Keeping Fit in Your Eighties: The Octogenarian Fitness Club

The word "octogenarian" automatically calls to mind pictures of elderly folks sitting in wheelchairs or confined to nursing home beds. Pill bottles, I.V. tubes, denture cleaners and adult diapers might not be far off, either. The reality, however, is that many 80-plus folks are taking charge of their lives and their health by remaining active in their post-retirement years.

"I not going to shrivel up in an old recliner watching game show reruns," says Mitch Dyment, a year-long member of Houston's Octogenarian Fitness Club. Three times a week, he meets with twenty-odd fellow senior citizens for light aerobics, long walks around Mary Jo Pekham Park and water aerobics classes.

The Octogenarian Fitness Club was formed in 1999 by Sherwood Jenkins, an 85-year-old grandfather of three who wanted to stay fit for his family.

What started as a group of five friends has grown at an alarming rate, and is now open to anyone who wants to join. The prospect of remaining active well into the "Golden Years" is attractive for many senior citizens, and they have found what they need through the Octogenarian Fitness Club.

"Physical fitness is important as any age," says Dr. Jonas Nisbet of Conroe, Texas. Retired for six years, Dr. Nisbet is also a member of the Fitness Club and an enthusiastic advocate of routine exercise. He says that he enjoys the added flexibility and endurance that regular work-outs provide, and he has no intention of allowing his health to fail prematurely.

"I always used to jog in the mornings when I was younger," he explains, "but that dwindled as I got older. The knees start creaking, the muscles don't work as well as they used to, and the tendency is to just give up. Then I realized that I was keeping my mind active by reading medical journals and volunteering on boards, so why not keep my body active too?"

The Octogenarian Fitness Club doesn't have a large gym or even a Web site, but they manage to make do by working out at the park. Word of mouth has spread like wildfire over the last eight years, and the club now has a membership of more than 100 octogenarians, though men and women in their sixties, seventies and nineties are more than welcome to join.

According to Fitness magazine, senior citizens will experience far fewer broken bones if they are dedicated to maintaining an exercise regimen, and they will also be less susceptible to organ failure, disease and other health problems. In fact, experts recommend that senior citizens exercise as often as they feel comfortable, while maintaining a healthy diet and visiting their doctors regularly.

The Octogenarian Fitness Club is only one such organization in the U.S., and more like it are popping up all over the country. It is true that younger folks are learning the value of physical fitness, but seniors who never worked out a day in their lives are also turning to an active lifestyle. Although the membership is predominantly men, women have started to join their husbands, which Jenkins sees as a definite positive.

The most beneficial aspect of a club like this, according to Dyment, is the community it provides to its members. It's much easier to head to the park for a work-out because you know others are counting on you for support than to get on the treadmill in your living room when the couch is sitting right there. When senior citizens belong to a fitness club, they are more likely to keep up with their exercise while enjoying themselves.

Researchers have found that senior citizens who live reclusive lives are more likely to suffer from depression and illness than those who remain active with plenty of relationships. The Octogenarian Fitness Club strives to promote healthy lifestyles among the elderly while providing a safe and controlled atmosphere in which to exercise.

To encourage these safety precautions, the Club has recruited younger fitness trainers to assist with the workouts and to provide tips on avoiding injuries. For example, members with high blood pressure or a high risk for heart disease are encouraged to work out at slow paces with very little aerobic activity.

"It's a good idea to exercise the heart muscle through cardiovascular exercise," says Dr. Nisbet, "but you have to do it in moderation if you're a high-risk individual." Fitness experts admit that seniors are more likely to injure themselves while working out, which is why professionals are needed to monitor the exercise.

In six years, the Octogenarian Fitness Club has a perfect safety rating. No injuries or illnesses have occurred as a result of exercise within the group, and the members are happy and healthy. In fact, Dyment says that he feels better now than he did at sixty. He's lost twenty pounds with the regular exercise and his physician is pleased to see him get his cholesterol under control.

In January 2008, the Fitness Club is expected to begin meeting seven days a week (though not all members will be present every day) to allow members who can only come on weekends to participate.

"Some of the members have to be driven by family members because of failing eyesight or other problems, and we want to be open to everyone," says founder Sherwood Jenkins. Luckily, Mary Pekham Park is willing to accommodate this change.

As the Octogenarian Fitness Club expands, it is Jenkins's hope that more like it will sprout across the country, particularly in large cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Unfortunately, the importance of physical fitness in senior citizens isn't as widely understood as other issues, which is why this little club in Houston is continuing to spread the word.

In the meantime, the Octogenarian Fitness Club stands as a motivational tool for people of all walks of life. If 80+ individuals can find the time and the energy to exercise, just about anyone else can do the same.