Exercising with skaters
“I can finally devote time to myself and my dream,” Yakov Andreevich Sverdlov admitted to the RG correspondent. I hear this phrase quite often from the participants of Moscow Longevity. Before retirement, Yakov Andreevich worked as a creative producer, life was hectic and there was practically no time to think about health. Now his morning begins with exercises, but not within the four walls of a Moscow apartment, but in the fresh air under the guidance of professional trainers and even world-class sports stars.
On weekdays, from 9:30 to 10:30, retirees receive lessons from legendary figure skaters, who only show seemingly simple exercises. For example, “running in place.” In fact, this is due to stroke, back problems, migraines and high blood pressure. “I thought I was already stiff, but it turned out that my body is capable of performing any exercise,” Sverdlov said after working out at the Bolshoi Theater with figure skaters Evgenia Medvedeva and Roman Kostomarov. “And we also got a lesson from Roman. With great strength and love for life, knowing the history of his illness, the way he returned to the ice after resuscitation, we wanted not only to live, but to find reasons for joy at our age.
On weekdays, figure skater Roman Kostomarov conducts exercises for pensioners and teaches them to “run in place” to combat strokes and high blood pressure. Photo: dolgoleto.dszn.ru
Horseback riding and excursions.
Among the new things that have appeared this summer in the project for retirees are classes in the equestrian club of the Ryazanovskoye settlement in New Moscow. “We don’t learn to ride horses, but that doesn’t make our meetings any less interesting. Getting to know the horses, learning how to take care of them, learning about the history of equestrian sports and the breeds of these animals is also fantastic.” says Tamara Ivanova. The pensioner experienced the results of the so-called hippotherapy: “I suffer from high blood pressure, but after classes it miraculously normalizes.”
This summer, a “Walking Lecture” was opened for long-term residents: excursions along interesting routes, during which participants immerse themselves in different eras, get acquainted with important historical events and personalities, and visit modern, well-equipped areas.
“Although I am a Muscovite, I like to listen to professional guides who talk about literary and cinematic Moscow and take us to museums, galleries, estates, companies, monasteries and churches,” Marina Shepeleva admitted. The woman was born in Petrovka and she always thought that she knew the city center well. “We traveled a lot around Moscow, making discoveries all the time. For example, while walking through our native Petrovka, we once stopped at house number 25 to look at sculptures from Zurab Tsereteli’s personal collection. The building houses the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the existence of which I did not even suspect,” the pensioner shares.
“The most interesting excursions are in Yauza Park,” says 72-year-old Lyudmila Andreevna Kuprienko. “In winter you can see the sights, but these are ecological excursions, where you can even touch the living plants and flowers that the ecologist talks about. You can only do that in summer.” By the way, it is difficult to call Lyudmila Andreevna a grandmother. The secret of eternal youth, according to her, is precisely in frequent stays in the fresh air: “It has only been a month of summer and we have already managed to walk the 20 km of the green territory of Yauza Park. With the Scandinavian Poles we come here to do breathing exercises. There are even dance classes.”
When longevity is a joy
Life expectancy in the capital today is 79 years. Of the 3 million older Muscovites, 570 thousand are already participating in the “Longevity of Moscow” project. 133 longevity centers have been opened in the city, which within two years will be available in all districts of New Moscow, said Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. According to him, every second elderly resident of the city will soon participate in this project.
Hiking, Nordic walking, gardening, yoga, Zumba and dancing are particularly popular among Moscow Longevity participants. They are held at 800 venues, including 27 parks in the capital.
Help “RG”
To take part in the project, you need to contact the nearest Moscow longevity center – there (or online at mos.ru) you can find all the information you are interested in about upcoming events and plunge into the bright events of the summer season.
