At the "Y" in Towson people aren't working out at the gym, they're getting fit in the Wellness Center.
"It's fantastic," says Mac Price of Baltimore County. "It's just meant so much to me over the years."
The YMCA in Towson is where you'll find Mac, five days a week, "It was really a savior for me. It got me into a routine of getting up and doing my workout and going to work."
Since the mid-1990's Mac has pedaled thousands of miles, without moving an inch, and at 87 years old the "Y" is keeping him healthy and social. When he's not pedaling, he's volunteering at the front desk. "I've made so many friends over the last 20 years here."
It's that repeated activity, regular exercise, that's made a difference in his life.
Unfortunately, only about 40% of adults age 75 or older are physically active. "Coming and actually getting into the facility is a huge hurdle," said Ryan Gadow, regional vice president of the Y of Central Maryland.
And that's what the "Y" focuses on -- that first hurdle. "It's the machines," Gadow said. "They are complicated. There's all these buttons, levers and there is a moment of intimidation when you feel like people are watching you, you feel like you're not doing things right."
Fitness coaches are always available to take questions, on everything from finding the right workout to how to turn a machine's power on.
When clients get that down, Gadow says it's all about finding a workout, that works! "The idea is just to get moving. Just to get up, do something, kind of get your body used to that forward momentum rather than sitting on the couch watching TV."
For Mac, it was a lifesaver. Back in 1993, he had a heart attack, "Luckily it wasn't major, because many times, at my age, you only have one."
Doctors fixed his heart and put him on a 90-day fitness and nutrition program. "When it came to an end they said, go find a 'Y'."
And that's what he did. It wasn't easy at first, but Mac is now pedaling his way to good health, "You need to have some kind of program to keep your health as best as it can be."
