Betty Switkes, 78, who developed a series of exercise programs forthe elderly that could be performed while sitting, died Aug. 3 atHimalayan Elder Care, an assisted living facility in Silver Spring.She had dementia.
After raising her family, Mrs. Switkes worked as an assistant tothe director of the National Institute on Aging and began to think ofways to combine her interests in fitness and the elderly. She hadbeen entranced by gymnastics while growing up in Washington and was adevotee of modern dance, exercise and yoga.
In 1979, after studying anatomy and physiology, she devised anexercise program for the elderly and led classes at senior centers.Mrs. Switkes knew that traditional workout routines, in whichexercises are performed upright or on the floor, often were difficultfor older people, particularly those with illnesses or disabilities.She came up with a series of workouts that eliminated the risk offalling and the need to climb up off the floor.
By 1984, she had begun to market her program, 'Armchair Fitness:An Aerobic Workout for People of All Ages,' in book and videoformats. With exercises called 'turkey wings,' 'nose circles' and asedentary version of the cakewalk, Mrs. Switkes inspired a newfoundinterest in aerobics among an older generation.
'You don't have to go to a fancy gym or twist yourself into apretzel to get a good aerobic workout,' she said.
Mrs. Switkes wrote other books ('Senior-cize: Exercises and Dancesin a Chair' and 'Armchair Fitness: Gentle Exercise') and continued tomake exercise videos into the late 1990s. She appeared on the 'Today'show and 'Entertainment Tonight,' enthusiastically putting televisionhosts and audience members through her low-impact workouts. Shetaught her exercises on an around-the-world cruise of the QueenElizabeth 2.
A review of one of Mrs. Switkes's videos in People magazine in1988 described her as a 'trim but shrill instructor, with a voicethat seems to bounce off the rafters.' It complained that the musicon the video sounded 'like a bad Vegas lounge act' but concluded,'Don't think you won't get a good workout.'
Mrs. Switkes told The Washington Post in 1996: 'There are anamazing number of people who just don't like to get on the floor andexercise but still want to be healthier and work out. You can raiseyour heart rate no matter what your age, sitting in a chair if youknow how to do it.'
Betty Cooper Switkes was born in Baltimore and grew up inWashington. She graduated from Roosevelt High School and, in 1948,from George Washington University.
She was an administrative assistant at a women's health clinic inWashington in the mid-1970s and, from 1977 to 1981, worked at theNational Institute on Aging. For almost 20 years, she and herhusband, Joseph, spent winters in California, where Mrs. Switkespromoted her exercise routines to the elderly.
After living in the District, Silver Spring and Wheaton, shesettled in Chevy Chase in 1967. She was active in the League of WomenVoters and was a member of Temple Emanuel in Kensington.
Survivors include her husband of 55 years, Joseph N. Switkes ofChevy Chase; three children, Ellen Switkes of Sherman Oaks, Calif.,Harvey Switkes of Annapolis and Nancy Switkes Bell of Rockville; andtwo granddaughters.
