(lively upbeat music) - [Shirley] From seniors pumping iron... - [Sally] They didn't even know what powerlifting was.

- [Shirley] To breast cancer survivors building physical and mental strength through rowing.

- When I was first diagnosed, I didn't know if I was gonna survive.

- [Shirley] And therapeutic healing through art.

- [Marla] The artwork soothes what happened to me.

- It's all about health and wellness on this week's, "You Oughta Know."

(upbeat music) Hi, everyone.

I'm here at City Fitness in Old City.

This is one of eight community fitness clubs under the City Fitness brand.

We'll have more on them coming up.

But first, there's no denying it, physical activity, such as weightlifting, is one of the keys to health and longevity.

And the ladies of Sally's Iron Mustangs are proof that lifting heavy builds strength and confidence at any age.

(lively music) - Growing up, we joked about how, at 77, I would be wearing saddle shoes, in a dress, sitting on a porch, and that's not something I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna get tinsel in my hair next week, and I'm ready to live my life at the fullest.

(uplifting music) - When I was 48 years old, I looked in the mirror one morning, and I didn't like what I saw.

I saw an aging woman with sagging skin, and I'm like, "This is not the road I really want to go down."

I literally hired a personal trainer and a nutritionist the very next day.

I did personal training, heavy lifting, changed my eating, and it was miraculous how everything changed for me.

(vibrant music) In about six or eight months of strength training, the whole thing changed, and I was like, "Wow, this is amazing."

(energetic music) I'm 68 now, and that turned the whole thing around.

So I sold my dance studio, and I went down into the fitness world, became a trainer, nutritionist.

So when I started working here at Bright Side, I just decided, "You know what?

I saw it in some of these people.

They can do this."

And they didn't even know what powerlifting was.

So I just started training them.

I said, "Hey, come on Wednesday.

I want to teach you some lifts."

Next thing you know, the group grew, and then senior games was coming up, and I go, "Okay, let's prepare for senior games."

(upbeat music) - I came in, I met Sally.

And Sally just pushes you into different exercise programs.

And then she said, "I'm starting a weightlifting team, and you're part of it."

So I'm here.

(chuckles) - [Sally] The Lancaster County Senior Games has been around 32 years.

It grew to over 1,000 competitors.

So anybody 55 and up can compete in a variety of sports.

- Today, I kind of walked in cold and was able to deadlift 210 pounds, which is the maximum I've ever lifted.

I am training to be able to lift 230 pounds.

If I can do that, and if I can do that in a competition, that will be a world record.

(vibrant music) - [Sally] When they achieve a goal, or a PR we call it, it's like life-changing.

They feel strong and empowered and that they can do anything.

And I believe in them so much.

I go, "You've got way more in you."

(upbeat energetic music) - At this point in my life, relaxing is something I do occasionally.

But I wanna keep myself busy.

I enjoy doing things that I'm doing, and it keeps me young and that I can keep moving.

I'm 77 years young.

(powerful upbeat music) - Even if I don't feel like working out, I do feel like seeing my friends, and that is something that stirs a cycle that's been very beneficial.

My blood pressure has gone down, my cholesterol went down, and my attitude improved.

(powerful upbeat music continues) - [Sally] I have never been to a community, a gym, or any facility that it had that feel of family.

And you can see it was quite a variety of ladies, you know, from all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities, but they just love being together.

(energetic music) - I encourage, particularly seniors, elders, people with wisdom, to do something.

Our life is not over.

By God's grace and mercy, we have more to do.

(energetic music continues) - [Sally] Just put your foot in the door or get outta your house, come into the gym, grab your water bottle and your sneakers.

I got you.

Anybody can be a Mustang.

(powerful upbeat music) - There's no age barrier when it comes to lifting, and we're learning that strength training is a must for women.

My colleague Maiken Scott, host and executive producer of "The Pulse," talked about the life-changing power of lifting weights in a recent episode.

Hey, Maiken.

- Hey, Shirley.

- Can I interrupt your workout?

- Absolutely.

Hold on, watch your feet.

- Don't drop it on my toes.

- There we go.

- You look like you know what you're doing.

(Shirley laughs) - Thank you.

(chuckles) - How long have you been lifting?

- Lifting, I would say seriously, probably for the last four years, but resistance training, at least for eight.

- And why did you start lifting?

- I just felt like I needed to do something different.

I was always a swimmer, and I would enjoy doing aerobics, but I felt like, as I got older, I needed to do something else to really keep my strength.

