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In 2018, a growing number of exercise program participants ages 55 and older expressed an interest in adding more cardio to their West Fargo (North Dakota) Park District fitness class. The challenge was met with vigor and determination by West Fargo Park District’s recreation director, Lance Belisle, and recreation specialist, Allison Hauschild, who considered a number of fitness-based programs to fit the needs and interests of the participants, as well as become a strong fulfillment for West Fargo’s community-based growing park system of a population of 40,000 and a collective metro area of a population exceeding 250,000.
Identifying Opportunities
Belisle and Hauschild discovered the Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) program. The SAIL program is based on performing exercises to improve strength, balance, flexibility and fitness. These are proven to be the most important activities adults can perform to stay active with the goal of reducing falls if done regularly.
The foundational research study for the SAIL program was published in the Journal of Gerontology in 2007. Older adults in the intervention group of this randomized controlled trial demonstrated significant improvements in the reduction of fall-risk factors. In September 2012, SAIL was recognized as a Title IIID — Evidence-Based Program by the Administration on Aging. SAIL met the highest-level criteria for an evidence-based program, opening the door for other states to use federal funding to bring SAIL to their communities. SAIL is a public-domain program, so there are no initial site license fees and no yearly renewal fees for conducting SAIL classes.
The SAIL program met the criteria of a good fit for the West Fargo Park District’s exercise program needs, giving Hauschild the green light to enroll in a comprehensive online training course.
Class Structure
The SAIL classes are guided and led by SAIL-trained peer group volunteer instructors. They follow a careful program of a three- to five-minute warm-up, 18 to 20 minutes of aerobics, 10 minutes of balance exercise, 15 to 18 minutes of strength exercise, eight to 10 minutes of stretching, and conclude with a daily health tip from the group leader. West Fargo Park District offers SAIL three mornings per week to people ages 55 and older and has adapted SAIL to meet all physical abilities with participants working at their own pace, either seated in a chair or standing.
Growing Interest
Since its first SAIL class in 2018, West Fargo’s program has grown from 21 participants to more than 100 attending each class session in 2024. Currently, SAIL is held on the 30,000-square-foot indoor field turf at the Rustad Recreation Center. New participants can join anytime, free of charge.
Through SAIL, the park district has hosted informational speakers addressing topics relating to health, wellness, assessments and life enrichment classes hosted by community partners and resources, which are free to participants after the class sessions. “This program has been around for a few years now and has been such a great program for our community, which I hear every day from our SAIL participants,” Hauschild says. “Not only does SAIL offer a wide range of exercises three times a week, but it also builds friendships among class attendees.”
Belisle comments, “When we started the SAIL program in the fall of 2018, we had no idea how it would be received or better yet what it would turn into.... You know you did something right when participants come up to you stating how important this class is to them and how it has changed their daily lives. SAIL is more than an exercise class; it has spawned new friendships, social opportunities and even a wedding. When you hear us say we’re not saving lives here, well maybe not, but we are sure making it better for a lot of people.”
For additional information on implementing the SAIL program at your agency or to become a SAIL instructor, contact Cindy Jaffe, SAIL master trainer and Washington state SAIL coordinator.
Barb Erbstoesser is Retired Executive Director at West Fargo (North Dakota) Park District.