Silver Strong
No expiration date on fitness
By Paul Natinsky
After the COVID pandemic, career restauranteur Joe Sheena found himself stressed out and out of shape. His company, Pizza Papalis, had been bustling since 1986. But the pandemic slowed business and Pizza Papalis was forced to scale back some of its 20 locations and do “uncomfortable things” from a business perspective.
It was around then that Sheena listened to a podcast that spurred him to get his life back on track. He started walking, and then increased his walking. He changed what he ate, incorporated more protein and removed added sugars from his diet. He changed the times he ate and the intervals between meals. He embraced nature and let sky-gazing and outdoor deep breathing work their magic on him.
In addition to feeling “amazing,” the 68-year-old Sheena felt like sharing his experiences with others to help them tap into the same strategies for aging well that he had embraced. He started with talks at senior centers and other venues and ultimately ended up writing a book.
“Mindset - 12 Steps to Health Happiness and Longevity,” is available for $19.99 on Amazon. The book details Sheena’s agenda for creating a happier, healthier lifestyle as people glide past life’s midpoint. It contains sections on activities ranging from “creating a strong morning routine” to “attacking and overcoming fear” to “the benefits of hot/cold therapy.”
Sheena has put a lot of thought into his magnum opus. He says he has pored through more than 50 pages of studies and papers that back up his detailed prose. But some of his advice is remarkably simple. I asked him to boil down his message to a few words. “Get up and move. Get out of the house,” was what he said. But he couldn’t resist backing it up with some facts.
“Don’t sit too much. If you can do 10,000 steps a day, you can reduce your chance of cardiovascular disease by 40 percent.”
He also spoke a bit about bone density and the stress aging places on joints. Once a well-cut 225 pounds, Sheena is now a more welterweight-like 175. A weight he feels more comfortable with as he ages.
Weight training
Henry Dabish of Powerhouse Gym sees some svelte seniors seeking life-improving workouts at his facilities and those affiliated with them. Dabish, too, talked about bone density issues and also mentioned balance as a top-of-the-list concern for seniors.
He said that many older people are concerned about the ability to do everyday activities. He tells the story of a 72-year-old man who was unable to get up off the floor once he sat or lay there. His trainer helped him with strength exercises on the track that solved that problem and added quality to his life.
For older clients who engage in weight training, Dabish says weight machines are much better than free weights. With the machines, the range of motion is controlled and there is no chance of a weight falling on the client or pulling a limb too far.
As a further safeguard, trainers at Powerhouse and many other gyms are certified by myriad national organizations, such as NASM and ACE. Within the general certification there are specialty programs, some of which are focused on seniors. Dabish says Powerhouse ensures that seniors get connected with the right trainer with the proper certification.
Seniors are often cost conscious, and gyms are well aware of this. Dabish says gym memberships are typically $39 to $49 per month. But subsidies from Medicare and private insurers can reduce the cost to as low as $24 per month, says Dabish.
As Sheena mentioned, simply getting up and moving matters. Dabish described activities like mowing the lawn, doing laundry and just parking further from the grocery store entrance as beneficial. He said they are referred by the acronym NEAT, non-exercise activity time.
The internet is crowded with advice on aging and exercise, so caution is highly advised. Websites like AARP.com or SilverSneakers.com are loaded with exercise advice, including exercises based on everyday activities, which incorporate movements that are used to put away the dishes, slide out of bed or open jars.
So the info is there, the trainers are there, help with cost is there, no equipment is required. The only things required to stay fit as we age are will and motivation.
Amazon.com: Mindset- 12 Steps to Health Happiness and Longevity: 9798304058179: Sheena, J.J., Kapusta, Katie, Warsi, Anam: Books