CLASSES HELP SENIOR STAY HEALTHY

"We Americans tend to rust out long before we wear out because we don't use our bodies as they are intended to be," someone has said.

About 200 senior citizens, 60 to 90, are attempting to use their bodies as they are intended to be by participating in the Senior Learning Program Fitness Program at Southeast Missouri State University. The Senior Learning Program is an educational opportunity for people older than 60. It is funded by the Senior Citizens Services Fund, which is a county tax, and other grants as well as minimal fees by participants. Offered are special-interest, humanities and fitness classes.

"We often say in the office that we are the best kept secret in town," said Marilee Roethemeyer, Senior Learning Program fitness coordinator.

"We believe expanded opportunities are needed for senior citizens," she continued. "They need to take care of themselves because nobody else is going to do it for them. They have horizons they can touch. Due to jobs and raising children, they have put many activities on back burners. Now they have time to do these activities."

For those senior citizens interested in becoming more fit, several options are offered by the program. Among those are swimming, a personal fitness program, aquatics, Pep Up Your Life, P.A.C.E. (People with Arthritis can Exercise) and Tai Chi Chuan.

In the exercise classes, each person goes at his own pace and within his own limitations.

"Nobody is expected to keep up with anyone else," Roethemeyer explained. "We tease that we are not a Jane Fonda tape and we don't wear Spandex."

The swimming classes are small with individual attention given to each student. One can learn to swim or brush up on techniques. Various strokes and breathing techniques are taught.

In the personal fitness program, professional staff design a personal fitness program that will maximize the benefits of exercise for the participant. Access to all exercise machines, walking track and racquetball courts is included in the fee.

The aquatics classes consist of exercise in warm water. The buoyancy of water provides a cushioning effect for the joints and decreases the risk of injury. Studies have shown that the attributes of exercising in water are many. Muscles all over the body can be greatly strengthened. Those who are unable to do other exercises are able to perform in the water. Water exercise makes for less impact on the joints. Flexibility, endurance and muscles are affected.

Aquatics has come to the rescue for those with arthritis pain. The Arthritis Foundation and the Nation YMCA Aquatic Committee have joined together to design therapeutic water programs for people with arthritis or similar limitations.

Roethemeyer, an Arthritis Foundation certified instructor, teaches the aquatics classes. She said that participants in the class do not have to swim, do not get their faces in the water and do not get their hair wet.

Roethemeyer has heard several testimonials from those who have taken part in the aquatics program. "One lady was asked why she participates," she said. "The petite lady answered, 'Last year at this time I was in a wheelchair and tomorrow at this time I am leaving for Colorado on vacation with my family.'"

The woman had sustained compression fractures, and she attributed her increased strength and mobility to the aquatics class.

Pep Up Your Life also improves strength, flexibility and endurance. This program, based on recommendations from the American Association of Retired Persons and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, is especially designed for midlife and older people. According to the council, much of the physical frailty attributed to aging is actually the result of inactivity, disease or poor nutrition. The exercises are designed to help the participant take charge of his health and maintain the level of fitness necessary for an active independent lifestyle.

Edna Murphy, a participant in Pep Up Your Life at the Senior Learning Center is very enthusiastic about the program. "For me it is just marvelous," she said. "I have such praise for the exercise part of it. It makes me feel so good and gives me a routine in my life. The program is very well done."

P.A.C.E. is a slightly less demanding exercise class than Pep Up Your Life. P.A.C.E. includes range of motion, muscle strengthening and-or exercises, body mechanics and relaxation techniques. The instructor is Arthritis Foundation certified.

Tai Chi Chuan has been acclaimed as the king of low-impact exercises. It requires the mind to focus on movement, thereby producing not only a stronger body, but also a stronger mind. Regular practice of Tai Chi improves balance and coordination as it strengthens muscles and joints. There is virtually no impact so it does not jar joints or organs. The continuous deep breathing and full body movements oxygenate the blood.

A University of Connecticut study showed that people who practice Tai Chi and do some mild walking show 60 percent fewer falls than the general population.

Irene Murphy is enrolled in the Tai Chi class to improve balance. "It is very graceful and very calming for me," she said. "It goes very slowly. So many senior citizens don't realize it is not jumping jacks and pushups. It is for strength and flexibility.

"You always hear that blondes have more fun," Murphy continued. "I think that senior citizens who exercise have more fun."

It has been proven that senior citizens who exercise have more fun and also are healthier. Studies done at the University of Michigan proved that "a regular exercise program can delay or reduce the outcomes of normal aging, including helping older people to maintain their fitness, improve muscle tone and strength and maintain overall flexibility and mobility. Weight bearing and resistance can decrease the bone loss that is often associated with osteoporosis. Even older people who are quite frail and disabled can benefit from regular physical exercise."

The National Institute on Aging has declared that "if exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed, and beneficial, medicine in the nation."