Ageless Grace gives body and brain a workout

Juicy Joints — Joint mobility, ligament flexibility, circulation.

Spelling "B" — Cognitive function, kinesthetic learning, range of motion.

Front Row Orchestra — Spinal flexibility, right-left brain coordination, eye-hand coordination.

Body Math — Ability to respond, react and recover, cognitive function, agility.

Rockin' Rockettes — Hip flexors, lower body function, thigh strength, hip mobility, ankle and foot flexibility

Balancing Act — Balance and fall prevention.

Grab Bag — Dexterity in the hands, fingers and wrists.

Get Down, Get Up! — Heart muscle, cardio conditioning, spinal health and flexibility, bone density, fall prevention.

Find Ageless Grace classes scheduled in the Atlanta area at agelessgrace.com. The SilverSneakers program for older adults also offers Ageless Grace as a FLEX program at some locations.

We’re swimming,” calls out Sandy Bramlett, rotating her arms and paddling her feet while seated in a chair. A room full of elderly participants from Arbor Terrace Assisted Living in Decatur follow along with their own swimming motions to the 1950s’ hit, “Splish, Splash.”

“Now do the back stroke,” says Bramlett, leaning back, rotating her arms backward. “You know how to do it. You did it as a kid.”

Even those in wheelchairs flail their arms about. When that song ends, the group moves on to another tune and another set of movements designed to stimulate the brain and loosen up stiff joints.

Welcome to Ageless Grace, a fitness program based on the science of neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new pathways) and founded three years ago by Denise Medved of North Carolina.

After seeing her mother suffer with Alzheimer’s, Medved was inspired to find a way to help aging adults engage both the mind and the body. She spent seven years working with scientists from Duke University, says her longtime friend Bramlett. What emerged was a program aimed at 21 specific aging factors — such as joint mobility, spinal flexibility, balance — and five areas of the brain: analytic, strategic, kinesthetic learning, memory/recall and creativity/imagination.

Ageless Grace fitness activities are largely spontaneous, set to music and all accomplished while seated in a chair for stability and a wider range of motion.

The music and movements are paired to focus on neural pathways created in childhood. The idea is to reopen old ones and create new ones through movements made up on the spot by participants. This is not a strict follow-the-instructor type of fitness program.

“I want them to go off on their own, to use creativity and imagination and make up their own moves,” Bramlett said.

When mimicking a marching band, for example, Arbor Terrace resident Anne Clark chose to play the piccolo and even showed Bramlett how to “hold the instrument.” Clark said she likes the fitness program because she enjoys music and being active.

“It really empowers a person to choose their movements. It lets them be creative and involved,” Bramlett said.

The music engages memories and rhythm. Many of the Arbor Terrace residents sang along without any prompting.

When leading a class for the first time, Bramlett tells participants, “Feel free to act silly, laugh out loud and let yourself go.” Many at Arbor Terrace did just that.

In just three years, Ageless Grace has more than 800 certified trainers internationally. While baby boomers make up the greatest group of participants, the program reaches out to millennials with Ageless Grace Kidz, a sort of indoor recess for students.

Bramlett helps with the certification and teaches Ageless Grace in the metro area at YMCAs, recreation centers, active adult communities and assisted living facilities. She has also taught classes for people trying to regain their health following surgeries or various medical conditions.

“It’s a good way to keep moving, but in a safe way,” she said.