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Seniors Who Exercise Are Richer In Many Ways

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Loretta Kinger, 76, of Squirrel Hill, has been coming to the Jewish Community Center every day after her sister's death eight years ago.

"I needed somewhere to go," Kinger explains. "When I come in to exercise, sometimes I exercise with my hand weights, with ankle weights."

She's not the only one.

"It does have kind of that mass contagion," says Dr. Moira Davenport, an emergency and sports medicine physician at Allegheny General Hospital, "and more people are seeing people who look a little more like them out exercising, and are thinking, wait, I can do this, too."

Just at the JCC alone, 3,000 seniors take advantage of its wellness programs.

One of them is Silver Sneakers, which partners with more than 40 health care plans. The participation numbers are up by 32 percent over the last year, and the program has expanded into more than 50 new markets in the last two years.

"We'll find that our seniors are in here during the early parts of the day, from 7 a.m. to 1 in the afternoon," says Alexis Winsten Marcuso, Assistant Executive Director of the Jewsih Community Center of Great Pittsburgh. "During that time, they're taking part in both group exercise activities, as well as individual cardio, weight training..."

Why they work out can vary...

"Some of them are looking for a social outlet, some are looking to lose a few pounds, to hopefully stop taking some of their medications, and some are actually looking to get back in shape," says Dr. Davenport.

But lots of seniors do it to stay fit and save money.

"I'm going to the doctor less, my blood pressure is better, my cholesterol is down," adds Kinger, as she pedals and pushes and pulls on a stationary recumbant bicycle, surrounded by three other peers doing the same. "When you're out walking, you can walk easier, breathe easier, and it's just great."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found people who regularly use medicare-sponsored health club benefits had lower long-term health care costs.

Twice a week to the gym for two years saved an average of $1,252 in medical bills, compared to seniors who went just once a week or less.

But before you hit the gym to save some green, Dr. Davenport has this caution, "We recommend that people over the age of 50 do get a physical exam before they start exercising."

It's not only the dollar savings, but also quality of life.

Seniors say day-to-day activities, like walking, balancing, and grocery shopping are easier because they exercise.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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