WATCH: Feeling lonely as you age? Joining a gym can help, local expert says

Getting exercise can have benefits beyond building strength and endurance.

Exercise classes can support your social and mental health, according to Kim Sheehan, the Senior Health and Wellness Director with the YMCA of Greater Dayton. That is especially true as you get older.

Sheehan talked to In Your Prime host Jana Collier, publisher of the Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News, about how communities form around exercise classes at the YMCA.

“You are going to develop a lot of friendships,” Sheehan said.

If someone does not show up for a class, other members “will call them or text them and make sure they are OK and everything is going alright.”

Our In Your Prime series gives you information you can trust about managing your health and finances, Medicare options and living a fulfilled life in retirement and beyond.

The video above is just a portion of a program in which Collier sits down with local experts and leaders in their field to discuss the following subjects:

· Muna Jneidi, MD, Internal Medicine with Kettering Health: Bone health for women.

· Kristie Farkash, APRN-CNP with Kettering Health: Diabetes lifestyle tips

· Kim Sheehan, the Senior Health and Wellness Director with the YMCA of Greater Dayton: Creating a life of wellness as a senior.

Watch the full program below: