JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
This week, we're bringing you stories about people who are staying active as they age - from the pickleball court to the pool. Today, we're headed to a gym in Baltimore, where the owner says strength training is key to aging well.
EMILY SOCOLINSKY: And lean over - there. Yes. That's what we're doing. Long arms, long arms, long arms. There we go, good.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SUMMERS: It's midmorning when we arrive at Fivex3, a strength training gym in Baltimore. More than a dozen members are working out. Some hoist barbells on their shoulders and squat. Others lift dumbbells or stretch with resistance bands. Nearly all of the members have one thing in common - they're older - in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Eighty-six-year-old Mona Noyes works on her deadlifts with trainer Emily Socolinsky.
SOCOLINSKY: Soft knees, long arms - there we go.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SOCOLINSKY: Good.
MONA NOYES: See, but it's not smooth, Emily.
SOCOLINSKY: Well, we're going to make it smooth.
NOYES: OK.
SOCOLINSKY: There we go...
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SOCOLINSKY: ...Good. Last one.
SUMMERS: Noyes has been working out with Socolinsky for about a year.
NOYES: One of the things that I really like to speak about is the fact that it's never too late to begin to get fitter, to build your strength. 'Cause I'm 86...
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
NOYES: ...And I sort of rolled up on 86 and didn't realize your body begins to do different things as you get older.
SUMMERS: She worked at a large school district until her late 70s. Then she retired. When she stopped working, she said she became less active. Her confidence dropped. That's when her daughter suggested that she try working out with a trainer.
NOYES: I thought, well, you know what? I'll try it. And then I can say, OK, I tried it. That's it. We're done. But I never went away. And then I started to train twice a week. In the beginning, it was kind of - I knew my daughter was very pleased. But then I began to really value it for its own sake. And now I would do it regardless.
SUMMERS: What kind of benefits has this training brought to your life? What kind of differences have you seen?
NOYES: One of the things was getting off the toilet. Because most toilets are low. So at the point when I started to train, I had to pry or, like, lever myself up because my legs weren't strong enough. Now, that is so basic, but it's so important. Who wants to go to a strange place and you can't get off the john - you know? - and things like that. Walking stairs - I would creep up the stairs, holding both hands. Oh, my God, carrying things - even a regular grocery bag - it was a struggle for me. Now, one time, oh, I carried four quarts of milk. And now, that is miraculous (laughter) - well, it was to me (laughter).
SUMMERS: Living better, moving more easily, maintaining or regaining independence.
SOCOLINSKY: It's your quality of life.
SUMMERS: That's owner Emily Socolinsky.
SOCOLINSKY: Being able to still do the things that you enjoy doing - maybe it's going to the movies, maybe you like to go to lunch with friends, going to the library, whatever it is - being able to continue to do the activities that you've always enjoyed doing.
SUMMERS: As you age, strength training can help you stay healthy. It can slow age-related muscle mass and strength loss, help maintain bone density and improve stability. But getting started can be intimidating at any age. When Socolinsky began working with Noyes, they didn't go straight to barbells.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
NOYES: I have a little stool about a foot high, and she said, OK, get a back of a chair and just put your foot up. I want you to step up on that stool. My foot would not move - I'm telling you - honest to God. I said, Emily, my leg won't raise.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SOCOLINSKY: Because she didn't know how to move it. The brain didn't trust her enough to use it. And over time, she started to trust it more, and now she just steps up. And now, she was doing them today. She steps up and steps over.
SUMMERS: Now, Noyes isn't just taking one step at a time.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SUMMERS: She's walking down her basement steps to her home gym. She can carry more groceries. She's getting out more.
NOYES: I see older people who I know are letting them - their full lives go. And it really grieves me. That's the main thing about this.
SUMMERS: Socolinsky opened this gym in 2011. Her mom was an early client.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SUMMERS: Word soon spread that her gym was a place where older people could feel comfortable. More started signing up - something Socolinsky didn't expect. That presented a challenge and an opportunity.
SOCOLINSKY: By 2016, it was quite clear I was really enjoying my older clients, and I was seeing a bigger push for older people to train. It was either somebody was there, and they brought their friend, or it was an adult child who was sending them to me.
SUMMERS: Adult children like Paula LeVere, who we met as she walked across the turf on the other side of the gym. Her mom, Victoria Howard, was in a major car accident two years ago. She needed spinal surgery. And after the surgery, Paula said...
PAULA LEVERE: I called Emily up, and I told her what was going on. And she told me to bring my mom in. And then, that's how we got started.
VICTORIA HOWARD: I had a lot of issues, but I'm much better now, especially since I've been - my legs is stronger.
LEVERE: And the upper body, as well.
HOWARD: And I'm OK doing it.
SUMMERS: Victoria, what was it like when you first got started?
HOWARD: It was hard. It was hard 'cause I had to get my body used to moving, and I had to loosen these bones up. But they're much better now than what they were - much better.
SUMMERS: Victoria, who is 75 years old, comes to the gym every week. She does pull-aparts with an exercise band, squats, lifts dumbbells over her head. Her daughter, Paula, says this has changed her life.
LEVERE: I feel like she's stronger in everything that she does. We're walking up and down the steps. We're still lifting the bag of groceries. Whether - even just - like, if we're moving a table, she's helping with that, lifting the chair and moving that. So I see the strength. I see the difference in her from the accident from two years ago.
HOWARD: Two years ago, I wasn't doing nothing. But now, I'm much stronger, especially since I've been coming over here - my legs, my arms. And I'm just better.
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SUMMERS: Getting or staying physically active as we grow older can have so many benefits for our health and how we live our lives, and 86-year-old Mona Noyes says it is never too late to start.
NOYES: Don't give up. That's what I would really say. Don't stop because this is the best thing you do for yourself, and then all the people around you, because you keep functioning. Nobody knows how long you're going to live, but you should live as fully as you can for as long as you can. That's all. So that's where I am (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF WEIGHTS CLANKING)
SUMMERS: Competitive swimmer DeEtte Sauer's right there with Mona. She learned to swim in her late 50s. And at age 83, she's a champion many times over who still relishes a challenge.
DEETTE SAUER: I like the rush. I like the thrill. I like the challenge. I like constantly pushing myself and measuring myself against the greatness of others.
SUMMERS: We'll bring you her story tomorrow.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PHYSICAL")
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: (Singing) Oh, let's get physical, physical. I want to get physical. Let's get into physical. Let me hear your body talk, your body talk. Let me hear your body talk. Let's get... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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