By Stephen Smoot
As cold winds and dropping temperatures bring snow, ice, and less comfortable outside temperatures, many tend to retreat from the outdoors. This can hurt efforts to remain active and get proper exercise.
Fortunately, Pendleton Senior and Family Services offer multiple ways to find fun and frolic while getting much needed exercise. At 10 a.m. on Mondays the center offers tai chi classes. Participants can do chair exercises at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Janice Lantz, executive director of Pendleton Senior and Family Services, stated that “in tai chi, they do the slower movements and they exercise to music. We have a volunteer to come in to lead the class.”
According to the National Center for Complimentary and Integrated Health, and office of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, tai chi originated in China as an ancient form of martial arts. Many of the techniques date back more than three millennia to the Zhou Dynasty. A Chinese Royal Guardsman transformed them into an organized practice in 1670.
Tai chi has shown demonstrated benefits in helping to prevent or mitigate common physical problems in seniors. The benefit for seniors comes from the application of slow and sustained movements that work muscles.
Additionally, tai chi has helped some seniors and those with Parkinson’s Disease to have better balance and reduce the chance of falls. Those suffering from low-back pain, fibromyalgia, and knee osteoarthritis may also see some relief. Tai chi imposes movement while thinking or speaking, which enhances cognitive function, even in those with dementia.
Lantz shared that a center employee leads the chair exercise class with the assistance of videos, saying “different videos address different parts of the body.” Exercises can take place while sitting on the chair or standing and using it for balance.
Normally, between 10 and 15 attendees come for the classes. Lantz explained, saying, “It goes up and down when people get sick or the weather gets bad. We’re always here for them.” She added that “we also have an exercise room that is available.” It has a number of exercise machines common to most workout rooms. Lantz also said, “We’re poised to get more. We’ll be refurbishing that room and will get more equipment.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults 65 and older need 150 minutes per week of “moderate intensity activity.” At least two days per week, seniors should focus on muscle strengthening and balance promoting activities.
“We like to have anyone who wants to come,” Lantz stated, adding that “you don’t have to be someone who comes and eats, but they’re always welcome to stay for lunch too.”
She concluded, “They may see something else that they might want to be involved in.”
