Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Walking is just the first step on the fitness trail for senior citizens

Fifty plus tells seniors to get off the couch

By Mary Ann Cook

The benefits of regular exercise have been touted for a very long time. What many people may not realize is that the most crucial time of life for exercise is after age 60. So say the health mavens these days.

Studies show the aging process can be held at bay and many ailments averted, including emotional problems such as depression, if only seniors would allot time to make exercise part of their weekly regimen. All it takes is half an hour four times a week

That's the amount of time the U.S. Surgeon General's office recommended after its extensive study on health and fitness. That modest regimen of movement should guarantee increased well-being from top to bottom.

But knowing that it's healthy to get moving and actually moving are two different things. That's where the organization Fifty Plus Fitness comes in. It's here to help those over 50 achieve their fitness goals, provide motivation and help get aging couch potatoes moving those four days a week.

Fifty Plus sponsors community runs, walks and swims and monthly talks from health experts. Fifty Plus Fitness was designed to help older adults make a lifetime commitment to movement.

In Los Gatos the group sponsors a monthly walk that leaves from Los Gatos High School at 8:45 a.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Walks take about an hour and cover roughly three miles. The hills in the back of Los Gatos are the usual destination, in the Overlook area or aiming toward the Novitiate.

The group is usually made up of 8-15 people and has been in existence four years. Jerry Salzman and his wife Madeleine are two dedicated members of the informal group. All ages and levels of walkers are welcome. Membership in Fifty Plus is not a requirement. For more information, call 354-3043 or 395-1842.

Jerry Salzman says his main emphasis in making regular exercise part of his routine is improving his quality of life. "We're all searching for community and sociability, and those aspects are very strong components [of the Fifty Plus walk].

"In this high-tech society, belonging to something, communicating with others, is a necessity, whether it's church or clubs or whatever. During the walk we have lots of conversation, lots of dialogue. Don't overlook the community component. We all need motivation, and a regular group helps with that discipline."

In the Cupertino area the walk/run is every third Saturday at 1 p.m. at San Antonio Open Space Preserve. Call 249-2377 or 650/969-6489 for exact rendezvous site.

The summer schedule for the talks that Fifty Plus Fitness sponsors begins with "The Mental Edge" by Jeffrey Wildfogel, July 14, 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 655 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. Wildfogel is a Stanford psychology professor who is featured on Palo Alto's educational cable channel.

In August it's Tom Tutko, a sports psychologist from San Jose State University. His talk is Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Spa Fitness Center in Capitola on 41st Avenue.

In September Suki Munsell will explain fitness walking. That talk is Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Decathlon Club, 5250 Central Expwy., Santa Clara. Munsell is a dynamic walker, and her presentation will focus on the correct way to walk.

Next is William Dement of the Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic, who will speak Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Senior Center, 450 Bryant.

When people gain increased mobility, weight control and the strength to combat a panoply of diseases, it's hard for them to ignore the benefits of a regular exercise program. "People need to reach a point in their habits and attitudes where not exercising is out of the question," says Ray Stewart, executive director of Fifty Plus Fitness.

Enrollment in Fifty Plus is $35 yearly, and the main office number is 650/323-6160. Their address: Fifty-Plus Fitness Association, Box D, Stanford, 94309.

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