Healthy hearts

The class moved in unison. Lunges, bicep curls and yoga poses -- first the airplane, then the tree.

Aerobics chase warm-up drills, then segue into 10, 15, 20 repetitions of exercises with free weights in hand. It's all crunches, lifts and planks from here on out. And the students? They're over 60, doing the exercises by heart while chatting with their neighbors and dancing in place to The Temptations, The Four Seasons and Peter Frampton.

"If you live to 90 years or older, how are you going to spend that time, sitting?" asks Carole Swope, a longtime student of Young at Heart, a fitness class at the Fayetteville Athletic Club. "Exercise is a good part of it. Staying active, exercising, is preventative of illnesses."

In a world where our collective lifespan has dramatically increased (approximately 80 years for Americans and 71 years worldwide), aging isn't what it used to be.

When Swope was growing up in Hope, Bill Clinton was just another kid who came to her little brother's birthday party, and retirement meant having more time to sit on your front porch and drink a tall glass of iced tea.

Whether you peg that idealized image of a Southern retirement as lazy or luxurious, Swope's own retirement is far from it. At age 72, she doesn't take vacations. Instead, she takes trips all across the country -- and occasionally to Europe -- to run marathons and half marathons.

Swope has run marathons in Berlin and Chicago, more than 15 half marathons and has lost count of the 5Ks but is sure she's participated in well over 45.

Often the winner in her age category, she can match the stride of a reasonably fit 26-year-old, making these contests embarrassing for even the second-place winners, whose finishing time is sometimes a full 20 minutes behind hers.

Swope caught the running bug under the influence of her brother Jack but was encouraged to keep up -- and even increase her activity -- through Young at Heart.

The class regularly draws 25 to 30 people, and a few of them have been participating since it began around 15 years ago.

"It's supposed to be for people aged 60 or over, but it's such a good class we have imposters," says Swope, who's asked point blank the age of some of her classmates, who were decidedly younger than 60, and then welcomed them to return. "You don't have to show an ID to get in."

Young at Heart not only attracts members who are younger than the suggested age range but older than you might expect, too. In recent years the oldest member was a 99-year-old lady who wielded a walker in one hand and a weight in the other.

Even though there are many fitness classes for seniors out there, this one seems to have a particularly special connection with clients. It's far more than the run-of-the-mill offerings typical for that age group, like water aerobics.

In fact, Young at Heart student Gail V. -- she preferred her last name not be used -- first heard about the course because the class was poaching students from her water aerobics sessions.

"A lot of people in [water aerobics] came here afterward," she says. "Doing this combination [of both classes] is very invigorating. It gives you a lot of flexibility and balance."

The routine encourages seniors to stay active, mobile and able to care for themselves far longer.

"We do a [lot of] range of motion stuff," says instructor Reuben Reina. "We go into little movements and get our heart rate going and get the body ready. The main purpose is to keep them healthy and fit and allow [them] to continue their lives as they would like to have it.

"It gives them the strength and flexibility and confidence to do whatever they want to do."

For some students, that means staying independent enough to travel the world, to have a social outlet during the week and maintain their homes, gardens and properties without having to rely on children or hired help.

"I love the strength and energy I get through this class," Gail V. says. "It's more than just losing weight. It's building my body, converting muscle out of fat. It helps me be on my own and do all that gardening and feel strong.

"I can do the activities I want."

Annette Penney agrees. "I'm going to Colorado and Europe this year and my [bad shoulder] isn't going to stop me," she says.

For other clients, it's an excellent way to get extended physical therapy after an injury or surgery. Several students arrived at the class when doctors advised they find a way to build bone strength or set aside a regular time to devote to stretching.

Penney has osteopenia and finds the class a restorative and proactive measure.

"The exercise we do strengthens our bones and its frequency [three times weekly] gets me to do it regularly, which is good because I have to do it now," she says, emphasizing that Reina's training is ideal for those in recovery. "He allows us time to stop and take a breath between sets. Other instructors go through, boom, boom, boom without stopping."

Young at Heart, while invigorating enough to present a challenge, is easily modified to suit people of all ranges of fitness. Working with Reina, some students will do exercises with only one hand at first, stop for a break when they need it or even sit down for a minute.

But the reverse is just as likely. During a recent class, one student stood on a single leg while exercising, causing the rest to laugh at the showing-off move.

Karen Rogers too was delighted to have all her physical therapy exercises in one place. As a cancer survivor, she happened upon the class while using a free trial membership at Fayetteville Athletic Club.

"I'm a testimony to what [Young at Heart] can do mentally and physically," she says. "Before I came, I couldn't even hold a weight because I had no strength. You don't know how excited I am to do that now."

Even better, she says, is the spirit of the tight-knit group that buoys her.

"The moment we walked in, we were welcomed," Rogers says. "There's camaraderie here. It's nice to be a part of something that I feel very confident in."

Members hold a monthly birthday party to celebrate the students, the ladies of the class have a weekly lunch date, and some become such good friends that they travel together. Many of the class members have attended for 11 years or more.

"When I came back [to the class] four years ago, I was on crutches from a crushing injury to my foot," Sara Koenig says. "Everyone here was so supportive and very encouraging. They're a friendly, supportive group. They notice when you're not here and give you a hard time."

It goes beyond maintaining health and pushes them to their limits and, when those limits have grown, pushes them again.

The session is just over an hour long and includes a warm-up time and brief aerobics, but the meat of the course is focused on weight lifting and balance, which helps members keep a strong core -- something that decreases the likelihood of falling, a major factor forcing seniors lose their independence.

"There's a lot of balance in the class," Reina says. "It's important for them to learn how to hone and accomplish, because that's one thing you start to lose as you age, that perception and balance, to know where you are in space."

As for Swope, she says, "It's really strengthened my body a lot."

Since taking the class, Swope saw that renewed strength help her bring her personal best marathon time down by 52 minutes.

A class like this helps members improve statistics like running speed or the amount of weight they can lift, physical things, such as the way they feel, and houses a mental aspect. More than one class member has used it as a way to help work through grief of losing a friend or family member (important, given the increased frequency of that occurrence later in life.)

That sort of motivation and faith in their strength is important to this age group, which doesn't like to be viewed as delicate or fragile.

"Reuben has a substitute [who leads the class in his absence], but no matter who it is, they treat us like we're in a nursing home," Swope says, noting that most don't attend unless he's there. "It's an insult. When he's there, though, we're in full force."

NAN Our Town on 07/16/2015