Seniors workout during a SilverSneakers exercise class for seniors at Premier Fitness in Tyler Nov. 21, 2016. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

BETTY WATERS, blw@tylerpaper.com

 

Bill Ballou, 77, paused before starting a workout in a SilverSneakers class and quipped, “It’s good exercise without being too stringent for old fat men like me. It’s a good place to meet folks and make new friends. It’s a good outlet.”

SeniorSneakers is a senior citizen fitness class for people ages 65 and older, but anyone who wants to come work out with the group is accepted and some class members are younger, said Sarah Smith, one of three SilverSneakers instructors at Premier Fitness, 5604 Donnybrook Ave.

 Deborah Lowrance, 59, has been participating for three years. “It’s a really good all-around workout that keeps you fit well into your 80’s and we have people here to prove that,” she said.

 “I’m one of the younger ones. I got started as rehabilitation for injuries. It was doing so much for my well-being that I just stayed,” Lowrance said. People in their 30’s have taken the class, according to Smith.

 SilverSneakers is a 45-minute class that focuses on developing coordination, balance and strength. Overall, the class concentrates on fitness and is good for people with all levels of fitness, Smith said.

 One participant comes in on a walker and then there are people who just turned 6, who are in great shape, ready and eager to exercise. “I give them modifications if I think something we are doing might not be good for a person over here. I say if it’s too hard for you, you can do it this way,” Smith said.

 “It really is a huge social thing too,” she said, observing many of the participants arrive 30 minutes early to visit with each other before class and some do not leave until 30 minutes after the class. If a class member misses a day or even if the instructor has a substitute, other class members call to check on them.

 Smith starts her SilverSneakers class with a warm-up dance to get bodies moving, then commences exercises – many done with balls, bands and hand weights, followed by a cool-down period and stretching, all done to music.

 “We have a variety of music, but we try to stay at a certain pace – approximately 130 beats per minute,” Smith said. “It’s not too fast and it’s not too slow. It’s a good pace to go at.” The family-friendly music is from the ’50s, the ’60s, the ’70s and the ’80s.

 Each class member has a sturdy chair. They can do exercises standing or sitting.

 “If you get tired, it’s good to be able to sit down and rest. It’s also nice to have that there while we are standing … they can hold on to it for stability when we work on balance and stand on one leg or go up on our tiptoes and do calf raises,” Smith said.

 “You get a little of all exercises and it’s good to be around people and have a good time,” Marvin Massey, 73, said. “My wife and I wanted to stay active after we retired to help improve our health.”

 The class provides “a very good workout,” Henry Hamilton, 78, said. “I like the instructors, the pleasant atmosphere and the free coffee.”

 The balls are used for eye-hand coordination, squeezing for hand strength and arthritis and for helping with grip, Smith said, noting that class members toss them up and catch them and move them in different directions.

 Bands and dumb bells or hand weights are for muscle strengthening, she said. The different colored bands, for people with different abilities, work the shoulders and upper back and are used for squeezing.

Class members lift the dumb bells to build shoulder muscles, to tighten and protect rotator cuffs and the shoulders. If the class seems too easy for someone, Smith suggests they pick up a pound or two heavier dumb bells.

 Sometimes class members walk on their tiptoes in a straight line or walk backwards. “I always say we are training for the circus,” Smith said with a laugh.

 The class helps with life style and feeling better, Smith said. She knows of cases where people have been able to get off medications and lose weight after starting to SilverSneakers.

 Class size usually ranges from 18 to 22.

 Premier Fitness has a SeniorSneakers class that meets at 10:45 a.m. Monday through Friday and a second class that meets at 11:45 a.m. on Monday and Wednesday.

 

Twitter: @Betty_TMT

 

 

Home Exercises

 Stand up and sit back down in your kitchen chair 10 times, rest and do it again. Do two or three sets of 10.  This is a good exercise for your whole lower body and works your legs and core. If standing up and sitting down is too easy, pick up a big dictionary and do a bicep curl with it at the same time.

 Get behind your chair and do lunges, one foot in front of the other.

 Go to your kitchen counter, put your hands wide apart, lock your feet behind you and do pushups. Pushups can also be done against a wall. They work your chest, shoulders and triceps.

 If you have hand weights, do bicep curls, lifting your arms and working your shoulders. If you do not have weights, use bottles of water or anything around the house, such as a sack of flour.