Because you know that as we age, we lose muscle mass, right?

And I wanted to fight back against that.

- Right.

And you did an entire episode of "The Pulse" kind of focused on this strength training, which we are hearing so much more about its benefits.

Talk to me about some of these benefits.

- Yeah, there's a lot more research coming out about the fact that strength training protects against osteoporosis in women.

Strength training also helps to protect your brain, which is really interesting.

That's the newer kind of research that I find fascinating, that, you know, the best thing you can do to protect your brain and your mind is to actually do resistance training, to lift weights.

- Interesting, 'cause it used to be, "Do Sudoku puzzles to exercise your brain."

- Yes.

No, do this.

- But this is new.

Interesting.

- Yes, absolutely.

- Okay, and how so?

- Well, the thinking is, or what the research is showing, that is what builds the muscle also builds the brain.

It's all connected.

And also, you know, muscle is an endocrine tissue, so it does regulate hormones as well.

- I love that part of it because I have seen all over my social media, because I'm of a particular age, right, that strength training is so critical for women going through perimenopause and menopause.

But the strength training itself is not just for women.

This is also- - It's for everybody.

- The benefits are proven for men as well.

- Absolutely.

It's really for everybody.

And I would say, especially as we age, because it protects against falls, it helps you catch yourself if you do fall, and it just keeps you stronger and functioning better.

- From when you started lifting, how soon or how long was it before you started noticing results, and what were those results?

- Right.

I mean, as you can tell, I'm not like huge, you know?

(Shirley laughs) Rawr!

I mean, I can tell that- - You are very strong.

- I am strong, but I can tell that my strength has built up.

It's not that I look very different.

My clothes fit better, I will say that.

You don't lose weight when you start building strengths because the muscle replaces fat tissue in the body.

That's another beautiful thing.

But, you know, the main thing I'm noticing is really that I feel stronger, I feel better, my mood is better, my sleep is better, everything is just better.

And I notice, if I don't go to the gym for a week, I definitely feel a difference.

- Yeah, for sure.

And tell me the story about on the plane.

- I was on a plane, and behind me was an older lady, and she had a suitcase, and I could tell she was like thinking about, "How am I gonna get this suitcase up there?"

And I said to her, "Can I grab that suitcase for you?"

And she said, "It's really heavy."

And I said, "I think I can handle it," right?

And I grabbed it, and boom, I put it up there.

And she said, "You're strong."

(Shirley laughs) And I said to her, and I meant it, I said, "This is the best compliment I've ever gotten."

And that's the kind of thing where I notice, in my day-to-day function, I'm doing better, and I can do things, and that makes me happy.

- Oh, I love that.

And, as people live longer, we really want to expand on that quality of life as we are aging and living longer.

- You don't just want to live longer, you want to to live better longer.

- I love it, Maiken, and thank you so much.

Maiken is the host of "The Pulse," which airs on WHYYFM 90.9 Fridays at 9:00 AM- - Nine.

- Saturdays at noon- - Noon.

- [Shirley] And anytime where you get your podcast.

- [Maiken] That's right.

- Now it's time to pump some iron.

I'm here with Nate Stone, one of the head coaches here at City Fitness, East Market.

Nate, thanks for having us.

- Yeah, thanks for having me.

Excited to be here.

- It can be a little intimidating to come to the gym if you've never worked out in a gym setting, and also if you really don't know where to start.

So can you give us some workout routines that maybe we could do at home to get people acclimated before we jump into a gym setting?

- Yes, definitely.

It is intimidating at first.

Today, we're gonna work on some full body, some upper body, lower body, and some core exercises.

We'll actually jump right into our first one here.

So we're gonna grab a kettlebell, like a light weight.

We're gonna bring it all the way up to the chest.

Lift up those elbows.

- It's not that light, Nate.

(laughs) - It's a little heavy.

It's a little heavy.

If you have some kind of box or couch or like chair you can sit on behind you, but like 18 or so inches.

From here, we're gonna squat down, we're gonna push those hips back if you're sitting in a chair.

Float right above that box.

We're gonna hold that.

We're gonna try to do a bicep curl.

- This is easy.

I'm just kidding.

(laughs) - We'll curl that kettlebell up, and then from there, all the way back.

- Okay, so you're not sitting down.

- No, so gonna try to hold - I was sitting down.

- that right above that pad.

And then we'll curl right from there, nice and slow, all the way back up.

