Fitness
Continued from Page 8
like taking a class, you can always hire one of them to lead you
through a personal training session.

“We don’t hire kids with big muscles who want to work out,” said
Berk, who estimates approximately 40 percent of the membership
is comprised of baby boomers and seniors. “Many of them have
multiple certifications, like kinesiology. Our trainers are busy, but
not so busy you can’t get one. We’re about getting fit and healthy —
and staying fit and healthy.

“When people join, we like to show them the group exercises
and try to match them up with something at their level. Statistics
show if you get yourself hooked into a group exercise class, you’re
more likely to continue a fitness plan.”
As an incentive, Kaiserman offers several options for member-
ship, many of which have discounts. They also accept “Silver Sneak-
ers” and “Silver and Fit,” where the fee is actually paid by their
health insurer.

While there are varying degrees of activity, determined by health
and fitness levels, a number of members — refusing to accept what
it says on their birth certificate — have signed up for what they call
“Boomers Boot Camp”
“I have people who are not boomers who take Boomers Boot
Camp because the pace and the exercise are appropriate for them,”
said director of fitness Christine Labhart, who supervises the overall
program but doesn’t teach the class. “They don’t mind being lumped
in. They know they’re seniors and they do want things geared toward
them. But they’re proud, and they come out every day.”
“It started with a bunch of guys who were getting ready for the
50-and-over basketball league,” continued Berk. “They got to the
point where they realized, ‘I haven’t done anything physical. I don’t
want to have my lunch handed to me on the court and I might hurt
myself.’ So they decided to contact one of the trainers to see if he
could do some group physical therapy.

“The trainer started working them out in the gym. He had them
doing sprints and all kinds of activities. More guys saw it and said
they wanted to get involved. It got to the point where it was too big
for where they were working out, so we decided to turn it into an
exercise class and open it up to everyone.”
Of course, not everyone is equipped to handle boot camp. Some
are just happy to be able to walk or do some of the basics without
pain. “We have functional fitness for people just getting back or who
haven’t exercised in a long time or have some health issues that limit
their capability,” said Labhart. “They may work on balance and
strength. We also have a LIFE class — Low Impact Fitness Experi-
ence — that has no impact in it. Impact is when you jump or bounce.

Everything here stays on the floor.”
Whether it’s boot camp or LIFE classes, seniors are becoming a
larger segment of the community by the day. “Statistics say in a couple
of years, 55 percent of the population will be 55-and-over,” said Berk.

“It’s one of our largest membership categories.”
And those seniors intend to keep doing their part as long as pos-
sible. “I hope to just keep playing,” said Norty Levine, who went against
the grain of many of his contemporaries, growing up in Miami, then
moving his family up here. “I just take each day I’m able to run around
I enjoy it. At this point of life, you’ve got to keep doing it, whether you
walk, run, jog or lift weights. Do it all. Don’t stop. Keep moving.” l
Jon “The Question” Marks is legendary among the local journalistic ballers
for his skills with the rock.

Name: Waverly Heights c/o Bellevue Co
Width: 7.5"
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Color: Black plus one
Comment: The Good Life
10 DECEMBER 17, 2015
THE GOOD LIFE
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