycles. He started about 15 years ago, when he took advantage of a gym membership paid for by his then-job.

“I walked in the gym and picked up a weight, and I’ve been here ever since,” Johnson said. “I fell in love with it.”

Seeing the benefits of exercise motivates individuals to do even more, and Johnson is no exception.

“You start building on the body and it starts looking good so it’s something you want to keep working on,” he said. “You feel like doing things. You don’t want to just sit down. You want to get up and go.”

Johnson said talking people into exercise, at any age, won’t work. 

“It’s something you gotta want,” he said.

IS AGE A STATE OF MIND?

At the gym, Nadine Grabow, 70, is noticed by those around her, with whispers of “Do you know how old she is?”

She hits the weight room three times each week to work on her legs, shoulders, back or chest. She’s been going to the gym for at least 20 years.

“It’s hard for women, in particular, to know that it’s important to maintain strength and muscle in the shoulders and chest,” Ms. Grabow said.

In addition to the weightlifting, she does a mix of cardio activity and yoga.

“Everything has to be mixed up,” she said. “You can’t do the same machines and the same cardio over and over. Your body will get used to it.”

 Ms. Grabow has osteoporosis, but it doesn’t keep her from being active.

“You have to workout and if you don’t, the worse a situation like that becomes,” she said.

Ms. Grabow is also a six-year breast cancer survivor. The treatments caused fatigue, but she knew she’d have to get back to the fitness level she was before the diagnosis. It took about one year.

“I never stopped anything during treatment,” she said. “I knew I could do it.”

Fitness is second nature to Ms. Grabow. She hangs with friends and family who are active; so it’s expected. She said being fit isn’t about avoiding the natural order of life, but instead is about feeling confident and enjoying life’s opportunities.

“The aging process has to be accepted, but the degree to which the aging process is slowing you down is another story …” she said. “You command how you want your life to be.”

She has also been influenced by her mother’s philosophy on healthy aging.

“My mother used to say, ‘All your life, you’re young, and then one day, you wake up and you’re old,'” she said. “The minute you say you’re not going to (be active), you won’t. I think it’s that sudden. I don’t think it’s gradual. … I didn’t wake up to get old yet.”