Dunwoody Crier
August 28, 2013
Silver, from page 3————————————————————
Some Silver Sneakers
members find enough value in
the program to pay for membership themselves if their insurance doesn’t offer it, like
Don and Ruth Volino of Dunwoody, who exercise at the
JCC three times a week.
“We thought we better get
off the sofa and move,” said
Ruth.
Other than Don’s golfing,
they had never exercised on a
regular basis before.
“It really feels good,” said
Ruth. Added Don, “It improved my golf game.”
Former Dunwoody resident
Fran Ackerman returns to the
area two to three times each
week for Silver Sneakers
classes at the JCC, where she’s
been exercising for about 10
years.
When Ackerman, 67, was
nearing Medicare eligibility,
she heard about Silver Sneakers at the JCC. “When I chose
a Medicare supplement plan, I
specifically wanted one that
offered Silver Sneakers. I recognize the importance of staying as fit as possible.”
Another Silver Sneakers
benefit to Ackerman, who now
lives in the Northlake area, is
the portability of the membership. Members can use any facility that offers Silver
Sneakers classes.
Silver Sneakers was developed by Healthways, a Tennessee-based company that
creates wellness programs for
target populations worldwide.
It features five formats: Classic, to increase muscular
strength and range of movement, done standing or seated;
Circuit, to increase cardiovascular and muscular endurance
power with a standing workout, using a chair for support if
needed; Cardio, an aerobics
class that’s heart-healthy and
gentle on the joints; Yoga,
seated and standing; and
Splash, shallow-water movement with no swimming ability required (not all gyms
offering Silver Sneakers have
pools).
The varied offerings and
class structure provide a comfort level for members. When
instructor Leiana Santifer
started teaching Silver Sneakers classes at Just Fitness in
Sandy Springs four years ago,
she taught the Classic level.
When she added Cardio, regular attendees dropped to three
from a typical 20 to 40.
“Members resisted, but the
class re-grew when folks realized they could do more,” said
Santifer.
All Silver Sneakers instructors are trained and certified
by Healthways. Patricia Patterson was a Silver Sneakers
member herself when someone suggested she teach the
classes. She is now certified to
teach all Silver Sneakers levels
and conducts classes five days
a week at Adrenaline in Chamblee.
The JCC offers 11 Silver
Sneakers classes per week, including Splash, and as with all
facilities offering the program,
members have access to all exercise equipment whether they
take a structured class or not.
Some Silver Sneakers
members credit the program
with helping mitigate complications from medical conditions.
Two years ago, Russell
Mayo of Chamblee spent a
month in a physical rehab facility following medical complications. He had started
Silver Sneakers classes at
Adrenaline four years ago.
“My doctor said that one of the
things that saved me was Silver Sneakers. My upper body
strength helped during rehab,”
said Mayo.
Jessica
Carpenter
of
Brookhaven, who also exercises at Adrenaline, said her
Silver Sneakers regimen
helped her recovery quickly
from two hip surgeries. “It
kept my muscles toned,” she
said.
For some, Silver Sneakers’
structure is the boost needed to
exercise regularly. After retirement, “I needed some structure in my life,” said Sandra
Schumann of Brookhaven,
who also exercises at Adrenaline. “I felt I could make the
time and it was worth making
the time to do.”
Fitness isn’t the only benefit derived from the Silver
Sneakers program, say instructors and members alike.
“Exercise is the reason
[members] start but it becomes
a community of friends,” said
DeAnne Jacobson, the JCC’s
total health group fitness director. “They benefit socially
in a way they can’t in any
other context at this point in
their lives.”
Adrenaline’s Patterson organizes social gatherings for
her class participants three
times a year. She said Silver
Sneakers is about “fitness,
friends and fun.”
Adrenaline members agree.
“The camaraderie is very important,” said Mayo. “Keep in
contact with people, keep your
mind active.” Said Carpenter,
“I thoroughly enjoy the people
in the class and look forward
to seeing them.”
Bert Kelly, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia’s communications director, said
about 11 percent of its members, numbering some 7,500
seniors, are enrolled in Silver
Sneakers. “Ultimately, it helps
people stay healthy longer,”
Kelly said.
For complete information
about joining Silver Sneakers,
visit silversneakers.com.
Page 7
Area offers varied workout regimens
Do you work out regularly?
Are you a loner, preferring to
walk, run, swim, or cycle on
your own? Would you rather go
to a club, take classes and use
the exercise equipment? Do
you wish you could answer yes
to any one of these questions?
If so, you have plenty of
choices in and around Dunwoody.
I’ve tried quite a few Dunwoody options and been pretty
pleased with them all. There
are only two things, though,
I’ve stuck with through thick
and thin—-and yes, pun intended. The first and the one
I’m most wedded to is my
weekly yoga class with Kathy
Koenigsberg (404-731-3043) at
SusanPhD.com on Mt. Vernon
Highway. I’ve been taking yoga
for ten years, and her class contributes to both my mental and
physical well-being.
Second is seeing a personal
trainer. Through the years, I’ve
belonged to various health
clubs and run and cycled pretty
regularly. Over time, though, I
stopped running, and about
three years ago, I decided I
needed to do something more—
or, as I put it, I needed an intervention.
I found Kelly Pettit, and I not
only got a personal trainer but
also gained a workout partner.
While I’ve switched trainers as
schedules and offerings have
changed, I’ve been fortunate to
keep my workout buddy, Jen.
Having a personal trainer and a
partner motivates me to show
up and stick with it.
CRIER CONNECTIONS
Kathy Manos Penn
When Kelly’s schedule
changed, Jen and I started attending
classes
at
SusanPhD.com and discovered
TRX® Suspension Training®.
For a while, we worked out
with Kelly at All Saints and also
took Susan’s classes. Last year,
Kelly recommended Cody
Carter at Gold’s Gym on Spalding Drive as a next step for the
two of us. What a fabulous
find. Cody’s been our trainer
since January, and we’re both
seeing significant results.
I’ve thought of him as the
“Gentle Giant” ever since I
heard one of his co-workers
refer to him that way. At 6’5”
and 290 pounds, he’s an imposing figure. Cody served in the
Marine Corps in Afghanistan
during Operation Enduring
Freedom, and he’s been at the
Peachtree Corners Gold’s since
2008. He has his ACE and ACT
certifications and is CPR and
AED certified.
Though Jen and I are pretty
well matched, we’re each better
at some things than the other.
Cody is adept at adjusting for
our differences and for the occasional knee or back issues—
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mostly mine. He has an easygoing manner that makes our
workouts fun, yet all the while
he challenges us to do more.
Most days I walk out of the
gym firmly believing, “What
doesn’t kill you makes you
stronger,” especially those days
when walking up the stairs or
lifting my arms to style my hair
makes me grimace.
Until I met Cody, I was only
vaguely aware of something
called the Strongest Man Competition. He placed first in the
Heavyweight division of Central Georgia’s competition in
March 2013, and his tales of
lifting cars and boulders or
pulling trucks are pretty amazing. Not to worry, the closest
we’ve come to any of that is
going out back behind Gold’s
and flipping tractor tires. Now,
that’s a workout.
You can also find plenty of
class options at Gold’s, though
I mostly go to Cass’s 30-minute
Core class over lunch. When
the weather turns and I’m not
cycling outdoors, I may hit the
Spin class again. I find working out with Cody, yoga with
Kathy, a class here and there
plus weekend cycling to be the
winning combination for me.
What’s yours?
Kathy Manos Penn is a
Sandy Springs resident who
works in corporate America.
Read more of her musings at
TheInkPenn.blogspot.com or
contact
her
at
[email protected]
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