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Ageless exercise: In-shape senior can handle vigorous exercise at boot camp
‘Watch for the holes,” shouted personal trainer Kevin Harvey as Jo Ruta, a 73-year-old computer instructor, ran laps in the dark.
It was 5:30 on a Wednesday morning at Vandergriff Park. A group of women had gathered for Mr. Harvey’s Scenic City Adventure Boot Camp, their ages ranging from young adult to baby boomers and beyond.
Jo Ruta stands out.
Her presence, as the elder stateswoman of boot-camp fitness, other campers say, inspires awe, appreciation and motivation.
“You don’t want to slack off when a 70-year-old’s beatin’ your rear,” said camper Bonnie Hazelwood, a 51-year-old bookkeeper from Soddy-Daisy.
For her part, Ms. Ruta says she turns out because she likes to work out.
“I grew up on a farm, served in the Air Force out of high school and had been pretty active in sports and swimming,” she said. “I’d gotten out of it and thought this would probably help me stay in shape.’”
Active people in their 70s and 80s appear in many athletic settings these days. Athletes in their 70s and 80s regularly run in local races, the Chattanooga Track Club’s results postings show.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga Web site reports the senior exercise market is growing rapidly.
Nearly 370 registered for Senior Olympics games this year, said Ginny Stone Hansen, special projects director and Senior Olympics district coordinator.
“Many folks in their 70s and 80s are still active athletically, and they play rowdy games,” Ms. Hansen said.
When the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases its new physical activity guidelines on Oct. 6, regular exercise with weight training will be recommended for people of all ages, said Leroy Fanning, professor in health and human performance at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“In older adults, the guidelines show extremely strong evidence that being active is associated with higher levels of health, lower risks of falling and better cognitive functions,” Dr. Fanning said.
Kristen Harvey, Kevin Harvey’s wife, a boot camp instructor and physical therapist for seniors at Life Care of East Ridge said her field’s observations tally with the guidelines.
“The so-called ‘normal’ deterioration of physiological function with age can be attenuated or reversed with regular endurance and strength training,” Mrs. Harvey said.
In five months, Ms. Ruta has improved endurance, balance, coordination, agility and lopped many seconds off her timed mile, Mr. Harvey said. Besides the health benefits, working out improves her lifestyle, Ms. Ruta said.
She enjoys running half-marathons with her daughter, and water aerobics at the YMCA.
“I grew up on a farm in Frostbite, Tenn., and rode a horse to school in elementary school. My daughter and I have run a couple of marathons together, more for fun,” Ms. Ruta said. “Exercise has always been part of my life.”
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