How a Birmingham Exercise Program Gives Seniors ‘1 Step 2 Fitness’ While They Sit

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times Veronica O’Neal, a retired forklift operator who lives in the Birmingham area remembers sitting at home “doing nothing” and not being mobile until she was invited to a class. Once she arrived “the elderly people inspired me to continue to come because I feel like if they could do it, I could do it too,” she said. “The class has been really inspiring to me because I get a chance to move better than what I was.” Charlesetta McLain is among several dozen seniors who participate in “Get Fit While You Sit” exercise classes held at various locations in Birmingham and Bessemer areas. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times) The class is “Get Fit While You Sit: 1 Step 2 Fitness” held at various locations in Birmingham and Bessemer led by Sam “DJ Maestro” Anderson who teaches women ages 60 and over, including an 85-year-old, how to stay fit. The classes began in 2019 with one, and now they are held at various locations around the Birmingham metropolitan area including Titusville Senior Center, Daniel Payne Community Plaza and Bessemer Recreation Center. “It wasn’t that big (at first) and then it just started...