Prime Time Players

Fitness brings better lives to seniors

Austin Fit Magazine, February 2000

People refer to them as "The Golden Years" - when you retire, put your feet up and relax after a lifetime of hard work. But for some, retirement has the opposite meaning, where age is only a state of mind, and certainly not an obstacle in becoming more active and possibly pursuing activities, sports and hobbies that life never seemed to let you get around to. austin Fit magazine's featured seniors enjoy riding bikes, running races, going to the gym or skating circles around those half their age. After taking on the new fitness challenges after age 50, these seniors, pictures clockwise from top left - Karen Collins, Ray Schroeder, Marvin Rivers and Francie Lochridge (with Ironsmith's Tony Kelly) - feel fitness has has a positive effect on their lives. They are stronger and healthier than ever. We can admire their courage, their zest and, of course, their longevity. And as 71-year-old Marvin Rivers, a champion cyclist (among other things) adds, "We don't stop riding because we get old, we get old because we stop riding."

Frances Lochridge, 81

Frances Lochridge is our eldest profile. At 81, she finds staying fit an important element to maintaining her quality of life. After a stroke three years ago, her doctor prescribed exercise. She sought help at Ironsmith, a fitness company with an 11-year history of providing clients with conditioning based on sport-specific training or medical exercise.

Lochridge, originally from New York, was an athletic youth, playing school sports like field hockey, lacrosse, horseback riding, skiing and ice skating.

As an adult, she says, "I used to play tennis, but I had a knee problem so I had to stop. I was getting restless and was getting poor posture. I have a big, two-story house so it means I need to be strong to go up and down the stairs."

So the mother of six and grandmother of eight started lifting weights. With her personal trainer, Tony Kelly, also executive director of Ironsmith, she developed an hour-long workout regime to build her strength and energy levels to help her daily routine. The results are showing, says Lochridge. "It makes you feel great. You come back invigorated instead of tired. And my posture is getting better." Besides weight training, Lochridge also tried to swim four das a week for aerobic exercise.

While she might seem out of place at the weight stacks with buffed youths surrounding her, and the idea of weight training unappealing to most seniors, Francie contests, "I don't think they realize what it is. This is really to get you fit. It's not like it's for football training.

"They watch you and won't let you over do it. They are very encouraging and don't let you get sloppy. The trainer makes sure you get the full benefit."

Smith concurs that while conditioning can help everyone, whether they are seven or 87, there are modifications for the elderly. "The progressions are made slower. Risks (specific to seniors) like loss of bone mass and weaker connective tissues play a role in how quickly you can progress someone through a particular regime," says Kelly. "But adding a stimulus, regardless of age, will bring strength gains. We might be more conservative with someone beyond middle age."

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Ironsmith - The Fitness Doctors
1701 West 35th Street
Austin, Texas 78703
512.454.4766
E - mail: info@fitnessdoctors.com