- And if you don't have a kettlebell, you can use like a dumbbell.

- Yes.

You can use dumbbell, you can use any light weight, or even, if you wanna build body weight, too, that also can work.

- Okay.

Okay, now what's the next one?

- Yeah, so we'll go right into our pushup.

So I know pushups can be very intimidating for people, so I'll show you a normal one first.

So we have our hands under our shoulders, table it in.

Want to go nice and slow.

Keep those elbows tucked in, exhale, right back up.

I know that can be challenging.

(Shirley laughs) So we have some different variations here.

- I'm good at pushups, so I can do them.

- Let's give it a shot.

Let's give it a shot.

- Okay, so here's the- - Yep, there it is.

- Okay.

Yeah.

- That was easy.

You need some weight on your back.

(Shirley laughs) And if that's too hard, what we can do here is go nice and slow coming down.

You can bring the knees on the ground, and then come back up from there.

So you little have an easier option there.

- [Shirley] So drop the knee and then come up?

- Yep, and then right back up.

- [Shirley] Oh, that's a great modification.

- If that's still a little too hard, you can also use like an elevated surface, like a box or a couch.

So over here you have those hands on that box.

Same form.

Nice and slow, bring that chest all the way down, and again, that exhale, right back up.

- Oh, very good.

I've also seen sometimes people do pushups against a wall.

- Yes.

- Is that?

- You can, yeah.

- What do you think?

- So it's similar to like, if you use an elevated surface, I always recommend trying to use a box or something like that, so you adjust the height.

It's not necessarily wrong, though.

- Okay, alright, and for core, what do you have?

- Yeah, so for our last one, it's called a hollow body hold.

So we're gonna have our low back on the ground, our legs straight if you can.

Head and shoulders up like we're scooping our stomach, arms right by those ears.

- Oh, this one's a tough one.

- This one's alright.

Just gonna focus on breathing in through the nose.

(inhales) Big exhale.

(exhales) Let all the air out of that stomach with that breath.

- I think they can see me shaking here.

- That one will be really good for the abs.

- Yeah.

How do we modify that one?

- Yes, so if that's too hard, you can bring one foot down, keep that leg straight, and then same thing, just hold that position there.

Exactly.

- Okay, very cool.

- And just gonna hold that [Nate] for those deep breaths.

- So let's say folks start to master this.

How will they know when to take the homework out to a gym setting?

- Yes, usually when you start feeling like something's not challenging enough, maybe you're plateauing, you're lacking motivation, feeling lazy, that's when I recommend kinda getting to the gym, maybe surrounding yourself with an environment where people are pushing you, such as a class or a trainer, something along those lines.

- I'm sweating.

I'm a little out of breath- - [Nate] I'm a little out of breath, too.

This is cardio for me.

- (laughs) Yeah.

And are there programs here at the gym for say, like older members or even just first-timers to the gym?

- Yes, exactly.

So we actually have our THRIVE program.

So I can have maybe clients 20 years old in the same session as someone that's 80 years old.

- Wow.

- So we have a big difference.

We personalize it based on where you're at.

So we like to meet you at your fitness goals.

In terms of our older clients, like to focus a lot on full body, so movement such as mobility, strength, and conditioning.

We like to focus a lot on kinda real-life events, so such as balance, coordination.

So I have one client that runs around with his grandchildren, so he wants to make sure he's not falling, not tripping, things like that.

So that's where that balance really comes into hand.

- I love that.

And so what are you doing for that?

Like, what types of exercises?

- Yeah, so we like to do a lot of single-leg things, such as, for example, you make a single-leg deadlift for pushing our hip back, reaching forward, split squats, so it's kind of spending time on that one leg.

So, again, say you're going up the stairs, you're staying on that balance.

- Really working on that stability part of it.

- Yes, the stabilizers, again, reduce that injury moving forward.

- And I think, too, it also helps if you have a partner, or like some, a friend you can work out with, maybe that'll keep you- - Oh, definitely.

- a little motivated, right?

- Yeah, it's cool to see when we have like an older client and like a younger client, kinda the same session, they're still hitting it off, still talking.

And we do a lot of community events as well.

So we have our outings, where we try to get everyone together, just kind of supporting each other and just kinda spending time outside the gym, too, to make sure it's not an intimidating space.

- Now, City Fitness has eight locations.

Is the THRIVE program at all of the locations?

- Yes, all eight locations.

- Okay.

This is great.

