Southern Indiana Living JanFeb 2014

January/February 2014 • 46
things,” she said. “It’s a good place for them to socially visit, meet with
others and make new friends. I
personally think it’s a wonderful
program because it doesn’t make
a diference how old you are —
you can still exercise and reap the
benefts of it at any age.”
YogaStretch is done almost entirely
in a chair, limits almost no
one and is fantastic for things like
breathing, blood pressure and
fexibility.
“I fnd that exercise makes
them feel better, overall
their outlook on things.”
-Dina Northern
Several of Northern’s class participants are over the age of 80 and still
regularly exercising. “One lady has arthritis and by coming to exercise
she has taken it into remission,” Northern noted. “Another could hardly
stand up and couldn’t get up out of the chair on her own.”
Northern said her husband has COPD and the program has helped
his breathing.
She said initially people think they can’t do it, but many are referred
to the program by their doctors or are prescribed the program as a follow
up to other rehabilitation.
Northern, 61, became an instructor after getting back into exercise after
she “let herself go in a terrible way” for years and could “hardly get
up of the foor.” She said she wanted to be able to take care of herself in
older age instead of having to rely on other people for her basic needs.
She said SilverSneakers helps people avoid resigning themselves to
“being old and feeling old.” •
For more information on the SilverSneakers program at Washington County
Family YMCA, visit www.wcfymca.org or call 812-883-9622. It also is ofered
through YMCA of Southern Indiana (www.ymcasi.org). For more information
about the program and where to fnd a branch, visit www.silversneakers.com, or
talk with your insurance provider.