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Mornings at the club By PATRICIA MEISOL The Baltimore Sun The "intimidation factor" kept Ginny and Bernie Leidig from joining a health club until now. At age 54, she didn't think she'd be comfortable with the young, attractive singles she remembered from health club television ads. At 57, he didn't want to compete with them. But their son kept after them to exercise. Retirement and their desire to travel forced them to admit that occasional walking or push-ups with a TV host were feeble attempts to stay in shape. Once they got up the nerve to investigate health clubs, they could think of only one question: "What's the average age here?" At the Merritt Athletic Club in Towson, Md., where they ultimately enrolled, they got a surprising answer: 45. Sure, it sometimes seems there are only twentysomethings on those workout machines, but plenty of people their age now use them, too. "It's not predominantly the buff bodies," Ginny Leidig says. "Lots of people here are in their 60s and 70s." In fact, the Leidigs tapped into a group of people in similar circumstances. The number of people older than 55 joining health clubs has doubled in the past decade, according to a study by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. And it will continue to be the fastest growing part of their business. People in this age group have more time to exercise - three times a week compared with twice a week for working professionals. The result is that clubs are repositioning themselves as family venues, appealing to kids, working moms and dads, and grandparents. The Towson club's membership is now 25 percent seniors, up from 15 percent seven years ago, when manager Nancy Hafford started. That should grow: Eight weeks ago, her club opened a 25-meter lap pool, which is kept at 80 degrees, a warm-water (90 degrees) therapy pool, and a steam room and sauna, which should have a special draw among seniors. Plus, senior prices are discounted 30 percent. The shift to older people in workout rooms is due to growing awareness of the connection between fitness and living longer, she says. Plus, doctors who used to prescribe drugs for aches and pains now prescribe exercise. "The medical community is encouraging them to work out," Hafford says. While some seniors exercise for therapeutic reasons, more and more are like the Leidigs, who exercise as a preventive measure. Sweating, but hardly out of breath when they finish aerobics class, they head toward their next event dressed in T-shirts and shorts. "We want to travel and enjoy ourselves, and every time we turn around, somebody is having some problem that prevents them from (being active)," says Bernie Leidig, who retired in 1991 after 27 years with AT&T and drove a school bus for a few years. Three times a week, the Leidigs work out at the club, which is a five-minute drive from their home. Their regimen begins with an 8:30 a.m. master step-aerobics class. That's followed by a half-hour of weight-lifting and an hour of water aerobics. They don't get home until lunch time. "I'll admit, it's a lot of time," Ginny Leidig says. "We're just fortunate we can do it." They saw results right away. For two years before joining the club, Bernie Leidig had tried to lower his cholesterol by watching his diet and walking. But in two months at the club, he has lost 15 pounds and seen his cholesterol drop 30 points. His doctor, amazed, may reduce his medicine if a second report shows the drop is permanent. Ginny Leidig has lost a few pounds, too, but the main thing she's noticed is the muscle she's getting from weight lifting - muscle she never knew she had before. "It's really cool," she says. Plus, working out helps keep her bones strong, a critical issue for older women, who are at risk of getting osteoporosis. Sometimes she substitutes yoga or tai chi class for water aerobics when she wants something more meditative. On days when the Leidigs are not at the club, they walk, he for two miles, she for three. Bernie Leidig no longer takes Advil for pain in his knees and hips the way he used to after walks. Nor does he take afternoon naps. At night, they both sleep better. They are having so much fun, they say, that when they have to miss a day, they can't wait to get back. They are planning how to continue their regimen when they vacation in New Mexico this month. "I never thought I'd be that gung-ho," says Ginny Leidig, who retired in November from work as an occupational therapy assistant. In their aerobics class one recent morning, they were among the youngest members. Instructor Brenda Pieszala, 37, was doing intervals, a combination of cardiovascular work and weight training for different muscle groups. "You have to keep in mind their fitness level and what they can and cannot do," Pieszala says. She uses dance steps to jazz up her class. On the way out after class, Ginny Leidig hands a MapQuest route to a classmate. It's the route she and Bernie drive when they visit their son in Boston. The Leidigs got talking to another couple in the class and learned their son had just moved to Boston. "The good friends you meet here, I really didn't expect," she says. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.