Thank you so much for having us.

- Of course.

- And to learn more about City Fitness, we have all the information up for you right here.

Also make sure, before starting any workout, that you consult your doctor.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the ladies of We Can Row, an organization for breast cancer survivors, are gearing up for the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.

(bright music) - [Dale] We Can Row is a program of Whitemarsh Boat Club.

- Sidestep it out!

- [Dale] And I had been a member of Whitemarsh Boat Club for about 10 years before this woman came to us and suggested starting a cancer survivor rowing program.

- [Margie] Ready up!

- Every spring we have an open house.

There are no requirements.

Everybody basically starts as a brand-new rower, and then the following year, everyone who has had one or more years of experience comes back and helps the new people get started each year.

(bright gentle music) - I was a rower myself before I personally was diagnosed with breast cancer.

And Dale approached me because she knew I was just coming back after my breast cancer diagnosis and recovery.

I was like, "Yes, I want to be a part of it, 100%."

So I started out more as a member rowing in the boats, and now I'm the head coach.

So I kind of worked my way up from the inception of the program to where it is now.

Ready to roll.

About face it.

(engine rumbling) (member speaks indistinctly) - [Dale] Survivor Rowing Network brought together cancer survivor rowing programs from all over the country.

They have about 35 in the US and then around the world.

- [Sue] Are you all set?

(gentle music) (water sloshes) - The We Can Row programs are all breast cancer.

Other cancer survivor programs include other cancers, so they may even include men.

(gentle music) - Row.

I joined We Can Row.

I was extremely uncoordinated.

Nobody said, "Try a different sport" to me or "You don't fit in here."

So I kept going, I never gave up, and now I'm able to compete in Regattas.

(water sloshing) Chest up.

That's it.

- [Margie] A lot of times coming back from recovery after breast cancer, you're not sure what you can and what you cannot do, and this is a very safe place to kind of figure that out and to use some muscles that support what we're doing in terms of our recovery.

Set it up.

Set it up.

(gentle music) (rowers chat indistinctly) - Every day, the Survivor 8 will show up 15 to 20 minutes before we get hands on the boat.

And using the rowing machine lets them know where their body is that day.

They can feel the full motion of the rowing stroke without having to be on the water.

Wide strokes, get off your seat.

(bright music) And paddle nice and light.

- [Margie] Nice and relaxed and together.

You can choose the level you want If you just wanna show up Monday night and row around a little bit, okay, that's good.

If you want to come and get better and spend some time with other coaches to improve your rowing, you can do that.

If you want to go and race, we'll support you there, too.

There's a place for everybody.

That's it.

- [Matt] The Survivor 8 started last year, with last year being the first Head of the Charles that Whitemarsh was interested in sending a survivor boat to.

Even the women in the eight last year that did very well, they never thought that they would be competing on a national stage, let alone doing well in one of those events.

And it's just so motivating for the women who didn't think they could.

Now they see other people doing it, now they know that that's something that they could put on their horizon as well.

- I get goosebumps when I think about competing at Head of the Charles Regatta in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, because when I was first diagnosed, I didn't know if I was gonna survive.

It's very, very special to be able to be there, put a uniform on, and be there with my crew.

(bright music) - [Dale] When you're on the water, you're 100% percent focused on what you're doing, the person sitting in front of you, and the person sitting behind you.

- [Sue] I feel so much pride as a cancer survivor giving somebody hope out there who is just not feeling it.

- [Dale] For many women, they find that it's just an escape.

Anything else that is stress or worry in your head is left on land.

(bright music) (water sloshing) - Let's take a trip to White Clay Creek State Park in Newark, Delaware, one of five state parks with a wheelchair designed to handle mud, sand, and rocky trails.

(vibrant music) - [Grant] A track chair is an all-terrain wheelchair that you are able to traverse all different terrain.

It has tracks on the bottom similar to what you might see on like a tank.

- Delaware received this all terrain wheelchair, or track chair, through the Fort Bronco Wild Fund, a grant program committed to expanding access to state parks.

Give me a little bit of the timeline from when we had the first chair and where we are now.

- Yeah, so we got the first chair about a year and a half ago.

(bright music) We chose White Clay Creek to be the primary park.

We have a lot of accessible features in this park, and we thought it made sense here.

Everyone just saw how amazing this chair is and the freedom it would allow for people to have.

- [Shirley] Freedom to get out in nature and on trails.

