The ever-effervescent Barbara Peterson has been leading Jazzercise aerobics classes going on 44 years now. And the ageless grandmother, now 66, has some specific goals for when she reaches her 90s and 100s.
“I want to be able to teach my Jazzercise and core classes with the same intensity I do today,” she said last week. “I want to be able to lift a suitcase in the overhead compartment unassisted. I want to be able to lay on the floor and play with my grandkids and be able to get up. I want to be able to walk up and down the stairs unassisted. I want to live a high-quality life without assistance and without burdening my loved ones.”
Ambitious goals, but Peterson – ever upbeat and frequently ending her sentences in exclamation points – has a solid plan for accomplishing them.
About eight years ago, the Los Altos Hills resident added core conditioning to her workouts. She now offers core training and stretching classes Tuesdays and Thursdays, while teaching her aerobic classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Los Altos Community Center. Additionally, a “power sculpting” session on Wednesdays combines both the core strengthening and the aerobics.
How it started
“I had watched some of my peer instructors and students get serious injuries that I believe could have been prevented if they had strengthened their core and stretched more,” Peterson said. “Secondly, I started feeling a vulnerability in my left knee when I’d do some of the high impact moves in my Jazzercise classes. I went to a physical therapist who suggested that I do more focused strength training for my core along with foam rolling and static stretching. I was surprised to learn I needed even more strength training than what I was doing in the classes I teach three days per week.
“I was so curious about this that I went to five different physical therapists in the area and they basically all offered me similar feedback: If I want to continue jumping and doing the things I am doing now into the future pain and injury, surgery free, I need to get stronger.”
There’s a lot of long-established information that backs up the benefits of keeping your core muscles – from the lower rib cage to the buttocks – in prime working condition.
“Your core muscles provide stability for the moving parts above and below them — the mid-back, or thoracic, spine that helps you twist and turn, and the hips that move you up, down, back, or forward,” noted physical therapist Marty Boehm in a 2021 Harvard Medical School article.
“I started doing all the things I learned from the physical therapists, and sure enough, my knee felt stronger with the high impact in Jazzercise and my entire body got stronger and felt great,” Peterson said. “I wanted to offer this to my current Jazzercise students that needed it, so I started this class!”
Those just starting out should first consult with Peterson or other trusted physical therapists. There are some traditional core exercises, such as sit-ups and crunches, that some experts discourage because they risk injuries in older adults.
“They’re dangerous because you’re pulling on your neck,” Boehm said in the 2021 Harvard article. “And they don’t train your core. They train the hip flexor muscles. If those muscles get too strong, they pull on the lower back and contribute to back pain.”
Bridges – raising one’s rump from a lying down, knees bent position – are proven effective, along with planks (arching one’s back from a recumbent position) and raising opposite arms and legs from kneeling on all fours.
Gaining strength
“Strength training – the things we do in this class – are the foundation for living a long, healthy life,” Peterson said. “That’s because strength consistently shows up in practical applications of daily life: holding a child, carrying groceries, walking upstairs or lifting a suitcase into an overhead compartment. The exercises we do in this class and in our Jazzercise classes – push-ups, lunges, planks, bodyweight squats, bicycles, standing balance moves – offer the perfect way to stop many of the physical declines that come with age, such as a loss of strength, muscle mass, balance, coordination, and functional ability. Stability – such as being able to hold a plank position – is one of the pillars of fitness for healthy aging.
“Additionally, we all know that our bones love strength training. Increasing our bone density is a necessity to help us prevent a fracture as we age.”
Peterson noted that muscle shrinkage begins as young as 30 years old and people lose 3 to 5% of muscle mass per decade, per a Harvard Medical School study.
“Eventually, this muscle loss can limit mobility, lower quality of life, and increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries,” she said. “Nothing comes close to having a greater impact on the length and quality of your life than your core training. And unfortunately, we can’t put it in a pill. You’ve got to be able to do it. … And it can be fun and get you out of the house more!
“And, in its simplest form, strength means utilizing muscle to generate force. And if you are interested in living a long and healthy life and playing with your grandkids or great-grandkids someday, then muscle mass should be a priority.”
Peterson later added to her 90s to 100s goals.
“I want to be able to get in and out of the hot tub unassisted and play with my great-grandkids there just like I do today with my grandkids,” she said. “Put in your time now being proactive and enjoy a higher quality life versus doing less now and later needing to be reactive to whatever injuries may come. These classes are fun and provide an incredible social network.”
For more information on Peterson’s Jazzercise aerobics classes, email [email protected].
