WESTWOOD, N.J.—What brings a roomful of men, ages 55 to 88, to the Westwood Community Center on a Friday afternoon for a new fitness class?
For Alex, 72, of Westwood, the answer was immediate.
“My wife.”
She had encouraged him to try the new Forever Young Men’s Fitness: Senior Strength, Balance & Mobility class, part of the borough Recreation Department’s expanding offerings for adults 55 and older.
Alex plays golf and pickleball and generally gets around just fine. But he acknowledged that getting up from a chair isn’t always so easy. His wife thought the class might help.
He wasn’t alone in looking for ways to stay active, independent and ahead of the aches and limitations that can accompany aging.
For Pete, 69, the motivation runs deeper. His family was marked by heart problems, and he is determined to do what he can to protect his own health.
“I want to stay young. I want to live,” he said.
His daughter recently married, and he has another goal: living long enough to meet a grandchild.
Pete also turned out to have a connection to the newspaper business. He spent years working in circulation for The Record and the Daily News, including supervising home delivery back when neighborhood kids flung the papers from bicycles.
Rich, 79, of River Vale, was already familiar with the Forever Young program, having attended its yoga classes for years. The new men’s class offered another opportunity to keep moving.
And Walter, 71, of Westwood, said his wife participates in other recreation classes, prompting him to look for something he could join.
Asked whether he was enjoying the workout—it was our first day, with resistance bands, upbeat music, and clear direction—
Walter offered a cautiously optimistic assessment.
“Yes, I am. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
Strength for everyday life
The inaugural class drew men with a wide range of fitness levels and experience, from recreational athletes to those looking to become more active after years of sedentary work.
At 58, I count myself among the latter. After too many years behind a desk, I signed up hoping to reverse some of the damage that comes from spending more time sitting than moving.
Our instructor, strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer Karen Arbegast, put us through an introductory workout combining seated and standing exercises, including movements using resistance bands.
The atmosphere was relaxed and encouraging, with upbeat music and plenty of good humor. Hand weights will be incorporated as the class progresses, along with exercises designed to develop strength, stability, flexibility and coordination. The borough provided resistance bands that we were told to care for and bring back.
Arbegast, 58, said the guiding principle is helping people maintain the physical abilities they need in everyday life.
“It’s all about functional fitness,” she said.
That means applying what participants learn in class to activities outside the gym, whether playing golf, reaching for something on a shelf, lifting objects or getting in and out of a car.
“So we’re applying all these principles to activities of daily living,” she said.
Her approach emphasizes strength, coordination and mobility, but also challenges the brain. Exercises involving sequences of movements, changes in direction and coordination between the right and left sides of the body can help participants work on concentration as well as physical control.
Arbegast said those skills become especially important as older adults take up or continue recreational sports.
Golf and pickleball, for example, require the ability to rotate the body, shift weight and move quickly while maintaining balance.
She said she has heard from physical therapists treating increasing numbers of older pickleball players for injuries, including broken wrists and damaged knees.
The problem, she said, isn’t necessarily that older adults are playing sports. It’s that some haven’t developed the mobility and movement skills those sports demand.
Her goal is to help participants remain healthy, strong and safe while continuing to enjoy the activities they love.
Jimmy Wagner, who coaches boxing at Bethany Community Center in the Township, and knows Arbegast’s work, said of Westwood, “Such a great training program you have here for adults 55 and over. Strength-balance-mobility are their most important fitness functions; Westwood Rec is doing a fantastic job for the community.”
A welcoming place to begin
Arbegast brings years of experience teaching fitness and working with clients in the Pascack Valley. She teaches and provides personal training at Bethany Community Center in the Township of Washington and previously worked at several area fitness facilities.
She said the new men’s class will evolve as participants become more comfortable with the exercises.
“We’re doing the basics,” she said after the first session, describing plans to introduce squats, presses and other movements while varying the workouts from week to week.
“I’m going to try to adapt to all levels,” she said.
That inclusive approach is particularly important for men who might hesitate to join a fitness class because they are out of shape, unfamiliar with exercise equipment or concerned about keeping up.
Arbegast said the Forever Young program offers a friendly, nonintimidating environment where participants can work at their own pace.
“They should just come and try it,” she said.
The new class had already attracted 31 registrants at its launch, with the oldest participant listed at 88.
The group meets Fridays at 1 p.m. at the Westwood Community Center, 55 Jefferson Ave., as an ongoing offering. Recreation Department Director Gary Buchheister said as he welcomed the inaugural class that the offering was one of the most often requested in his tenure and that as long as there is demand it will go on “forever.”
The class is free for Westwood residents, while nonresidents pay $20 per month.
More ways to stay active
The men’s fitness class is one of two new additions to Westwood Recreation’s Forever Young program this fall.
The department also introduced water aerobics for adults 55 and older, offering a low-impact, full-body workout emphasizing strength, balance and endurance.
Led by instructor Jamie Paretti, the eight-week water
aerobics session meets Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at the Bethany Community Center pool, 605 Pascack Road, Township of Washington, through Nov. 25.
The program is free for Westwood residents, with a $40 fee for nonresidents.
Forever Young also offers chair yoga, tai chi, cardio fitness, strength and conditioning, pickleball, basketball, mahjong, art and other activities designed to keep older adults physically active and socially connected.
Registration for both new classes is required in person at the Westwood Community Center, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 201-664-7882.