If you really want to see how today’s seniors differ from the senior citizens of yesterday, just step inside the IronOaks Fitness Center in Sun Lakes near Chandler. Watch a gym-full of “ancients” walking on treadmills, pedaling stationary bicycles, exercising with weights or doing aerobics in the pool, and you will be amazed. These people are serious about taking good care of themselves. Growing old gracefully, they choose not to spend their golden years sitting in rocking chairs.
It wasn’t that way for our grandparents or great grandparents. Many of them had been poor immigrants to America, struggling desperately for survival and a better life. Who had time for the luxury of taking care of their bodies or watching their diets? They had enough to do just to put food on the table for their families. It’s no wonder that in their golden years – if they lived that long – all they wanted was a chance to doze on a couch or to sit on a park bench, tossing breadcrumbs to the pigeons. For them, doing nothing was a pleasure. And if they had the chance to sprawl on a lounge chair in the Florida sun, so much the better.
“When my husband and I were in our 20s, I swore we would never move to Florida when we got old, because that’s where old people went to die,” says Judy Plafker, staff member at IronOaks. “That’s what we thought of retirement communities then.” Ironically, Judy, a former nurse, and her husband have lived in Sun Lakes – a retirement community for active adults – for 20 years. Judy’s husband belongs to the Jewish War Veterans, post 619.
The trim, attractive 73-year-old exercises regularly in the fitness center. She attends classes for cardio and free weights, and she stretches and works out independently on the treadmill and elliptical machines. “That’s our whole program here,” she explains. “We’re not into body building. We want to maintain or improve what we have.”
Judy enjoys this friendly environment, with a team of gracious staff members like herself, most of whom are seniors. In addition to helping other seniors achieve good health and fitness, Judy is gratified to know that those who work out regularly also recover much faster after the injuries and surgeries so prevalent among seniors. “Couch potatoes don’t recover as well,” she says.
One person she has seen gain greater health is, like Judy’s husband, a Jewish War Veterans member. Former real estate broker Elliott Reiss, 75, admits, “I was an overweight, type II diabetic.” He and his wife moved from New Jersey to Arizona after they retired nine years ago. “My doctor suggested I join Weight Watchers, which I did. He asked me if I belonged to a gym. I said, ‘yes.’ ”
“Do you use it?”
“No.” “That’s your problem!’”
Elliott took the hint and began earnestly to use the IronOaks facility a year ago. Since then, he exercises three days a week on the treadmill and weight machines (to work all muscle groups); he finishes off with the stretching machine, about which he says, “It really works. I feel it all over.” In addition, he plays golf. Has all of this helped him? So far, he’s lost 42 pounds and is keeping it off. Furthermore, his diabetes is under control. That is not to say he has lost his love of food. “Eating out is another hobby!” he confesses.
Barbara Gordon, 76, another IronOaks member, agrees with Judy. She describes herself as “a former couch potato who ate all the wrong things.” A retired social worker and teacher, she began exercising at age 42. Finally admitting she had a weight problem, she joined Weight Watchers and was told, “If you want to lose weight, you have to choose a sport.” She picked tennis, enjoyed playing and lost weight.
However, for greater weight control, she moved from the tennis court to the gym. Barbara boasts, “I do about 20 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the stationary bike.” She brings her Kindle along and gets some reading done. She then stretches and works with light weights. “I love going to the gym. I always feel better when I leave than when I walked in.”
A member of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation, at the gym Barbara sometimes sees other members of her congregation, including Marty Klemes. In contrast to Barbara’s fitness history, Marty has been physically active from the time he was a kid. Growing up in New York City, he played stoop ball, curb ball and street hockey. Later, even though he was a busy aerospace engineer by profession, he found time for racquetball and golf. “But when my back began to get bad, I ended up in the gym.” At 84 years young, Marty works out three days a week, using the elliptical and weight machines. When asked if he believes that all his exercising has been beneficial to his health, he replies, “I hope so. I know that, emotionally, I always feel better when I get out of the gym.”
Yes, your grandparents might not recognize, nor understand, this whole new approach to the golden years. But if you are in this wonderful class of active senior citizens, no doubt they would envy you.
