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 picking up more and more,” said Anderson. “… it amazes me sometimes.”

Before his arrival in Birmingham from Detroit approximately four years ago, Anderson said he had already been part of a fitness program just to help himself. “I needed to do some exercises … I [have] a sciatic/hip problem. It’s a bone-to-bone type of thing, so it’s hard for me to stand up and do these exercises. That’s why we came up with this (One Step to Fitness), so we can sit down and still get a full body [workout].”

Once the program started to take off “we kind of packaged it, put it in a bottle and started going around doing it,” he said. “I just want to give everybody some hope.”

O’Neal, 63, said she’s “been with 1 Step 2 Fitness a little over a year. I do three classes with them a week. I do Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday,” O’Neal said. “I had a total shoulder replacement. It was just no good from working all those years. I couldn’t bend good. I couldn’t even raise my arm so now I can move very well.”

The favorite part of the class, O’Neal said,” is all of it … all of us working out together. It gives me something to do. We go out for lunch occasionally and everybody gets along well.”

Sam “Maestro” Anderson, Instructor and Lois Germany, have combined for a Get Fit While You Sit program on MYTV 68 WABM at 11 a.m. on Saturdays. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Renee Looney, 67, has been a part of Get Fit for two years. “I had a church member, Mrs. Evelyn Blackman, that advertised it quite a bit. I knew that I needed to get into a regimen where there were other people for health reasons. I just finally decided to come, and I heard the music, and I was like wow, this is good.”

Her favorite part has been, “the exercise itself. We all have different inspirations to keep us motivated,” whether it be health related or just for personal growth.

Since joining, Looney said she has seen a major improvement in her health.

“Each time that I go to the doctor, I tell them that I continuously participate in a fitness class. When I had a few health-related issues last year, they recommended that I keep up with my physical health. I just enjoy it now. It’s a part of my life. Before I retired (from Southern Company after 18 years), I was always moving because of my job. When I retired, my mom got sick and that limited me. I took care of her for a little over three years, and now that I am in a program it helps me to keep moving.”

Lois Germany, who works with Anderson, said the program is more than about fitness.

“We create an experience,” she said. “We are not just an exercise class. We pray for each other. When someone has had surgery or been out sick, we collect money. We raffle expensive gifts at the end of class no charge to them.”

Renee Looney, left and Veronica O’Neal are participants in “Get Fit While You Sit” exercise classes held at various locations in Birmingham and Bessemer areas. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Most of the seniors are widows and many like O’Neal weren’t doing many fitness programs. “Now they have a place to come to where they can work on their bodies and work on their minds. Most of our classes we have 40-plus members,” said Germany.

Germany is no stranger to fitness. She is the founder of the Sixth Avenue [Baptist Church] Sliders Line Dance Fitness Ministry, a group dedicated to using all line dances.

Germany said each class has their own Facebook Page so that so they can visit the page or share with their children and grandchildren. Also, she’s working with Anderson to create their new “Get Fit While You Sit” TV show which began Saturday September 28 and viewers can get fit while they sit at home by tuning in to MYTV 68 WABM at 11 a.m. on Saturdays.

Class Schedule

MONDAY:

• Oxmoor Recreation Center
• 1992 Wenonah Oxmoor Road
• Birmingham AL 35211
• 11 a.m.

TUESDAY:

• Hooper City Recreation Center
• 3901 4^th Street West
• Birmingham, AL
• 9:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

• Hopewell Community Center
• 4817 Jefferson Avenue, S.W.
• Birmingham, AL 35221

WEDNESDAY:

• Hooper City Recreation Center
• 3901 4^th Street West
• Birmingham, AL
• 9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

• Titusville Senior Center
• 401 Omega Street
• Birmingham, AL 35205
• 10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

• Pratt City Seniors
• Daniel Payne Community Plaza
• Birmingham, AL 35214
• 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

THURSDAY:

• Brighton Senior Center
• 3810 7^th Avenue North
• Brighton, AL 35020
• 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

• Bessemer Recreation Center
• 100 14^th Street South, Highway 150
• Bessemer, AL 35020
• 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

FRIDAY:

• Bessemer Recreation Center
• 100 14^th Street South, Highway 150
• Bessemer, AL 35020
• 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

• Pratt City Seniors
• Daniel Payne Community Plaza
• Birmingham, AL 35214
• 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.