[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.20.1″ src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/f5qjvsscsfY” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
Many people think that as we age, it is inevitable that we will slow down as well. One exercise class in Columbia is helping seniors stay active.<\/p>\n
At the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center in Columbia, James Anderson teaches a Chair Aerobics class to encourage older people to stay fit. Chair Aerobics allows the participants to sit down while exercising if needed. This allows the class to be inclusive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Anderson is not your typical fitness instructor. He is a 68-year-old veteran who reversed his diabetes diagnosis by exercising and eating well.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin less than a few months, the doctor looked at me and literally wrote on a report that she\u2019s never seen anyone recover like that. So I take no medication, and I\u2019m very thankful it was the path to what exercise and diet and trust in God that got me free from that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Now he wants to help other \u201cseniors\u201d in the community get their strength back. He said, \u201cThis is gonna help them become independent, it may just prevent them from going into rest homes.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson does not play music during his class.<\/p>\n “Let’s face it, they have four, five decades of music in them and do you know the different styles they want?” he asked. “Someone wants Sinatra, someone wants R&B, someone wants rock-and-roll and I can’t do them all.”<\/p>\n So instead, he sings, and counts Army cadence. He begins the class with a few rounds of “I Don\u2019t Know But I\u2019ve Been Told,” replacing some of the lyrics with \u201cI am young and I\u2019m not old,\u201d and \u201cexercising every day, that is how we stay this way.\u201d<\/p>\n He continues singing through the class to keep the participants engaged. Judy Irvine, a class participant, said, \u201cmost of us are in our sixties and look at us. We\u2019re youthful.\u201d<\/p>\n Another participant in her 60’s, Janice Crummey said, \u201cI feel so great since I\u2019ve been coming, I used to just be sitting in the chair at home but now I feel so great.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, James uses his success with exercise in his every-day life. He said, \u201cIf I see a setback in life I just think maybe that\u2019s my opportunity to do something greater.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Dr. Jason Stacy, associate medical director at USC, it is possible to decrease your Type II diabetes symptoms through exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can get to a point where you don\u2019t need medication, you won\u2019t need insulin,\u201d said Stacy.\u00a0\u201cIf we could package the benefits of exercise into a pill we as physicians would prescribe that to every single living person.\u201d<\/p>\n After ending the class with a round of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” Anderson sent everyone home with a \u201cgo in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson teaches Chair Aerobics every Tuesday and Friday at 9 a.m. at the Drew Wellness Center in Columbia.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the Drew Wellness and Fitness Center, Chair Aerobics helps keep seniors in shape. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":19410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[71,68],"tags":[133,690],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18706"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19569,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18706\/revisions\/19569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}