You are never too old to reach out for a hidden heart’s desire, try something new or rekindle an old passion.
Think about a goal that went unfulfilled from decades ago, or activities you enjoyed way back when — things you always wanted to try and never had time or were too afraid to try; sports that you were told were not “proper” for girls or “appropriate” for boys.
What about yoga, martial arts or dancing? How many girls and boys always wanted to play drums like “Cubby and Karen” on the original Mickey Mouse Club, or Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead?
It is no surprise that our bodies change as we age. Joints stiffen, our heart and lung capacities reduce, and metabolism slows. Seniors should engage in resistance training twice a week to improve and maintain strength, flexibility, bone density and balance. Cardiovascular exercise once a week, especially activities like walking, swimming and bicycling, are good for the whole body but also gentler on joints.
Swimming.
With the motto, “If you are going to get old, you might as well get as old as you can get in style,” Carol Peterson, 68, will compete in her fourth “Tri for the Cure” triathlon this year. In addition to training for the swimming, biking and running this event requires, she also has climbed all but eight of Colorado’s fourteeners and skis in the Nastar races as part of the Over-The-Hill Gang’s annual “Galactic Ski Championships” at Copper Mountain.
Peterson is one of many seniors who decided it was never too late to get out there and try new things.
“Younger adults can get discouraged when they try competing in something for the first time,” says Peterson. “But over age 60, you are with people who are supportive and encouraging — it is a whole different attitude.”
Marcia Anziano grew up in a time when girls were not expected to do much in the way of athletics. Her mother was afraid of the water, and, as a consequence, so was she. But while watching her daughter swim, Anziano was asked to join a triathlon training group with some other parents. So, at age 49, Anziano learned to swim.
Today, at 64, she isn’t just doing laps; she has won medals at the U.S. Masters Championships and open-water events for the past nine years. She also coaches Masters Swimming at the Colorado Athletic Club-Inverness.
Next for Anziano? Just a little leisurely swim — across the English Channel.
“I am part of a relay of six people — most of whom are in their 40s — who will each swim an hour at a time across the English Channel this summer.”
Anziano’s experience is encouraging for so many people who have trepidations about getting in the water. “I encourage people to learn to swim and to get instruction in order to learn correctly,” says Anziano. “Unlike running, you can swim forever, and it is great for your body.”
Martial arts & self defense.
Many tai chi programs that specialize in senior participation modify the exercises so that they can be performed while seated or while standing and holding onto a chair.
Cherie Stackhouse, 80, got into tai chi last August just to see if it could help with her osteoarthritis. “At first I thought it was too mentally stressful because of all the moves I had to learn, but after three sessions I was hooked,” Stackhouse says.
She noticed that tai chi helped with the pain of arthritis, as well as her balance. “You have to stick with it because it does get easier. I feel more relaxed and stronger.”
People who remain active and exercise regularly often have fewer physical problems, particularly with muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and balance.
Tom Rauch, 77, has been active with basketball, jogging, aerobics and now tai chi.
“I have a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure, so I have always been active to combat that,” says Rauch, who practices tai chi in classes at Shalom Park, conducted by Aurora’s parks and recreation department. “I am in my fifth month of twice a week. It is relaxing, and helps us relax and breathe properly. I love it.”
Self-defense is especially important for seniors who might be more vulnerable to assault. The latest martial arts technique, “cane fighting,” applies the principles of stick fighting to the defensive use of walking sticks and canes, along with exercise and rehabilitation programs that use the cane as a tool.
Loretta Milburn of Lyons, 71, took a cane-fighting self-defense class last fall in Loveland. “I just thought it was a cool idea,” says Milburn who uses a cane only on occasion. “It was good for balance, strength, reaction time, reflexes and hand-eye coordination.
Hal Gustin teaches martial arts in Parker, including cane fighting. “Self-esteem builds when you understand that, since anyone can take a cane anywhere, you can use a cane as a valuable tool for stretching, resistance training and self-defense,” he says.
Dancing.
