By Mary Owen
Stayton seniors get the green light to a healthier lifestyle at Curves, thanks to a partnership with Kaiser Permanente of Oregon.
“We only have about three or four people right now, but we tell everybody who comes in to tell their friends, if they have Kaiser (health insurance),” said Eva Lawson with Curves.
Silver Sneakers is a nationally certified program that is open free to Kaiser Senior Advantage and Senior Advantage II members. The program encourages participants (Senior Advantage Basic excluded) – age 62 and older, those eligible for Medicare and often burdened by multiple chronic conditions – to increase physical activity and exercise.
Curve instructors provide participants with an environment that helps them exercise and even offers fitness and nutrition education, Lawson said.
“We have the paperwork and charts ready for people,” she said. “All they have to do is come in and sign up.” Once registered, and approved by a doctor if there are any health problems, participants follow a three-pronged approach to better health: muscular strength and range of movement conditioning; cardio workout; and fitness orientations.
“It’s not like going to a gym,” Lawson said. “At each station, we show you how to exercise correctly. Then after the workout, we show you how to stretch when your muscles are warm. It takes about five minutes, but is 19 percent of the workout.”
Participants can earn a green light at each of 13 workout stations – if they are completing the exercise correctly, Lawson said.
“Orange means you need to work a little harder,” she said. “The cardio light will turn red if you are working too hard.”
In fact, Curves aptly calls its program, Go for the Green.
“It’s a Curves smart workout,” Lawson said. “We help with each step of the program, from checking weight to measuring body fat to follow-through.”
Kaiser members who want to participate in the Silver Sneakers program can drop in to sign up or for more information between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, or 8-11 a.m. Saturdays. Curves is closed on Sundays.
Owned by the mother-daughter team of Linda and Kayla Enloe, the Stayton facility is at 1758 N. First Ave.
“When you exercise, you have more energy,” Lawson said. “You feel better, and it’s 30 minutes of ‘me’ time.”
For more information, call Curves at 503-7677-5437 or check with Kaiser Permanente’s member services at 503-361-5400.
