By JANET MARSHALL
Four years ago, some leading experts on health and aging pooled their wisdom and poured it into a book. And on the first page, they laid bare the reasons sedentary older people avoid exercise.
"You may be afraid that physical exercise will harm you," they wrote in "Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging." "Or you may feel embarrassed to exercise because you think it's for younger people who look great in gym clothes."
The guidebook provides a pep talk for those battling health woes, lethargy and other obstacles to fitness in the older years.
The wisdom is brought to life by four Fredericksburg-area residents, each of whom was profiled this year in The Free Lance-Star.
Their exercise habits, perseverance and optimism are models for anyone hoping to age healthfully.
Milt Silverstein, an 85-year-old Spotsylvania County resident, barely exercised during decades of working and raising a family. But in retirement, he rediscovered an old love--sprinting. He still runs competitively despite arthritis, an irregular heartbeat and other health woes.
Peg Johnson, of Fredericksburg, tore her rotator cuff last year at 71, and knocked herself out during a spill on a tennis court several years back. But she keeps playing doubles matches every week because they keep her limber.
Marian Gushurst, 60, wasn't sure what she'd make of her first aerobics class 20 years ago. She never thought of herself as an athlete. But the class triggered an exercise craving that hasn't subsided. She feeds it with yoga as well as aerobics.
Ferris Portner, 76, of King George County, took up long-distance running in his late 40s and still trains for half-marathons. A few weeks ago, he ran a 10-kilometer race put on by the Fredericksburg Area Running Club.
The four have discovered that what the guidebook says is right: Exercise makes them feel better.
Their routines provide insight into what it takes to be fit in the older years:
Don't ever think it's too late to start exercising.
Silverstein, who had run track in college, didn't pick the sport back up again until he was nearly 70. Gushurst took that first aerobics class at about 40.
Being a lifelong exerciser isn't a prerequisite to being fit in the older years. Neither is being a born athlete. Johnson, a retired gym teacher, said she never felt skilled athletically. She just always enjoyed being active.
Treat injuries and illnesses as temporary setbacks.
Silverstein's family thought he was dying at one point as he battled an infection that hospitalized him several years ago. He's struggled with a variety of illnesses and wears a pacemaker, but he keeps coming back to the track. Running, he said, is the best balm for his arthritis.
Exercise in the morning.
Portner said he exercises first thing so the day's events don't get in the way of his workout. He's on his treadmill, or outdoors for a run, before most kids head to school. Gushurst, Johnson and Silverstein also exercise early. That keeps them from becoming too tired, or too busy, to do it.
Do what you love.
Gushurst, a mental-health counselor, said she probably wouldn't exercise at all if her only option was running. She hates running. But she loves yoga and aerobics, so that's what she does.
Don't be intimidated.
The first time Gushurst tried a boot camp workout at the Stafford County YMCA, she was breathless running the warm-up lap. The instructor hadn't begun the tortuous sprints yet. Rather than quit, Gushurst slowed down, did what she could and built up stamina gradually.
For its part, the book--written with input from a slew of doctors--reminds people that exercise comes in a multitude of forms. Gardening is physical activity, and so is housework.
The book says exercise benefits the healthy and not-so-healthy, and even those over 90.
Older people have much to gain from even a modest amount of exercise, the book says.
"They also have much to lose if they become physically inactive," it says.
To read the guide online, see niapublications.org/exercise book/intro.htm.
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