If she heard it once, she heard it a hundred times. “Exercise,” says Darlene Feigen, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016. “Everyone kept telling me I had to exercise. But I'm not an exercise person!”

Feigen eventually relented. “I got tired of hearing it from my doctor,” she says. She went to a few of the large gyms near her home in Oak Park, CA, but didn't last long. “They weren't for someone like me,” she says. They seemed more suitable for people in better shape than Feigen.

Frustrated, she sought help from Esta McIntyre, a trainer her husband had met at a networking group who, like Feigen, was a native New Yorker. “I needed someone to kick my you-know-what and still make it fun,” says Feigen, now 52. “Because Esta is from New York, I knew she could do that.”

McIntyre, a certified fitness trainer and group fitness instructor, was not so sure initially. “I'd never worked with anyone with MS,” she says. But she read up on the condition and got advice from a former bodybuilder, David Lyons, who has MS and has developed training protocols for others with the disorder.

Feigen and McIntyre worked together one-on-one until some people from Feigen's MS support group asked if they could join. Before long, McIntyre was holding a 60-minute class with Feigen and five other women twice a week at her studio in Thousand Oaks, CA. McIntyre included a variety of movements modified for people with neurologic disorders. She also wanted to incorporate dance moves. “But I knew a Zumba class was too strenuous,” says McIntyre. Instead, she taught a seated tap dance class. “Some of the women were standing, some were seated, and they had to memorize a sequence of movements. They got to listen to great music, and we did a lot of laughing. It was therapeutic in so many ways.” McIntyre received a grant to teach the class and reached out to a tap dance company, which donated equipment like floors and tap shoe overlays that prevent skidding. The class was free for her students.

The camaraderie of group exercise—whether aerobics in a fitness center, tap dancing in a studio, or weight lifting over Zoom—is one of the reasons it's so popular. “A group class can be much more motivating than exercising alone,” says neurologist Melita T. Petrossian, MD, director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Torrance, CA.

A lack of classes geared for specific neurologic conditions shouldn't be a deterrent. “Even if you can't find a class dedicated to, say, stroke recovery or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), maybe you can attend a class for seniors,” says Ryan Glatt, MS, CPT, a board-certified health coach and personal trainer with the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA. “It's still movement, it's still exercise, and done correctly, it will still help you.”

To find an appropriate class, start by sitting in and observing. “Make sure the instructor is showing modifications for each exercise,” says Leigh Anne Bolling Richards, who teaches a Rock Steady Boxing class for people with Parkinson's disease at the Bell Road YMCA in Montgomery, AL. “If, for example, you can't do a balance exercise without placing one hand on the wall, you want to hear the instructor suggest that or see the instructor do that.”

The instructions and demonstration should be precise, says Bolling Richards, who also teaches health and wellness at Auburn University in Montgomery. “You want someone who is positive and makes you feel successful in the class.” Dr. Petrossian mentions another thing worth watching for: “Novelty in exercise is important—incorporating things that are new into the routine,” she says.

Exercising with a group can help you stick with it, says Vernon B. Williams, MD, FAAN, director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Management at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. “You might not be as likely to skip the gym if you're part of a class.”

Before beginning any exercise program, discuss it with your physician, who may have advice on how to get started and may be able to refer you to a physical therapist or personal trainer for further guidance or to the local hospital, which might conduct classes.

YMCAs and community centers may offer free or low-cost classes, especially for seniors and people with neurologic conditions. Libraries, adult-ed programs, and even churches also may have them. Check with your employer as well, especially if cost is a concern, as your employer may provide fitness-related benefits. Review your employee handbook or speak with someone in human resources.

Also check your insurance coverage. “Some commercial insurances offer flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts (HSAs), which can be used for at least partial reimbursement of certain health and fitness services,” says Glatt. If your doctor provides a referral, he says, “the likelihood of coverage may increase.” Many Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans cover at least part of the cost of health club memberships or programs for seniors.

Plenty of patient advocacy groups, like the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, coordinate free online exercise classes tailored for people with neurologic disorders.

If you're in a support group for people with your neurologic disorder, that can be a resource for exercise classes too. You can ask others in the group if they know about any, or perhaps the support group itself organizes in-person and/or online fitness programs.

For Feigen, McIntyre's class provides the exercise she needs—and the socializing she loves. That and the improvements she's seen in strength, stamina, and balance are the reasons she plans to continue exercising with McIntyre on Zoom now that McIntyre has relocated to Ivins, UT. “I just love being with her and the other women in the class.”

While it might take a little research, Feigen encourages others with neurologic conditions to seek out a class. “There's probably an Esta McIntyre out there for everyone,” she says.

Nationwide Programs

These four national organizations offer free or affordable exercise classes for seniors and people with neurologic conditions.

Rock Steady Boxing: About 840 locations nationwide offer this noncontact boxing-based fitness program for people with Parkinson's disease. The classes are not covered by Medicare, but membership at a participating Rock Steady Boxing gym or facility might be, depending on your insurance. rocksteadyboxing.org

Prime PD: This virtual fitness and wellness studio for people with Parkinson's disease offers 20 live classes a week and an extensive library of recorded classes. All instructors are trained in working with people with Parkinson's. Group classes include Rock Steady Boxing, high-intensity interval training, and LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) BIG for LIFE, a Parkinson's-specific physical therapy program. Prime PD is free through several Medicare plans, including United Healthcare, which has an in-network fitness benefit called Renew Active. Otherwise, membership starts at $19 a month for unlimited classes. primePD.com

Silver Sneakers: Many Medicare plans include membership in this fitness program for adults 65 and over, which holds classes at more than 23,000 gyms and other locations around the country. “Instructors are specifically trained to offer options to suit a wide variety of individuals with different skill and fitness levels, including those with neurologic challenges,” says Sharlyn Green, a master trainer for the organization. silversneakers.com

ACE: Visit the website of the American Council on Exercise (ACE)—one of the country's largest certifying bodies for fitness professionals—to find a certified trainer near you. Some of them will be group fitness instructors who typically list a specialty, such as working with seniors or people with disabilities. You can contact them to ask about classes they might offer in your area. acefitness.org