- We all have people in our lives that no longer have the ability to do what they used to be able to do, and we are creating memories for them to be able to go back and experience the outdoors.

- [Shirley] This is the third time Jared Towery used the track chair.

To use it is free.

You just have to reserve it online or by phone.

- It's been wonderful.

I like it every time.

There's loads of places that I can go to with the track chair that, even on a manual chair designed to go over all sorts of mud, dirt, you know, this thing beats it out of the water.

(vibrant music) - [Shirley] Describe for us what it's like for you to be on the trails now and like being in the woods.

- It's great.

I really enjoy it.

It's nice, you know, just kind of being into the places that you really don't see yourself being into.

- Jared tells me the chair is user-friendly and you can set the speed to go at your own pace.

The program has since expanded to five state parks in Delaware with plans to add more in the next year.

What do you think the track chair gives to folks?

Like, what opportunities does this open up?

- It gives people freedom again.

It gives them the ability to walk a trail with their family that they haven't been able to do that for some time or forever.

You know, we talk about how great nature is for us and how relaxing it is, and we're giving that back to people.

(vibrant music) - You can also reserve a track chair in New Jersey at Wharton State Forest.

And if you can't operate a track chair on your own, there is a remote control option where a companion can operate the chair for you.

Getting outdoors and exercising are great ways to improve your physical and mental health.

But when it comes to your inner wellbeing, consider art therapy.

(mysterious music) - What if the real growth, the real journey, the real glow-up is when you stop waiting until you transform into the most flawless version of yourself, and instead begin to care for the person you are right now.

What if it was never about whether or not you could push away all the parts of yourself that you don't feel are enough, but instead be able to hold them and to allow them to coexist?

(mysterious music continues) The "Started Blooming" piece happened right around when I was getting divorced.

I didn't have words for feelings, but if I made art and I looked at what the art made, then I could understand what I was feeling.

Is there a room here?

- Oh, that's a good idea.

- After my divorce, my younger daughter got diagnosed with cancer.

(gentle bright music) She passed away two and a half years later.

I didn't know what grief was because I didn't understand feelings, and I thought it was something you dealt with and you got over it, and I didn't realize it was a lifelong learning how to navigate through that as part of life.

Grief is not just the loss of a loved one or the loss of a pet.

It could be a loss of a home, it could be a loss of a job, a medical diagnosis.

Any life transition, any passage, there's a grief associated with it.

- There's a belief that we all have within us some sort of pain or hurt in our lives, or we will.

And what happens here when you do art, and it doesn't matter what the outcome of the art is, whether it's good or bad, maybe you care how it looks, but Daune and the people that run this place, they only care that you're in the process.

So in that process, I grow and change in that process, and I feel different after I complete different art projects.

That's what I get out of art, in general, is a feeling of peace.

A lot of things happened to me as a child, and there was a lot of abuse in my life, but it soothes it.

The artwork soothes what happened to me, but more than that, it helps me to be different in connection with other people.

- As you begin to orient to rest, you're welcome to explore ease in your body, whatever that might mean or look like for you today, perhaps considering that if we bring ease to one part of our body, that it might impact the rest of us as well.

- [Daune] Art of Embodiment is a half hour of trauma-sensitive yoga, and it's gentle movement that is all invitational.

- Another way of adding movement might be to roll your shoulders a couple times.

- A lot of times we don't know where we have feelings or what's going on in our body.

We can't even identify.

I remember being so afraid to move, that if I moved, I was gonna fall apart.

And I think we teach people that it's okay to fall apart.

It's like you're not breaking down, you're breaking open, like your broken heart is a heart broken open that can expand.

It helps people open up in a way that their creativity just naturally comes out.

We do a mindful-based art project with that class, and today it was nature mandalas, where we use all types of items from nature and design mandalas out of them.

- Right now I'm doing an altered journal.

I air-dry clayed the front of this tree onto it, and then I painted over top of it, and then throughout it I'm just going in and I'm adding my own spin on it.

- [Daune] Journaling and Collage Collective, it's a collective group of people who like to just journal.

They like the writing part.

Some people like the collage part, and a lot of people like to combine it together in a form of art journaling.

And sometimes we talk, and sometimes we're quiet journalists or quiet art makers.

The trauma stories may come out over time, but we paint 'em out and collage them out and admire and celebrate them with a new perspective in the beauty of the art, and they feel safe.

(sentimental music) (transition swooshes) - Okay, that is our show.

Have a good night everyone, and good health.

(bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music continues)