To Her, Age Is No Excuse

At 91, Pearl Asch is off her rocker.

In fact, she has never really been on her rocker very much. She’s been too busy getting other folks off their rockers and into the exercise room.

Asch leads a no-nonsense daily aerobics class at her retirement home in West Los Angeles. For an hour, she encourages her fellow seniors--most of whom are relative youngsters compared to her--to do everything from knee bends to shoulder shrugs.

“My routine relaxes the people,” says Asch after a recent class at the Stanford House. “It exercises every part of their bodies. I’m happy to say, I’ve inspired many people.”

As usual, Asch is right. A few years ago, she started the class informally with just a few friends. Today, as many as 35 people show up for her specialized workouts. Her program was so successful that it was exported to another retirement home next door.

“It’s so good for muscle-building and socializing,” says Janet Miller, executive director of the Stanford and Cambridge houses on West Olympic Boulevard. “It keeps them active in mind, spirit and body. Otherwise many of them would be sitting alone.”

One of Asch’s students, 88-year-old Frances Rose, describes what she and others would be doing without the aerobics class: “We’d all be moping.”

But in Asch’s class, there’s no moping allowed. There’s no time. Asch knocks off more than a dozen exercises to a 10-count with the command efficiency of an Army drill instructor.

“Now, we will all lift our right leg and kick,” Asch instructs.

And kick they do--to the best of their ability. Age, however, limits the range of motion of many of Asch’s participants. But even so, to perform arm or leg swings many class members have to move their walkers or canes out of the way.

Asch inherited and then refined the routine after the home’s former activities director left. The exercise program changed little, but there are a few distinctive additions.

At the end of the workout, Asch thought the group had worked hard enough that exercisers deserved a refreshing break.

“Now, we are all going to enjoy a very lovely swim in our very imaginary pool,” she tells the grateful group. “So, everyone come and enjoy.”

Her group then “jumps in” and mimics the breaststroke.

In spite of the “wet” finale, attire at Asch’s aerobics is fairly informal. Slippers, sweaters and shawls are all fine.

But since some regard the daily program as a social event, the dress can get a little fancy at times. Charles Jacobson, 93, wore a kelly green shirt with a rep tie to a recent class. (He explained he was going on a field trip later in the day, and didn’t want to have to change after class.)

“I fell recently and hurt my arm. I couldn’t raise my arm before this class,” says Jacobson. “But now I’m better.”

Asch is proud of Jacobson, but no less so of another gentleman named Herbert, who recently joined the class. In the beginning, he barely moved at all, Asch says. She took it as a challenge.

“I began my program of encouragement,” says Asch, a native of Illinois and former nurse. “I would say things like, ‘That’s good, Herbert,’ ‘You’re doing wonderful, Herbert,’ or ‘You’re beautiful, Herbert’ at the slightest movement.”

“Now, he really participates,” Asch says. “I gave him the will to do it.”