Fitness for All
Fun Ways Seniors (and Their Caregivers) Are Keeping in Shape and Having a Ball!

By Natalie Foor

Residents of The Virginian enjoy working out using the
popular, easy-on-the-joints NuStep® recumbent
cross trainer.

Think exercise is meant only for the young? If so, think again! Offering everything from Tai Chi to Nintendo Wii™, NoVa senior living organizations are helping seniors—of all ages!—stay on the road to fitness while having a blast.

After all, as Cheryl Bartholomew, director of fitness and lifestyle at The Jefferson in Ballston (and former delegate for senior fitness at the 2005 White House Conference on Aging), expressed to us: The older the person, the greater the benefit from any exercise. She says the average age of residents in their fitness programs is 83 to 85 and that even those approaching 100 years enjoy and benefit from their classes.

Of the many physical fitness activities offered at The Jefferson, Bartholomew says that chair aerobics is the most popular program by far. As for why, according to her, for one, “It’s fun.” Plus, “Everyone can be successful.” Offered twice per week, the hour-long class is set to lively music, and props—such as balls, maracas, scarves and jingle bells (during the holidays)—add to the residents’ fun.

The Jefferson also features a specialized “Hip School”—a program originally developed in Germany for those who have osteoarthritis of the hip or who are recovering from or preparing for hip replacement surgery—as well as balance classes, ballroom and line dancing, chair yoga, Tai Chi, water aerobics and more. Plus, the community has a state-of-the-art fitness center and several personal trainers who contract with residents and The Jefferson to provide one-on-one training.

Fun-loving ladies at Heatherwood strive for strikes
as they enjoy a game of Wii bowling.

At Heatherwood Retirement Community in Burke what really gets the residents’ blood pumping is none other than Nintendo Wii™ Sports. First placed on the activities calendar last December, Wii Sports have now been added to the weekly calendar due to their popularity. According to Donna Cash, Heatherwood’s director of marketing, the gaming system’s bowling game is perhaps most popular. In addition to the Wii providing a fun way to stay fit, Cash says that Heatherwood’s “very independent” residents also feel better connected with their grandchildren, as the Wii spans many generations.

Karen Grable of Heatherwood’s activities department agrees. She said that the Wii, known to be very popular among the young, is enjoyed by many seniors who are well into their 80s, even some in their mid 90s. Due to the game’s popularity, she’s planning a Wii golf tournament at Heatherwood this spring. According to her, other favorite fitness activities there include seated volleyball and “Joy for Joints,” which is similar to Tai Chi.

Meanwhile, residents of The Virginian, located in Fairfax, enjoy taking part in the community’s motivational seasonal fitness programs such as “Walk Across America” (offered in late winter), which Michele McCarthy, fitness specialist, says involves residents setting their own weekly goals. Their progress is charted on a U.S. map as they log time on one of the 24-hour fitness center’s popular NuStep® machines; then they’re awarded prizes in celebration of reaching their “walking” goals.

Plus, in addition to a variety of half-hour group exercise programs, including balance classes, non-impact aerobics, flex/stretch and Tai Chi, The Virginian is proud to host a twice-weekly Arthritis Foundation Exercise Class, to which the greater community is invited as well.

In Woodbridge, Potomac Place is happy to have recently launched a new “Healthy Senior Living Program” for 2008, according to Director of Admissions and Marketing Karen Turchiano. She says each month their residents are focusing on a different aspect of overall health. January was all about managing stress. In February: “Be Hip. Don’t Slip.” And, this month, residents are being encouraged to “Walk Toward a Healthier You.”

Potomac Place residents dance the night away.

Another favorite fitness activity at Potomac Place, which recently celebrated a “Hawaii Week,” complete with hula dancers and virgin pina coladas, is the beach ball toss.

At Goodwin House, which has senior living communities in Alexandria and Bailey’s Crossroads, residents are certainly no strangers to today’s fun, senior-friendly ways to stay fit either. Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads even has a “washboard abs” class. For as Colleen Ryan Mallon, corporate director of marketing, recently told us: “No matter the age, women want to work on the belly.” She also emphasized the importance of seniors keeping their backs strong, something the class also helps to accomplish. Other popular fitness activities at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads include soothing outdoor yoga, which is offered in the spring and taught by a resident who has been a yoga instructor for years.

At Goodwin House Alexandria, however, residents simply can’t get enough of the aquatics program—which Bailey’s Crossroads residents will soon enjoy as well, thanks to a soon-to-be-completed expansion there. Not to mention, residents at both communities already benefit from the convenience of a 24-hour fitness center. No wonder they call ‘em the golden years!

Hospice Caregivers and Exercise
In the words of Spence Levine, director of communications at Capital Hospice, one of the very first hospice organizations in the U.S., and one of only a few that are certified to train physicians in hospice and palliative care, “Hospice care is about living.” In other words: “providing medical care with a goal toward comfort and quality of life.”

As Levine also stresses, hospice care is not only about caring for the patient. “We treat family and caregiver as our patient as well.”

Caregivers: Please remember that it is important to take care of you. Exercise is one way to do that.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious, progressive illness and have questions about hospice care, you may arrange for a free, no-obligation visit from a Capital Hospice nurse by calling (toll-free) 1-800-869-2136 or visiting www.capitalhospice.org.

Courtesy of ExerStrider

Getting Physical: Special Tools for the Senior Set
Before starting a new fitness regimen or making a major fitness purchase it is always recommended to consult with your doctor. However, here’s a glimpse of a few standout senior fitness tools, currently utilized in NoVa senior living communities, worth a special look. According to Michele McCarthy of The Virginian, the NuStep® recumbent cross trainer, pictured at the beginning of this article, is the most popular machine in the community’s fitness center. The ergonomically designed trainer, which simulates a natural walking motion, is lauded for minimizing joint stress and low back strain while simultaneously working the upper and lower body. To learn more, visit www.nustep.com.

Meanwhile, Cheryl Bartholomew of The Jefferson can’t say enough good things about Exerstrider® fitness walking poles. She says residents at The Jefferson starting using Exerstrider poles at the beginning of 2007; today they are very popular at the community and used for various exercises. Not only do the poles help take pressure off the hips and knees, according to Bartholomew, but they improve posture, while providing a great upper and lower body workout.

Additional benefits of using Exerstrider poles include burning 25 to 50 percent more calories with each step, improving lymph system function and boosting the immune system, according to the company’s web site, www.exerstrider.com.

(March 2008)