A. Fitness clubs, senior centers, community pools (especially for water aerobics), YMCAs and parks departments often offer exercise programs for seniors, as do many retirement and nursing homes. Some clubs offer rate discounts; ideally, personal trainers have special training in working with older adults. Tai chi, dance and mall walking are also popular among seniors.
Options are expanding just as surely as baby boomers are aging. Some others:
• A call to Senior Services (888-435-3377), part of the Healthy Aging Partnership (an alliance of 28 nonprofit and public agencies in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties), can help locate a nearby physical-activity program designed for older adults. One program, Lifetime Fitness — an ongoing five-week series of supervised exercise classes that include strength training, stretching and aerobics — is offered at 31 locations in those four counties.
• The Northwest Senior Fitness Instructors Association provides networking and resources for consumers, exercise professionals and heath-care folks (206-406-2799; nwsfia@yahoo.com).
• Group Health members on that group's Medicare plans are eligible for the Silver Sneakers program, which offers basic memberships to local health clubs (800-446-8882).
• Senior Wise Consultants are physical therapists whose specialty is in-home exercise programs for the elderly, including those too frail or ill to travel to another site to exercise (206-524-9599; www.seniorwisept.com).
• The Pro Club's 20/20 Lifestyle Clinic is designed to help treat conditions often associated with the elderly (425-885-5566; www.proclub.com) and Sound Health Solution's full health-management programs also are helpful for seniors (425-747-6000); www.soundhealthsolutions.com.
• The federal government offers a free 80-page booklet with basic exercises for balance, strength and flexibility for seniors (800-222-2225 or weboflife.arc.nasa.gov/exerciseandaging/cover.html); demonstrations are online at www.nih.gov/nia. The booklet and accompanying video are $7 by check or money order payable to the National Institute on Aging, sent to NIAIC, Dept. W, P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057.
• Other books include "Active Living Everyday" by Steven Blair et al and "Strength Training for Seniors" by Wayne Westcott and Thomas Baechle. Collage Video (800-433-6769) carries bone-building, yoga, tai chi, Pilates and general exercise videos geared toward seniors, including the "Sit and Be Fit" series by Spokane nurse Mary Ann Wilson.
Q. You once referred to the "bicycle maneuver" as an effective exercise to strengthen the stomach muscles, but it wasn't clear from the picture exactly how this is performed. Where can we get a more detailed description?
— R.M.
A. That was one of a dozen abdominal exercises tested by the American Council on Exercise to determine the best and worst for getting definite results. They're described in more detail at www.acefitness.org (click on the word "Learn," below the image of a woman doing crunches on a ball).
Q. I used to buy a product called Sore Muscle Soak at a store called Amphora, which has gone out of business. It was yellow, came in a jar, appeared to be epsom salts with calendula and most likely several other items, and I think it might have been made in New Mexico or Arizona. The stuff worked like a miracle: You could soak in it for 20 minutes and all muscle soreness would go away for the next two to three hours. Do you have any idea how I might be able to find this?
— K.J.
A. I've checked around, to no avail. If any readers know where to find this product, contact me via one of the methods below and I'll forward the information to K.J.
Finally, for the gentleman (and others) looking for "a good Tai Chi studio or club" on the Eastside, readers e-mailed three other suggestions:
• Lorraine Smith, an R.N. with diplomas in Chinese herbology, acupuncture and medical Qi Gong, is a certified Tai Chi Chih instructor offering beginning, intermediate and advanced classes through the senior fitness program at Overlake Hospital (425-688-5800).
• Master Li Zhang, a fifth-degree black-belt Chinese martial-arts instructor and judge and former physical-education associate professor in China. "She has a marvelous personality and devotes much time to newcomers on a one-on-one basis," says Don Yates, a student. Master Li teaches on Mercer Island and in Bellevue (206-236-5897 or wwhzhu@yahoo.com).
• And next month Master Yang Jun opens his international tai chi headquarters to Redmond (4076 148th Ave. N.E., building "M." Grand opening of Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan Center is Saturday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (206-447-2759 or 425-869-1185; www.yangfamilytaichi.com).
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to mmartin@seattletimes.com or On Fitness, Pacific Northwest magazine, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.
FITBITS
Report your herbs
Eight commonly used herbs — echinacea, ephedra, garlic, gingko, ginseng, kava, valerian and St. John's wort — can interfere with or increase the effects of some drugs, affect blood pressure or heart rhythm, or cause increased bleeding. Many people don't tell their doctors they're taking herbal supplements, which could lead to serious health problems, especially during surgery, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study's authors recommend that people tell their doctors about all their herbs and medications, and stop taking any herbal supplements for 24 hours to one week or more before undergoing surgery.
In the mood
Exercising for even a short while each day may improve mood, found a pilot study of female college students. Just 10 minutes of moderate work on an exercise bicycle was enough to improve overall mood when compared with sitting quietly for 30 minutes, say researchers at Northern Arizona University. Cycling longer — 20 or 30 minutes — didn't improve mood further.
Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Northwest magazine.
