Mountain Arts Community Center adds new Silver Sneakers Stretch class

Participants in the Silver Sneakers exercise program held at the MACC gather before class. (Contributed photo)
Participants in the Silver Sneakers exercise program held at the MACC gather before class. (Contributed photo)

The Silver Sneakers exercise classes for mature adults held at the MACC have grown tremendously since the community center held its first class, for just three participants, two years ago. A recent class had 23 seniors' blood pumping, and frequent participants have been requesting that the MACC add another class focused on stretching.

They're getting their wish.

A Silver Sneakers Stretch class began last month, augmenting the advanced exercise program at 11 a.m. and basic exercise program at noon held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The new stretch class is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:15 a.m. The 45-minute sessions connect gentle, chair-based stretching exercises with participants' breathing. The class is designed for all fitness levels, said instructor Alison Chimley, who also teaches the MACC's other Silver Sneakers classes along with Kay Turner.

Chimley said the goal of the new class is to help participants retain their strength, improve their mobility and increase their range of motion through active, isolated stretching exercises. The class benefits those with overworked, contracted muscles, as well as those who are sedentary or have issues with posture or stiffness - and every body type in between, she said.

Signal Mountain resident Lew Waddey, 76, has been participating in Silver Sneakers classes at the MACC for two years and recently attended his first Silver Sneakers Stretch class.

"I think it's going to be a really good class, and very helpful," he said. "The slower pace is something that we all need."

Waddey said the camaraderie among participants, who have lunch together once a month, is one of the main reasons he keeps coming back, though the physical results are also factors. Since he started the Silver Sneakers fitness classes, he said he's noticed that his physical therapy appointments and normal chores such as cutting his grass have gotten easier.

Fellow Signal resident and 76-year-old Joannah Sims, also a two-year participant in the MACC's Silver Sneakers fitness classes, said her balance, equilibrium and strength are "1000 percent" better than when she began.

"I feel like it's made me 10-15 years younger," said Sims, who plans to join the stretching class as well. "I'm in extra-good health, and I credit a lot of that to this exercise program. It's been life-changing for me."

All Silver Sneakers classes are free to participants whose health insurance includes the Silver Sneakers benefit, and cost $5 each for others. No registration is necessary, but first-time participants should plan to arrive a little early. Everyone should bring water, walking shoes and a smile, said Chimley.

The MACC is at 809 Kentucky Ave. and can be reached at 886-1959.

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