‘Ros-erobics’ attracts ‘Boomers’ to Anna Maria Island

“Ros-erobics” is all the rage on Anna Maria Island.

Bicyclists and walkers passing by Roser Memorial Community Church there on Wednesday and Friday mornings might catch the strains of pop music, the tapping of toes and maybe even some huffing and puffing coming from inside the fellowship hall on the east side of the Pine Avenue church.

It’s all about the 20 to 60 seniors from Anna Maria and surrounding communities who have taken a liking to fitness instructor Melissa Merkle’s popular Roser “chair” fitness class, which she calls “Ros-erobics.”

Led by Merkle, the seniors engage in a surprising range of exercises while seated in chairs. Things like jumping jacks, marching and extended arm stretches.

It’s a low-intensity class, but yet surprisingly vigorous, said the very fit Merkle, a West Bradenton resident with a background in nutrition who recently started Boomers N Motion Health Coaching with fellow Ohioian and boyfriend, Kirk Lietzow, whose background is exercise physiology.

“I am sweating when the hour is done,” Merkle said.

Asked how he felt after taking the class, Harold Burks just said, “Tired.”

Getting creative, Merkle, 35, has class members – who range in age from their 60s to 90s – bring to class unopened soup cans to use as weights. The cans are then donated to a food bank for their original purpose.

And she gears her workouts to her students unique needs. “I incorporate a couple of balance exercises at the end because balance issues are a huge thing as we all get older,” Merkle said.

Merkle and Lietzow also try to keep their classes affordable for seniors, many of whom are on a fixed income. The classes, which are open to anyone, are by-donation-only.

Last Wednesday, many Ros-erobics class members put ten dollar bills in a little donation basket, but there were also a lot of single in there as well.

“If people can’t give that’s OK, too,” Merkle said.

“I love it, I think it is great,” said AMI resident Nell Bergstrom, 92, who heard about the class while attending services at Roser.

“We women who are not so young need lots of exercise and lots of getting together with other people,” Bergstrom added.

Mary Seine, also from the island, said, “It’s a nice social gathering and I think makes you live longer. You gotta keep going.”

Ros-erobics is held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. Fridays at the church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.

Merkle also teaches Boomer Boot Camp, a higher intensity class that includes strength training both of legs and upper body with more focus on aerobics.

Boomer Boot Camp is 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, also at the church, and costs $15 for a single class, $65 for five classes or $100 for 10 classes, Merkle said. For more information on all classes, call Merkle at 330-990-0990.

Company focuses exclusively on boomers

The idea for Boomers N Motion Health Coaching was born in Akron, Ohio, several years ago when Merkle accompanied her mom, Diane Merkle, now 66, to a gym in the Akron area and made suggestions as she worked out.

“When my mom retired we really realized that this was the age group we wanted to work with,” Merkle said. “A lot of Mom’s friends were starting to slow down and we know staying active as you age makes such a difference.”

Besides the classes at the church, the company designs in-home exercise programs.

“We will actually come into the home if the clients wants that,” Merkle said.

As for the chair class, Merkle has found a way to make it fun for seniors while they move. One of the most popular Ros-erobics is the “skrunch.” To demonstrate, Bergstrom bends over in her chair, shakes like a Golden Retriever just out of a lake and makes a growling noise.

“I just love that,” Bergstrom said with a grin.

Reached in Ohio last Thursday, Diane Merkle, said her daughter has always been an “encourager.”

“Melissa has a real gift,” Merkle said. “She can really motivate people in such a positive and upbeat way. Fitness is a way of life for her and she is eager to give herself and share with others. That’s who she is.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "‘Ros-erobics’ attracts ‘Boomers’ to Anna Maria Island."