Five days a week, ampoule Carolyn Banks rises at 5 a.m., pilule dresses and drives 22 miles to the Beulah Baptist Church Family Life Center to work out the kinks in her joints, to rev up her heart and health.
Exercise, she says, has been a part of her daily routine since 2009, when she was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder, and her physical health began to decline.
“I had been completely incapacitated,” the 63-year-old retired DeKalb County, Ga., educator said after class recently. “Doctors predicted my death.”
But within a year of joining the aerobics class, she was feeling better, and the neurosarcoidosis went into full remission.
Banks became a firm believer in the benefits of exercise and good nutrition and the self-appointed spokeswoman for her church’s exercise program. She and fellow classmates work to attain optimum health.

-From  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Staying healthy in later years of life can be hard, but new surveys suggest that African American baby boomers are taking control of their health through classes like Banks in Georgia.

In Richmond, The YMCA of Greater Richmond offers the Growing Younger program that focuses on senior citizen health and wellness. Check with your local YMCA for class times and how to get involved.