Did You Know Silver Sneakers Fitness is Free for Medicare Members?

I’ve been on Medicare for several years now but hadn’t signed up for the Silver Sneakers Fitness Program until just recently. The main reason was the COVID pandemic. Most gyms were closed or it didn’t feel right being in a room with a bunch of sweaty people. The other reason was, I didn’t want to feel old taking a senior fitness class. Silver Sneakers is available both in person and online for Medicare-eligible participants.

After prodding from my Health care provider (Kaiser Permanente) I decided to give it a try and have found the program to be well worth it.

Put a little silver in your sneakers, here.

Check your eligibility with your healthcare provider

In addition to Silver Sneakers, I was given a free gym membership at my local 24 HR Fitness Club as well as my choice of a goodie that included a Yoga and Pilates Kit, hand weights, or a Garmin Vivofit 4 Activity Tracker. I chose the activity tracker. It counts my steps, analyzes my sleep patterns, calories burned, is a watch, and does a few other things I haven’t figured out yet.

Getting back to normal, sort of

24 HR Fitness is only 3 minutes from my house, so it’s ultra-convenient. I’m still reticent about being in a room with a crowd of sweaty strangers but as the lady at the desk said, it’s time to get on with life. While she was walking me around, a Silver Sneakers class was in progress, and I was amazed at how many older people were in the room.

Ever since I moved into my house that I share with a roommate and a friend who owns the property next door, we’ve been working out together watching YouTube on TV. We still do that, but my two friends are less motivated to work out for more than 20 minutes and I thought it would be fun to meet new people in person rather than online.

Zumba anyone?

My gym membership gives me access to all the classes and equipment at the gym so the first thing I did was sign up for a Zumba class because I love to dance. The class is geared for all ages, so it’s pretty high-intensity.  I go at my own pace but tend to be competitive, so I have to be careful not to go overboard as I don’t want to have a medical emergency. It’s a great workout but I need a recovery day afterward. For now, I am taking one class per week.

Silver Sneakers is not for sissies

I have also been taking the Silver Sneakers Classic class. Before the class starts, everyone takes out a chair, hand weights, a rubber ball, and resistance bands as well as a plastic holder to put everything in so it stays in place. Our instructor is young and energetic but has a wry sense of humor and calls us young ladies or young men. She reminds me of a young Obama in the way she speaks.

Some of the seniors are less mobile and stay in their chairs most of the time but the majority do the standing exercises to the best of their ability. I was surprised at how challenging the exercises are. One of the exercises is sitting in the chair holding the ball between our knees while we lift our legs 15 times for 3 rounds. Then we take the ball over and under our legs. It sounds simple but we really feel the burn. Exercises focus on balance, core work, and resistance training which are essential as we get older.

When I first signed up at the gym, I was encouraged to work with a coach to learn how to use the equipment, but I’m not as interested in that as I am in the classes. I also believe there is a cost involved for extra coaching so I am sticking to free for now. I’m still wary of touching objects previously used by dripping hunks. After class, I make sure to slather on hand sanitizer immediately which is thankfully provided throughout the gym.

I figure a couple of days a week at the gym will be fine in addition to walking my neighborhood every day and my sessions with my roommates. I’m averaging over 10,000 steps per day which is pretty good at 69 years young.

If you are on Medicare have you taken advantage of some of its free services such as Silver Sneakers? Which ones and how do you like it? Please leave a comment below.