From: Marcel Honore
Company: The Desert Sun
Contact: Prem Patel, MedX Corporation info(at)medxonline.com

MedX Exercise Therapy Ideal for Aging Population

(LA QUINTA) - It's 9:30 a.m. at the La Quinta senior center and a group of 10 dedicated fitness enthusiasts stretch their legs and center themselves with an arthritis-friendly version of tai chi. Toward the back, Indio resident and senior center volunteer Rose Funtas prefers a faster cardiovascular workout. She quickly steps in place and stretches her arms to the sky.

Funtas said exercise has been a priority her entire life. "It brings me to life," Funtas said. "It stimulates my body, my mind - it puts me in a better mood."

In La Quinta and beyond, valley seniors are staying in shape with programs that keep them strong and fit without taking a physical toll.

The La Quinta Senior Center offers an arthritis exercise class every Wednesday. The Joslyn Senior Center in Palm Desert also offers a tai chi class, as well as yoga, a "nifty after fifty" exercise class and the valley's only regulation lawn bowling, during season.

David Hill, a physician's assistant at Desert Regional Medical Center, says the hospital sees a lot of arthritis cases. He added that the painful bone-joint condition shouldn't dissuade seniors from low-impact exercise.

"There's a lot of pool therapy around this valley for seniors - specifically for that reason," Hill said.

"Not everyone can afford those gyms," Funtas said. "Many (seniors) come in during season because their doctors told them they need to exercise."

Some valley gyms specialize in equipment ideal for an aging population, however. California Core Fitness, scheduled to open next week at Point Happy, features senior-friendly "MedX" exercise-therapy machines.

Dr. Chris Peters, who was inspired to open the facility after a bad car accident four years ago, said the machines reduce friction and better isolate the desired muscles than standard exercise equipment.

The machines make it harder to subconsciously "cheat" and overcompensate with the wrong muscles. The program will be offered at $60 for each session. Sheldon Zinberg, a senior fitness author who's opened several "Nifty After Fifty" fitness centers in the L.A. area, vouches for the MedX program.

Zinberg said seniors, elite athletes and celebrities all converge when it comes to advanced fitness technology. In addition to MedX, Zinberg cited state-of-the-art pneumatic air-pressure machines and "whole body vibration" programs, designed to stimulate muscles.

His Nifty After Fifty facility in Whittier also offers brain exercises - including logic, memory and reaction games - plus driver simulations and provides social events like "movie night" and "dance night." "Senior fitness has to do with more than just exercise - it has to do with mental fitness," he said.