According to experts at the , the benefits of movement for older adults are worth the effort. Activity can help them maintain physical and cognitive abilities, allowing them to continue to do the things they enjoy.

“Our bodies are very adjustable, and exercise is so beneficial. Older adults have a high risk of dying because they fall. They fall because they have lost muscle strength and they lose their balance,” said Anna Faul, executive director of the institute. “In order to improve muscle strength and improve balance, you need to do cardiovascular exercise and you need to do strength training.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) , along with two sessions of strength training. For people who have not been active in recent years or who may have conditions that make movement more challenging, that target can seem overwhelming.

The Trager Institute offers several opportunities to help older adults in the community get moving, including some recommended in a recent that focuses on strategies to help them get the recommended amount of exercise each week.

Among these are yoga and tai chi, which can help increase strength and balance. The institute offers two days a week. Classes are just $5 per session (or free for those who cannot afford the fee). The classes not only increase strength and balance, but provide social engagement, another important factor in healthy aging.

Mary Furlong Coomer, an 82-year-old West Louisville resident, has been participating in exercise classes and more at Trager Institute since late 2022. Although she was active for many years prior, she has found the art and fitness activities at Trager suit her needs well now as she returns to activity from pandemic lockdown and multiple joint surgeries.

“I have played tai chi and done yoga for decades, but I wanted to be sure not to overdo. The beginning tai chi and gentle yoga have helped me stay motivated,” she said.

Another strategy used at the Trager Institute is motivational interviewing, helping patients connect the desire to be active with things that matter to them, such as the ability to spend time with grandchildren.

As a former fitness instructor and through her own experience, Coomer said it helps to focus on the benefits.

“I found it boils down to one thing: Do what you will do and don’t kid yourself you have to like it. It’s discipline,” Coomer said. “You have to rewind back to that tiny pinhole of willingness and do the very least you can manage and still look yourself in the mirror. Experience has taught me that by trusting the process and pushing my sorry self out the door, I will be happy afterwards.”

Faul agrees that it’s OK to start slow in making changes to your activity level, but the important thing is to start.

“Small steps lead to bigger steps. Why don’t you just for today go and get the mail in the mailbox. And then why don’t you maybe walk two times around the mailbox before you pick up the mail? Little things that help people build some confidence that they can actually do something like this are really important,” Faul said.

Exercising with others is helpful for many people. Previously, LeRoy Chittenden taught yoga daily, but to regain his capacity after pandemic lockdown, he has been taking tai chi and yoga at Trager for the last several months and teaches chair yoga on Fridays. He said having others in class with him helps him stay on track.

“The only exercise I do by myself is walk. I need other people to make things easy,” he said. “To paraphrase Kermit — It’s not easy being old. Everything is twice as hard.”

It’s never too late to start moving more, Faul said, and small efforts can yield great benefits.

“You can start at 90 years old. Take the stairs – even if it’s slow, park further from your destination to increase steps,” Faul said. “It will be very helpful for your personal health and your mental health. You will not believe how valuable exercise is for mental health.”

An even more robust activity program is expected to be available at Trager Institute later this fall. Justin Dials, an exercise physiologist and assistant professor in the UofL Department of Health and Sports Sciences, is building an exercise-based program similar to cardiac rehabilitation, which he plans to launch later this year. The program will be a structured exercise plan designed as preventive medicine for older adults who are at risk for various age-related disorders, including but not limited to traditional risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Dials also plans to document changes in participants’ health over time.

“We want to see the effect of exercise training on limiting the natural effects of aging that we as humans experience. As we age, the chances for both physical and psychological disorders increase and can be improved with evidence-based practice, which will be the cornerstone of this new and unique program.”

“I’d describe it as dungeon-like,” said graduate student Bria Staten-Favors, about the previous facility. “It was old, it was dark. The equipment was old. It wasn’t inviting.”

Four years later, the SRC is thriving. Debby Woodall, fitness director in the Intramural & Recreational Sports Department, has witnessed the entire evolution, having worked in the department for 20 years. The new(ish) facility, located on the west side of the Belknap Campus, boasts multiple group fitness studios, six basketball courts, a gaming area, 14,000 square feet of strength training areas, a golf simulator and more.

It also offers about 30 different classes, from group fitness and cycling, to power yoga, restorative yoga and yoga with live music. It even offers belly dancing. When the department was housed at the SAC, there were about 12 classes a week. Yoga wasn’t even on the map.

“We couldn’t offer yoga because we didn’t have the right facility. We couldn’t offer cycling because we didn’t have the bikes,” Woodall said.

Now, those are among the most in-demand classes. Some yoga classes generate 35 students.

“Cycling and yoga have surprised me the most. We have been challenged with keeping up with demand and have had to turn people away. We had to order more bikes,” Woodall said. “Our (classes) numbers have gone up well over 100 percent.”

However, it is not just the classes that are drawing in the students; it’s the facility and location. Kylar Ware, a junior from Mount Washington, said that, though the SRC was intimidating at first because of its size, she loves going now.

“I think because it has two floors, it helped me get over the intimidation factor. I also love the windows because it gives me a feeling that I’m not missing out on my day by being inside of this building and being removed from everything,” she said. “I usually hate gyms, but the SRC is really nice and I’ve noticed a change in myself where I want to go now.”

Since she lives in the Pi Beta Phi house across the street, it’s also easier for her to go. Staten-Favors agrees that the SRC environment and location motivate her more.

“I don’t have to worry about going across campus to workout at night,” Staten-Favors added. “I also like that it’s two levels so I can work out in a more private place if I want.”

Woodall said this is the type of feedback she’s been getting from students across the board.

“We’ve done surveys and I can say going on our fourth year that I love where we are,” she said. “It’s a totally different program than what we used to have.”

The SRC will continue to “trial and error” new programs, such as lectures and classes. In the next year or two, some equipment will be replaced as wear and tear sets in. Woodall said they’re also working with new vendors to test new pieces of equipment, such as a Zero Runner, an Incline Trainer and a “soft-powered treadmill,” that uses less energy. Finding the right classes and equipment to resonate with students has been what Woodall calls a “fun challenge.”

“The fact that our students avoided the SAC bothered me. It’s a shame they didn’t feel like they had a place to go,” she said. “But I love that they have all of this now. It’s important we give them this positive outlet.”

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