Acting Our Age?

| Rebecca Riger Tsurumi | Whew! I slide into an empty seat and towel off the sweat from my forehead after a 40-minute workout. Spent. As I sip cold water from my thermos hoping it will revive me, the familiar refrain from “Dancing in the Street” comes on over the sound system in the gym.…

February 5, 2026

2–3 minutes

Aging, Brain Health, Exercise, health

| Rebecca Riger Tsurumi

| Whew! I slide into an empty seat and towel off the sweat from my forehead after a 40-minute workout. Spent. As I sip cold water from my thermos hoping it will revive me, the familiar refrain from “Dancing in the Street” comes on over the sound system in the gym. I watch the backs of three other seniors side by side on the opposite side of the room.

Acting our age? You better believe it. Exercise is one of the most powerful weapons older people have to promote their overall wellbeing and shatter ageist stereotypes of inactivity and frailty. According to a 2024 study by AARP and NORC at the University of Chicago, seniors are choosing to engage in a regular exercise regimen to improve cognitive functioning and lower their risk of chronic disease. A bonus is that increased physical activity comes with enhanced mental health.

The men in the group vary from very short to very tall, very fit to chunky. One wears a bright blue wife beater, another a black tee, and the third, a white top over black sweatpants. One is loudly bouncing on his machine, while the other sways his hips and shoulders to the rhythm of the song. The shortest one, a quiet man who usually walks very slowly and carefully, throws caution to the wind, pumping his legs emphatically in sync with the beat.

Suddenly, a tall, slender woman with a long brown braid effortlessly slides by carrying a huge green exercise ball above her head like a female Atlas. As she moves, she nods her head to the refrain. Toward the back of the room, a white-haired man lying on top of an exercise mat, swivels his hips to extend and stretch his back legs while keeping in time to the music.

Meanwhile, a pair working next to each other on the Nu-Step machines, ramp up their speed so their arms and legs move with the beat. Nearby, the chart of the female skeleton smiles coquettishly with a bow fixed to her temple. Together with her partner, the male muscle man, she engages and educates. Throughout the room, joy’s in the air. On the way home, I’m raring to go with energy to burn.

Rebecca Riger Tsurumi is a writer and linguist who focused on Asia and Latin America. Later, she served as a UN Rep for AARP advocating to protect the rights of older persons around the world. Since then, she has written about her experiences as the primary caregiver for her late mother and sister who was a developmentally disabled senior.