Seniors sway to the sounds of ‘80s tunes while exercising/ New Year, New You

As the strains of an upbeat Madonna song waft through the air, seniors stretch, chat and laugh.

A few minutes later, another ‘80s synthesizer-laced song pours out of the boombox and the exercise group picks up free weights and pumps them up and down for a bit. Then comes another song from the same era, and the folks grab large rubber bands, wrap them around their hands, lift their arms, pull and work them out. Same goes for the legs.

By the end of the hour-long Enhance Fitness class at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, the group of age 55-plus men and women will have worked on their quads, hamstrings, ankles and more. They do this three days a week, and group members (there are 19 of them in total) say it’s worked wonders on their bodies — and minds.

“I call it mind-ercise because it’s as important to keep your mind active, as well as your body,” said Barbara Bailey, 85. “I give it credit for improving my overall health; it helps to keep me moving.”

Bailey said she uses puns to keep everyone laughing and asked a visitor to the class, “Are you gonna watch the agony?”

Leader Bob Bell, 75, added: “They really enjoy doing the exercises. They get the job done. They come up to me all the time (and say it helps them). There’s one new woman with a shoulder injury, and she said the doctor told her this would be a really good deal.”

Bell has led the nonprofit Senior Services-sponsored class — consisting of stretching, low-impact aerobics, strength training and balance — since November. He and wife Lucy have worked out with the group for about five years, but Bob wanted to take the reins and took a two-day class at Enhance Fitness headquarters in Seattle and learned CPR at a local fire station.

Bob said he’s fully obligated to whipping the seniors into shape.

“I was a manager before, and I know how to manage people,” Bob said. “And I was a salesman ... it’s in my blood.”

One of the group’s most inspirational success stories is Jim Wheeler, 77, who recently had an operation on his omentum (stomach layer). The Redeemer church member said his doctor noted he’s healing quickly partly by attending the exercise class.

Wheeler said it’s funny how he got involved: “I came in here with a ladder (after working at the church) and the person running the class challenged me to do this. I didn’t need to exercise with all the fuddy-duddies ... But when you’re done, you know you’ve done something.”

Fran Alley, 74, said that when she’s over-worked in the yard and house, stretching makes her back feel better.

Bea Conger, 78, said she feels invigorated working out in her garden after class, adding that, “My kids said, ‘Wow, you’re so much stronger than you were before.’”

As for Chris Breen, 78, he comes armed with four reasons why fitness is the way to go:

• Great physical heath. He also skis and plays golf.

• Improves mental acuity.

• He feels better. “My emotional life ... I’m very relaxed,” he said. “I feel so much better about my life.”

• Socializing. “It’s the caring. That’s just another dimension of what a fitness class brings to us,” he noted.

For information, call Bob Bell at (425) 486-5049 or the Kenmore branch of the Northshore Senior Center at (425) 489-0707.

• email
• letter
• print
• follow