A workout that fits

The gym at the Glendale YMCA was jumping on a Tuesday afternoon. Balls were flying through the air, bouncing on the ground and passing through -- or simply near -- hoops.

Ripserik Isaakhanian, 71, a petite woman with styled hair and perfect makeup, tossed a volleyball in a circle with a group of other men and women, all 65 and older. A few people shot basketballs, and others raced around setting up chairs and balls in the center of the room. Everybody was moving, warming up, getting juiced and getting ready for class -- specifically, the SilverSneakers class.

“Last year I had high blood pressure, a heart bypass operation and I could barely walk with a cane,” Isaakhanian said, taking a break from the warm-up. “But SilverSneakers changed my life.”

The program features low-impact exercises designed to increase the physical activity level of older adults while building muscle strength, endurance, range of motion, balance, flexibility and coordination. It uses hand-held weights, resistance bands, balance balls and, for those needing extra support, chairs.

Classes are available both for beginners, who almost always use a chair, and for the more advanced, who do more work with weights and more challenging exercises. The music, however is the same; Frank Sinatra tends to dominate. For maximum benefits, participants are advised to attend at least three times a week, but many show up five days a week because, they say, exercise makes them feel better.

By taking the class three times a week and watching her diet, Isaakhanian has lost 10 pounds, stopped using her cane and, with her doctor’s blessing, discontinued her blood pressure and heart medication.

Her story is not unique among the seniors at the Glendale Y, where 20 to 30 men and women participate in the midday SilverSneakers program. Retired aerospace worker Leo Herrera, 71, said he was “falling apart” before he began the program at the urging of his doctor.

“When I retired, I found out I had high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat and diabetes. I was shocked,” Herrera said. “I hate to keep a strict diet, so I asked my doctor what to do. He said ‘Exercise,’ so I started this program.” He says he’s reduced his number of medications and his diabetes is under control.

The SilverSneakers program was created in 1996 by Mary Swanson, chief executive of HealthCare Dimensions Inc., a health management company that creates and manages fitness care programs around the country.

SilverSneakers, the Tempe, Ariz., company’s flagship program, is sold to health plans and insurance companies, which offer the program to their subscribers. HealthCare Dimensions selects the gyms and trains the instructors.

In California, the company has teamed with PacifiCare Health Systems Inc.’s Secure Horizons program, which offers the program in some local YMCAs, Spectrum Clubs and Bally’s Fitness Centers. Nationwide, SilverSneakers is available through numerous other insurance companies, including Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente.

“We are working toward partnering with more insurance companies in California,” Swanson said.

SilverSneakers is offered at 980 YMCAs and gyms nationwide. There is no added cost for the program because it’s included in the insurance premium. People who are already members of the gym or YMCA can also participate.

Cidinha Agamy, the director of the SilverSneakers program at the Glendale Y, says physical benefits are just part of SilverSneakers’ appeal.

“For a lot of the people who come here, the program has become an important part of their life,” Agamy said. “Not only do they get to exercise at their ability level, they get to get out, socialize and get diet advice from peers.”

Swanson is working to get the programs into more gyms and insurance programs across the country.

“Seniors suffer from isolation, depression, joint diseases and diabetes, and physical activity makes these health issues less symptomatic and can actually prevent these diseases,” she said. “When seniors are depressed, lonely and feel bad, their health often reflects it.”

Both Isaakhanian and Herrera agree that the emotional and mental benefits of the program are as important as the physical ones. “My husband makes sure I go to the gym before I make him lunch,” Isaakhanian said. “He says my whole outlook changes after I exercise.”

For many seniors, the program is their first introduction to a physical fitness routine. “We’ve found that 50% of these people never stepped foot into a health club before, and this program engages people who don’t normally exercise,” Swanson said.

HealthCare Dimensions has also created a reciprocal program, so if you are a SilverSneakers member in L.A. and vacation in San Diego, you can take classes there.

“Seniors begin to exercise for the right reasons,” Swanson said. “It increases their quality of life, not just their looks. If you feel bad, it’s a good predictor of costs. We know it saves money, and we know it keeps people healthy.”