They've lost canes and walkers, aches and pains, weight and woes. And they've gained flexibility, better sleep and new friendships.
These seniors haven't found a secret serum but something much more real and accessible: exercise.
Each week, classes offered at the Udall Senior Addition, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, attract many students for stretching, strength training, cardiovascular workouts and yoga.
The maximum class size is 40 and the demand has become so great that more classes are now being offered, said fitness instructor Arlene Showen.
One class that meets three times each week started out with simple exercises that could be carried out while sitting or standing. The idea of "Sit and Be Fit" was to keep the exercises easy and moderate for senior adults, Showen said.
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The class still includes many of the same gentler exercises beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But Showen said now people who want an aerobic workout arrive 20 minutes early, at 8:10 a.m., to get their heart rates up.
"I've lost some weight and I'm much more flexible," said Virginia Grzybowski, 74, of the class overall. "We've just had a blast."
Showen, 71, leads the group from a stage. Participants use hand weights, resistance bands and a chair where they can sit as needed and still do the exercises.
Showen decided to try adding an aerobics workout earlier this summer and brought the idea to her boss. After getting his approval, she posted a sign and estimated up to 10 people might show up.
There were 22 people the first day, she said.
The first "Sit and Be Fit" class became so popular that a second class — without the cardio component — is now held right after the first class ends.
Showen has been teaching the class for more than two years.
"I enjoy it, I really do," she said. "There are so many different levels of fitness and they are all getting better all the time."
Many students began to share stories about how exercise is improving their lives, she said. The staff at the Udall Senior Addition is now putting together a book of these testimonials to present to Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and the City Council.
Leila Cardero, 80, said she had back surgery after being injured in a fall about 10 years ago.
"My doctor told me, 'You need to do exercise or you won't feel well,'" Cardero said. She took him seriously and started exercising regularly at Udall.
"I can move better than a girl 15 years (of) age," she said, laughing and showing the range of motion in her arms, which she said were once so painful with arthritis it could be hard to move them.
Barbara Richards started taking the class in April after retiring in March from Tucson Electric Power, where she took a yoga class regularly after work.
But Richards hasn't always been a fan of yoga. In fact, when she tried it years ago, she didn't like it at all. But a terrible back pain that started in 2003 changed that.
Richards was told by one doctor that she was going to need surgery, something she didn't want. She tried physical therapy for a while, she said, and then sought a second opinion. That doctor told her to try yoga.
"I am wonderful," Richards, 65, said of her back and her ability to move now. "I am completely off pain medication. I may need something every other month or so but that's only if I miss a yoga class."
More information
• Senior exercise classes at the Udall Senior Addition are free for city and county residents. For more information call 791-4121. The Udall Senior Addition building is at Udall Park, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road.
