Good Exercise for Dem Bones

Pat Gay wouldn’t miss her weekly Osteofit class at the Halina Center in Vernon for the world. “It keeps me mobile,” said Gay, who has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis and has had several surgeries. “I’ve been coming for six years.” “I sat and watched at first,” said Terri Pollard. “I needed to work on my bones. I had cracked a bone in my back by lifting a 50-pound weight when I didn’t know I had it (osteoporosis). Most of my pain has gone now because of the class.” The women like being guided through the proper way to bend for their condition and having a chair to lean against for balance. They do what they can, with the help of a knowledgeable instructor who knows their limitations. There are no sit-ups in this class. Instructor Laurie Spearin focuses on strength, balance and reaction time in each class. “I want to create an openness in the chest and strength in the back,” she said. “We avoid exercise that goes in the direction of (a curvature resulting from injury.) Fractures of the spine are a major concern. There’s lots of variety. We use therabands for just about every muscle group, hand weights, playing balls and noodles. We step over tubes to pick up the feet as if getting out of the tub.” “There is a 15 minute warm-up to get the blood flowing and the joints ready to exercise. Then 40 minutes of strengthening, reaction time games and balance exercises, followed by ten minutes of stretching and cool down. I teach relaxation also to help in pain management.” “Everyone works at their own level. They know if they’re having a day where they back off. They always have a chair. It keeps it safe. They know their own limits. At the next level class they spend less time in chairs and have more active games.” Spearin includes lots of education in her classes, which were designed by B.C. Women’s Hospital in Vancouver about ten years ago after studies revealed what exercises were appropriate. “I was already teaching Core Stability when I was asked to take the training,” she said. “Now we have a wait-list for this class. Even though Osteoporosis has been on the news for a few years it hits people by surprise and they don’t necessarily know about the value of exercise.” Spearin, who is a chemical engineer by profession and has two teenage children, is quite “evangelistic” about being active. “They’re wonderful ladies to work with and it’s neat to know that I’m making their day easier,” she said. Lynda Kerr enthusiastically explained how she regained her balance and mobility with the help of the class after an early diagnosis at 50 and years of debilitating pain. “I couldn’t travel with my husband. Normal events didn’t happen anymore such as walking, typing and hiking. I was becoming depressed. Now we’ve gone on two or three trips in the last couple of years and I have a more normal lifestyle again. Knowledge is power. But it’s harder to keep up when you’re not in a group. It gives you the confidence to do it alone. You can’t reverse the situation, but you can slow the progression and do more for longer.” For classes in the North Okanagan contact the Rec Center or coordinator Peggy King at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it In Kelowna, contact  Tracey Taylor at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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