By Jeff Mullin Senior Writer

Some senior citizens, like Enid’s Robert Kaiser, want to stay fit in order to run road races.

Kaiser, 80, finished Septem-ber’s 5K Great Land Run in 36:39, winning his age group.

For other older area residents, however, their fitness goals are simpler.

“I think they want to be able to bend down and tie their shoes and reach up in the cabinet and get a coffee cup,” said Kim Boeckman, fitness director at Denny Price Family YMCA. “Then if they get some fitness benefits from that, that’s an even bigger plus.”

Fitness impacts both a person’s quality, and quantity, of life.

“You have people old at 45 and you have people young at 70,” said Ken Rapp, YMCA executive director. “By that I mean their level of fitness, their lifestyle and their level of activity.”

YMCA offers a full range of fitness opportunities for people of all ages. Senior citizens tend to gravitate toward group activities geared toward them, said Boeckman, while Baby Boomers prefer to take part in more “mainstream” classes.

“Baby Boomers don’t think they are old,” she said. “They know they are going to live longer. They want to be healthy living longer and have a decent quality of life. That age group is pretty active.”

Boomers prefer classes such as yoga, Pilates and strength training, while seniors are more often found in the pool, taking part in Aquasize and water walking.

“Our retired senior population really uses that pool a lot,” said Boeckman.

“There are so many people who come in from surgeries, knee surgeries, even back surgeries, knee replacements, hip replacements, who come to the water for their exercise, and all of a sudden they can move again,” said Kathi Black, YMCA aquatic director. “The water has the buoyancy to hold them up. Once they get out of the water, they don’t have the control of their body that they did in the water.”

Water helps take much of the pain out of exercise for seniors, Rapp said.

“Now you don’t have the weight on the knee or hip that prevents you from being able to walk or run comfortably,” he said. “That’s the beauty of being able to exercise in the water.”

For older adults who can’t afford Y membership, an adult scholarship program is available.

Marsha Weinand, exercise specialist for Vital Signs Fitness Center, a subsidiary of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, said about 60 to 70 percent of her personal training clients are either Baby Boomers or senior citizens.

“Most of them have balance problems, shoulder problems, knee problems and primarily back problems,” she said. “In order to exercise safely and keep them doing the proper and appropriate exercises, they come to me.”

Weinand helps her clients set goals and assesses their fitness, looking at areas like illnesses, injuries, lifestyle, diet and cardiovascular risk factors.

Balance and stability are two areas of focus for seniors working out at Vital Signs, Weinand said.

“There are specific exercises that we give for our balance training,” she said. “Most of my older people, anyone over the age of, say, 75 to 80, we do those at least once a week.”

Cardiovascular and strength training are two other areas of emphasis for seniors.

“We work on all aspects of fitness, strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and balance,” Weinand said. “That’s a good part of my job, I see the older population getting stronger.”

American College of Sports Medicine says there is no difference in the rate seniors gain strength compared to younger people.

“The downside of that is, when they stop coming to the gym, the lose it quicker,” said Weinand.

Senior Life Network at Oakwood Mall promotes healthy aging for adults 55 and above. Its more than 2,000 members participate in programs including exercise and nutrition.

SLN, sponsored by North-west Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation and Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, offers exercise classes in strength and flexibility, aerobics, yoga and Pilates.

A lifetime Senior Life Network membership is $10, and members pay a $1.50 fee each time they take part in a class or activity.

Health screenings, for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as hearing tests are among the services offered by SLN.

“As a group, our members are very health-conscious,” said Gail Potts, director of Senior Life Network. “They want to travel, to feel good, to not be a burden.”

“They realize the way to do that is through exercise and watching your diet,” said Steven Whitfill, executive director of Northwest Okla-homa Osteopathic Founda-tion.

There is an emotional as-pect to senior fitness as well.

“I think besides exercise and the health benefits, the other important thing is socialization,” said Potts.

Seniors involved in exercise programs enjoy the support and friendship of their classmates.

“It’s just like one big family,” said the YMCA’s Black.