"Because I Want To Stay Alive"

Eighty-nine-year-old Lucy Burr just returned from a trip to Spain with her daughter and granddaughter, and she credits her ability to "walk up castles and walk down castles" to the fact that she exercises five days a week.

Burr attends a class three times a week in a class at the StoneRidge retirement community in Mystic. The other two days she works out at Advantage Personal Training in Old Mystic.

Asked why she is diligent in her exercise regimen, Burr replied, "Because I want to stay alive. This helps me get around. It keeps me moving, breathing, and gives me strength."

Jane Farley teaches the class at StoneRidge, which meets three times a week for an hour. It incorporates stretching, strengthening, flexibility, balance and agility. On the day Patch was there, nine men and women were in attendance.

"OK, everyone, we're going to work on being agile now," Farley cheerfully told the group as she laid out a row of steps and circles at the front of the room.

"She said 'agile'," one class member said to another. " 'Senile' makes better sense," came the good-natured reply.

Farley, who is 64, has been teaching the class at StoneRidge for more than three years.

"They all feel so much better, they move around better," she says of her students. "This helps to keep their spirits up and they feel like they are really doing something."

According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, "Scientists have found that staying physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and disabilities. In some cases, exercise is an effective treatment for many chronic conditions. For example, studies show that people with arthritis, heart disease, or diabetes benefit from regular exercise. Exercise also helps people with high blood pressure, balance problems, or difficulty walking."

Farley says the class starts with everyone sitting on folding chairs to limber up and then they use light hand weights to work the upper body. After they get warmed up they move to the barre along the wall to stretch and work the lower body.  Then come the agility drills, as being able to maintain balance is so critical for the elderly.

"The great thing is they never have to worry about falling because I am right there with them. It gives them confidence," Farley said. She said the drill also works their memory, as they have to remember the specific steps.

The group setting gives them motivation to do the exercises and "once they start to build their confidence and strength, then they wuill continue to move," Farley said.