Slowing the Aging Process to a Crawl

When many older adults go to the gym, they lift weights, sit on a stationary bike, or walk on a treadmill. This kind of exercise is much better than nothing, but it is still not very efficient, said Jason Greenspan, owner of Silver Stars Fitness Studio on West 54th Street and 7th Avenue.

Silver Stars is a unique fitness studio that caters specifically to baby boomers and beyond. It uses an integrated approach to get people moving in ways “they would move in real life,” Greenspan said.

The integrated approach can help slow the aging process, according to Greenspan, who has over 20 years of experience working with the baby boomer population. “If you’re consistent and on the right type of fitness program, the aging process can be slowed down to a crawl,” he said.

If you’d like to learn more about Greenspan’s theories on your own time, feel free to check out his award winning book, Fitness For Real Life.

Greenspan’s integrated approach focuses on flexibility, mobility, balance, preventative training, strength, speed, agility, quickness, coordination, cardiovascular endurance, and power. In layman’s terms, power is the ability to perform a given task quickly, and according to some studies, power fades faster than strength as we age.

Training at Silver Stars
The first step in the Silver Stars program is always a consultation. During the consultation, trainers assess posture, balance, gait, and how well you can do real life tasks like moving in and around various obstacles and stepping over objects, and how comfortable you are getting up from the floor and standing up from a chair.  They also assess your core, overall strength, and your cardiovascular endurance.

The exercises typically begin with those that enhance mobility and
increase stability, and which help prepare you to safely take on more challenging exercises. Classes have between three and five students only.  “Smaller class sizes allow us to keep our eyes on every client, which help prevent injuries that often occur in larger class settings,” Greenspan said.  Most classes at Silver Stars are done standing and not sitting on machines.

“We sit too much as it is. Why would you go the gym to sit even more? It’s an easy way to develop muscular imbalances that cause eventual pain,” he said.

Silver Stars also offers private training, yoga, Pilates, massage therapy, and hosts parties and lectures on a monthly basis.

All the trainers at Silver Stars are fitness professionals who are specifically trained to work with older adults.  There is no membership fee, no hustle and bustle, and no distractions, just a lot of knowledge and passion to share with clients.