Pain and gain

Seniors find friendship and inspiration as fitness instructor offers more than a tough workout

Hand weights are one part of the regimen in a fitness class led by Nancy McInerney at the McCarthy Senior Center in Wakefield. (Photos by Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

On the second floor of a brick building in Wakefield, sunlight streaking in through slatted shades, the class is cranking.

Side-to-side shimmies. Karate chops. Squats. Lunges. Butterflies with pastel-colored hand weights. All in reps of 10.

But contrary to what you'd expect, there are no tanned, lithe, and muscled bodies here.

Instead, there are wrinkles. Arthritic knees, hips, and elbows. Unyielding joints.

This might not be Richard Simmons's "Sweatin' to the Oldies" - but it does get "the oldies" sweating, due in no small part to instructor Nancy McInerney, who has become somewhat of a fitness guru among local seniors.

"You're never, never, never too old," said McInerney of Medford, who tones up her disciples in several exercise classes across the region. "You're never too unhealthy to do anything."

Every day, spry seniors mob McInerney's workouts, which mix low-impact exercise with a touch of life-coaching.

The certified trainer - whose fitness alter-ego is Nancy Kay - gets her clientele working it in Medford, Stoneham, Chelsea, Revere, and Wakefield. All told, she instructs 15 classes a week. Most of those draw an average of 50 silver-haired women (and a smattering of men); sometimes as many as 100, ranging in age from 59 to 95.

"She has a big following - it's incredible," said Judy Luciano, director of the John J. McCarthy Senior Center in Wakefield.

Yet make no mistake, between strength and circuit training, aerobics and calisthenics, "it is a workout," she said with a laugh.

But the seemingly tireless instructor offers more than an exercise regime. McInerney strives to be a friend to seniors who might otherwise become isolated. "It's about reaching the whole person," she noted, "not just their limbs."

The goal is to improve their health, too, of course. Many of her class members suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol, arthritis, achy joints - or any combination of those - and get a benefit in increased agility, strength, mobility, and stability, McInerney said.

For others, though, it's transcendent - some even call it life-altering. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me," said 59-year-old Carol Bowen of Medford.

Despite suffering a recent stroke and heart attack and recurrent pain from reflex sympathetic dystrophy in her foot, "I feel fabulous," she said. As a result, she tails McInerney from class to class, attending as many as she can. "I wouldn't miss her unless I'm in dire straits."

Lois Nilson, a 79-year-old widow from Revere, was also full of compliments. "This gal is such a motivator," she said. "She's effervescent."

Still, relationships go far beyond the 45-minute workouts. McInerney - with a commanding personality, a permeating voice, and a smile that doesn't often leave her face - goes bowling with seniors, giggles with them over lunch, and sends them birthday cards. "It's about keeping them connected to the society beyond their four walls," she said.

In the beginning, the 49-year-old mother of three never expected the classes to be much more than a paycheck. After working an eclectic string of jobs - including limo driver, interior painter, and makeup artist - she ramped up the program because it offered flexibility for her to focus on her principal passion: her daughters.

"But then, I got into it," explained the avid exerciser, who jogs, rides her bike, and skis. "I didn't have any idea it was going to be this much fun."

Nor did many of her class members.

When she attended her first session, Nilson admitted to thinking, "She's going to kill us!"

But now, "It's getting me going." And class-to-class, "You don't know what she's going to come up with. It keeps you interested."

Indeed, McInerney choreographs every session; each is also set to a carefully chosen soundtrack.

During one early-morning class in Wakefield, for instance, the lineup of songs included Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl," Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," and Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl," among other oldies.

As the music thrummed from a CD player, McInerney - white sneakers scuffing the floor, tank top and tight pants accentuating her curves - hollered out instructions.

"Keep smiling," she urged amidst a leg lift and karate chop routine, "you know it's less painful that way!"

"Give it the best you got," she huffed a few moments later. "And your best is what?"

"Enough!" the class chimed in unison as they cranked out crunches, touching elbow to opposite knee.

Many times, as she wrangled her red-faced, fatigued class into shape, the instructor also offered comic relief.

"You got something stuck to your foot," she hollered to guide them through a series of high forward kicks. "Get it off, it doesn't smell good!"

After 90 seconds: "Boy, this is the longest two minutes ever!"

Then, "Let's give our assets a break!"

Finally, after an energetic 45 minutes, the class stretched and gave McInerney a round of applause.

"Look at me - I'm sweating," 68-year-old Rose Rowton of Wakefield said, adding, "You really feel it in your legs."

But for most, the workouts do more than just burn calories. "It's helped me through the pain," said Bowen, pushing her short hair away from her flushed face. "It's given me mobility."

For McInerney, such success stories are a priceless reward - and an incredible validation. "I dearly love these people," she said. "It's not a job - I'm working out with friends."

Taryn Plumb can be reached at tarynplumb1@gmail.com.