Whether it is ballroom, Latin, square, jazz, country or tap, dancing is great for the heart, lungs and bones. It promotes good balance, coordination and elevates the mood.
If you think “Dance Dance Revolution” is just for kids, talk to the folks at Holly Creek Retirement Community in Centennial. They just finished up a 12-week national study of improvements in balance and coordination through rhythmic, guided movement.
The participants stood on a pad hooked up to a computer video, similar to the popular Nintendo game. The object was to move with the direction of the arrows so the researchers could evaluate improvements in gait, endurance, balance and coordination.
Rose Marie Labriola, 80, says she never danced much before this program. “I had so much fun I may keep it up,” she says. ” My balance was OK but now I am much surer of myself.” Paul Youngren, 84, who had never done any kind of dancing, concurs. “It is good exercise for the mind, as well, because you have to concentrate and use quick reactions.”
Tap dancer Anna Harper, 88, has been step-ball-changing since she she was 7 years old. She got started when a dance teacher came to her class and offered lessons for 25 cents. “That was a lot of money in those days, but my mother said ‘yes,’ and I have been dancing ever since.”
To this day she taps once a week for an hour, traveling by bus to a private studio in Littleton to practice her art with choreographer/director, Jane Borg Chilson. She performs occasionally at Shalom Park, where she lives.
“It is a great way to exercise and it is fun,” Harper says.
Yoga.
Yoga has evolved to include exercises and moves from a chair or wheelchair. Research at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center confirm that modified yoga brings participants benefits similar to traditional yoga, with improved muscle mass and joint stability, as well as diminished pain and stiffness.
“I always thought that yoga was a young person’s activity,” says Jimi Halstead, 79. She says she feels more agile. “Now I do it twice a week. I love the camaraderie and support. You have to keep going, keep lubricated. Yoga benefits just about everybody.”
Drumming.
Drumming circles are becoming popular for all age groups, even seniors. Drumming can be performed while sitting, so people with difficulty being ambulatory can have an enjoyable and uplifting time creating music while getting in some very good exercise. And, for those who are not ambulatory, this is a superior way to improve overall health, relieve stress and create social bonds.
Not only is drumming fun, but it improves circulation in the hands and body, loosens stiff joints in the shoulders, arms and wrists, and stimulates the mind. Research conducted in 2002 and 2003 by the Institutional Review Board for Human Studies of Meadville Medical Center concluded that Recreational Music Making had more favorable effects than antidepressants and mood-stabilizing drugs.
Dick Bailey, 84, a resident of The Lodge at Balfour, a senior community in Louisville, has been drumming with the Balfour Drumming Circle for three years. “We have such fun together making music, something many of us had not experienced for many years,” Bailey says.
One of the key benefits of drumming, especially for seniors, is the mental discipline involved. “You must be willing to learn repetitive patterns with your hands; this can be a challenge for 80-year-olds,” he says. The “Balfour Boom” ensemble group performs at schools, fairs, parades and even Red Rocks.
Just get out there.
All sports seem to have a group of seniors who are defying what others think they should be doing. You are never too old to have fun and, as swimmer Carol Peterson says, to do it with style.
Linda J. Buch is a certified fitness trainer in Denver; linda@ljbalance.com.
Calling all seniors
Drumming and drum circles
HealthRhythms is a group-drumming approach that can improve mental and physical health, according to its founder, neurologist Barry Bittman; more at drum manufacturer , 661-294-5600.
Find local drumming groups at , 303-499-0520; and .
Tai chi and self defense
Taoist Tai Chi Society, ., 303-623-5163
Tai Chi Project, .
Cane Fighting, Cane Masters International Association, ., 800-422-2263
Park Academy of Martial Arts, 303-841-0515
Dance
Find “a gazilion links to Colorado dance” at . /colorado_dance/d_dance.htm
Yoga
Yoga in Chairs, Liz Franklin, .
More links to yoga classes, yoga-centers-directory.net
Triathlons
Tri for the Cure, triforthecure-denver.com
Danskin Triathlon, .
Skiing
Copper Mountain Over the Hill Gang; .
