Seniors fight aging through exercise

Calexico senior citizens said they have a powerful weapon against aging. On Saturday, at Crummet Park, they put their exercise skills on display. Three groups of seniors went through routines of Tai Chi, Aerobics and Yoga, as part of the Farmers’ Market program.

Tai Chi Instructor Marco Calderon said, “You need to move the body because the body is meant to move. And Tai Chi is the perfect exercise in the world because it’s non-stressful. For the senior it’s the perfect medicine.”

Calderon said exercise can bring an overall sense of balance and elasticity.

“The major problem that they’ll have as they grow older is, they’ll lose their balance so it’s very easy for them to fall,” Calderon said.

Aerobics Instructor Claudia Zamano said, “Many of them used canes and chairs to exercise before. Now they don’t.”

Norma Martinez, Yoga instructor, said many of her students used to have body pain problems when they tried to do any stretching. Now they don’t.

“Some people came and at first could only bend down only enough to touch their knees or less,” Martinez said.

The instructors said exercise can and should be a lot of fun.

“If they don’t have fun exercising then it’s no good because they’re not connecting with themselves. Nm

“they feel better about themselves, more positive,” Zamano said.

They said neglecting exercise can be fatal for some people.

“Number one it’s heart attacks because if you don’t pump oxygen into your blood then your heart doesn’t work right,” Zamano said.

“Your energy level usually goes down as you get older,” Calderon added, making it the more important for seniors to exercise.

The instructors said exercise is the best medicine in the world within easy reach.

“It improves blood circulation, prevents many illnesses, this on the physical level. At the emotional level, you’ll relax a lot, sleep better, stress levels are low,” Martinez said.

Calderon added, “[It] eliminates a lot of the illnesses that we currently have, especially anxiety, depression and stress.”

“It’s just forty minutes of fun, of making your body work better and give it life,” Zamano concluded.

The senior exercise program is funded by a Calexico Heffernan Memorial Healthcare grant, so it’s free for all seniors. Anybody interested can contact the Calexico Community Center.