Active life, active mind

Arms slowly glide through the air as seniors grasp the sparrow’s tail, sliding from side to side in gentle motions as sounds of nature set against a tribal beat softly play in the background.

Seniors are enjoying the benefits of staying active and social by participating in the Tai Ji Chi Gung class taught once a week at the Winter Springs Senior Center.

“The trick is to make it enjoyable, as well as a good workout,” instructor Eric Raboy said. “I don’t care if they’re picture-perfect. As long as they can follow along, and walk out of here saying they had a good workout, then my purpose is achieved.”

Tai Ji Chi Gung is a variation of the Chinese aerobic exercise tai chi, which is among many classes, such as jazzercise, line dancing and yoga, offered at the Winter Springs Senior Center.

Celebrating fitness

Wednesday, May 25 is National Senior Health and Fitness Day, and in the spirit of that day, seniors shared their secrets to staying young.

Eighty-two-year-old Ruth Bieske said the secret to her vitality is staying active and interested, and the class helps her with this.

“The class forces me to concentrate, and it keeps me reasonably supple,” she said. “It’s very calming and relaxing for me.”

Seventy-five-year-old Winter Springs resident Flo Kramer said the class is also very calming for her.

“It (the class) makes me feel very good,” Kramer said. “I’m in good shape … my body loves it.”

Activity protects

Nancy Squillacioti, executive director of the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center, said seniors can benefit from classes like tai chi in numerous ways.

“Aerobic exercise is excellent … and socialization is also a very important component of brain health,” she said. “Studies are showing that those seniors that are homebound are much more likely to develop some form of dementia than those that keep themselves busy and active.”

Squillacioti also said that trying new things can help the brain regenerate as many as 200 new neurons every week.

“There are tasks that we can do every day — just try something different,” she said. “It’s more important than ever just to try new things.”

Stimulating the brain

She said it can be something as simple as changing up a daily routine, such as listening to a new radio station, driving a new route or using your non-dominant hand for daily activities. Two of the most significant things seniors can do to stimulate their brains are to learn a new instrument or a new language.

“The purpose of all these activities is to exercise those neurons so they strengthen,” Squillacioti said. “One of the things people don’t realize is … there are three to four different kinds of dementia in an average person, but most don’t present themselves.”

She said the reason why some forms of dementia are present but do not dominate people is because they exercise their bodies and minds, overriding these strains of dementia found in the brain.

Community services

Seniors First is a nonprofit social service organization that helps elderly Central Floridians remain independent and in their homes as long as possible through a variety of services and programs that emphasize the importance of nutrition, socialization and exercising the brain and body.

“We’re focused on their needs and what will benefit them, while keeping them interested,” Seniors First president Marsha Lorenz said. “Our mission is to keep people healthy and so they can have a higher quality of life.”

The Maitland Senior Center is also focused on giving seniors a higher quality of life. City of Maitland community events coordinator Mari Smith said the classes are offered at a very low cost to seniors and cater to their needs.

“It’s important for seniors to not go beyond what their capabilities are,” Smith said. “Slight things like chair yoga keep them going.”

Learn more

For more information on classes for seniors in the Maitland area, visit www.itsmymaitland.com or in the Winter Springs area, visit www.winterspringsfl.org.