Conquering ‘Boomeritis’
By Jennifer H. McInerney
Anne Tremel takes extended hiking trips during her spare time.
Dode Hutchison runs marathons and participates in Iron Man
competitions. Pat Weir has logged countless miles as a competitive
race-walker.
Believe it or not, all three of these individuals older, we have more weak links, more vulner-
are baby boomers—very active baby boomers. abilities, and our frames begin failing us.”
Tremel, 57, has been teaching aerobics classes DiNubile, 57, is the author of the ground-
for 21 years and is the director of personal train- breaking text, FrameWork: Your 7-Step Pro-
ing at Elite Sports Clubs, Highlander, in Milwau- gram for Healthy Muscles, Bones, and Joints.
kee, Wisconsin. Hutchison, 61, recently stepped He coined the term “boomeritis” a decade ago
down from her 18-year post as fitness director in response to the steady stream of boomers
of the Columbia Athletic Club, in Silver Lake, coming to him with the same types of musculo-
Maryland, but certainly hasn’t slowed down; skeletal wear-and-tear issues. In that age group,
she’s currently the club’s senior-program direc- overuse and repetitive-strain injuries to the
tor, retention-program manager, Pilates lead knees, lower back, shoulder/rotator cuff, and
trainer, a group exercise instructor, and a per- tendons are becoming increasingly, alarmingly
sonal trainer. Weir, 58, who’s worked in the common, he reports.
fitness business for 25 years, has been at The At the first sign of a nagging pain, exercisers
Atlantic Club in Manasquan, New Jersey, for should seek medical attention before the prob-
14 years, where she’s the senior programming lem becomes worse, DiNubile emphasizes.
coordinator and a personal trainer. So how can fitness professionals help mem-
In certain ways, these women epitomize bers walk the fine line between healthy exercise
the quintessential baby boomer: they’re deter- and injury? “You have to help clients find their
mined, driven, and accomplished. But, limitations and accommodate them with prop-
according to Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, a Haver- erly designed exercise,” he advises.
town, Pennsylvania-based orthopedic surgeon
who specializes in sports medicine, Tremel, Accommodating limitations
Hutchison, and Weir have repeatedly done “I believe in making wise choices as you age,
what most baby boomers don’t: they listen to and working around an injury,” says Tremel.
the messages that their aging bodies send Even after breaking her arm, she refused to
them and modify their workouts accordingly sit on the couch all day. “People are under
to maintain a healthy lifestyle. the misconception that they’re supposed to be
“We baby boomers don’t want to hear that deteriorating as they age, so, if they get injured,
we can’t do the same activities we did when they just stop exercising,” she points out. Prior
we were 20, 30, or 40,” he observes. “As we get to the broken arm, she’d been working out >
www.ihrsa.org | JANUARY 2010 | Club Business International
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