Key facts
- Older exercise instructors can better connect with their peers by using familiar music and understanding their motivations.
- Many older adults find exercise more enjoyable and socially rewarding when led by instructors closer to their age.
- Instructors like Bengie Santos, 72, and Harry King, 83, serve as role models for active aging.
- The YMCA actively recruits older instructors, recognizing the importance of social and emotional aspects of fitness for seniors.
- Music selection is crucial for engaging older adults, with instructors using diverse genres to trigger memories and create a party-like atmosphere.
Older adults are finding that exercise instructors closer to their own age can better understand their needs and motivations, fostering stronger social connections and making fitness more enjoyable. Many older instructors serve as role models, inspiring their peers to stay active.
Bengie Santos, a former dancer and choreographer for 30 years, transitioned to become an exercise instructor at age 72. Now in her 14th year teaching at the YMCA of Greater Seattle, she leads classes that include Doris Day singalongs, hip-hop routines, and country line dances, attracting a dedicated following of older adults, many in their 80s and 90s.
Students like 81-year-old Sharon Ruff are drawn to the eclectic music and instructor's energy, finding the classes fun after previously disliking exercise. Her friend, 91-year-old Ann Kashiwa, highlights the social aspect, noting that her friendships at the Y have been crucial during her cancer treatment. Santos emphasizes a reciprocal inspiration between herself and her students.
Experts like evolutionary biologist Daniel E. Lieberman suggest that older instructors can be important role models, speaking their peers' language and making physical activity more rewarding. Harry King, an 83-year-old personal trainer in South Carolina, agrees that motivation is a barrier for many older adults and aims to set a good example for his clients, most of whom are over 50.
The YMCA of Greater Seattle intentionally recruits instructors from within its older adult programs, recognizing that these classes offer more than just fitness, encompassing significant mental and emotional benefits. Program executive Kerry Ashby notes that many instructors are former participants. Tom Kleinecke, a long-time Y member, contrasts Santos' inspiring leadership style with that of younger instructors, crediting her classes with noticeable improvements in his fitness and endurance.
Santos carefully selects music to match her students' ages and backgrounds, even for residents in senior living facilities, where music from Judy Garland to Louis Armstrong can trigger memories and create a sense of celebration. She believes the class belongs to the students, not the instructor.