silver Strong

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SilverSneakers Fitness was established in 1992 and uses proven methodologies based upon more than 20 years of experience. The program encourages participants to partake in strength training, aerobic and flexibility exercise through access to a variety of venues and programming. The program also enables a connection between fitness and socialization, with most of the participants bringing along friends or making new ones in the classes.

One of the many local centers that has partnered with this National initiative is the Austin Drive Community Development (ADCD), a 501 (c)(3) division of Bethesda Cathedral Church in Decatur. Around the back side of the church is a small building, separated from the church by a small path. Double doors lead into a carpeted room with a modest stage. On any given weekday, you might hear upbeat music emanating from a small sound system and the encouraging words of a teacher, keeping time with the beat. Seniors laugh and joke while they follow along, the vibe a distinctly warm and welcoming one.

On the day that I visited, instructor Cynthia Phillips was leading the charge. Her enthusiastic demeanor and encouraging words kept the group moving happily along with the music. If someone appeared to be winded or in need of a moment’s rest, she would call out and suggest having a seat or drinking some water.

For Phillips, the experience of leading these classes is a personal one. Outside of working at the ADCD, she runs a shared gym space that she opens to the community and small start-ups. Many of her classes are with young people or children, and she has seen firsthand the disparity between young people and the elderly when it comes to fitness. “I want these seniors to know how powerful they are,” Phillips said with conviction.

As the class wound down, I found the time to briefly speak with a few of the participants to get their opinion on the SilverSneakers fitness program.

Merdis Toliver, a retired mapmaker for the Yellow Pages, has been taking SilverSneaker classes for the last couple of years, and averages four to five classes a week. At 69 years of age and with two hip replacements under her belt, she credits her good health in part to her fitness regimen. “I look at it as the more mobile you are, the better,” she said, noting that the replacements are predicted to last for around 10 to 15 years, and “I plan to be around longer,” she said with a laugh.

The classes at the Austin Drive Campus are not only convenient in location for Toliver, they are also covered by her insurance, which allows her to take a variety of classes. When asked which class is her favorite,

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