When Mary Lake Polan dislocated her left hip for the second time, her orthopedic doctor suggested surgical intervention to keep it from happening again. During her search for alternatives, Mary Lake, a surgeon herself, decided to explore the benefits of aquatic therapy and went swimming at the Y. There, she saw a group of older people jumping around in the pool to music and thought it looked like fun. More importantly, she realized that by joining them, she could strengthen her muscles, protect her joints, and perhaps prevent surgery.
Mary Lake said that while in the water, you only weigh one-third of what you do on dry land. Because of that weight reduction, aqua therapy is prescribed when recovering from many kinds of joint replacement surgery: hips, knees, and even shoulders. The program is called Aquafit and when she first started Mary Lake saw many older people and thought, “If they can do it, so can I.” She found the exercise she needed and much more—a welcoming community of mostly older people who didn’t care where you came from or how much education or money you had. She said, “ You aren’t wearing any makeup, you’ve taken your clothes off, and nobody cares what you look like.” This vulnerable situation forces people to relax judgment, open up, and accept one another for who they are.
From the first class, she found a connection with people and water that felt as precious as life itself. She felt she had found the secret sauce and wanted to share it with the world. The result is Below Surface, a short documentary highlighting the Aquafit class at the YMCA in Westport, Connecticut. Whether the participants have been involved for only a few months or for as long as 40 years, they all said similar things: “It’s rejuvenating.” “The people in Aquafit have become family.” “It’s a lifesaver.” Mary Lake wove the stories of their heartfelt accounts and experiences throughout the film with her own.
The film tells the story of Aquafit from the community’s perspective. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s uplifting. Many participants found the class while struggling with life situations, like sudden heart disease brought on by stress or the loss of a spouse. One older woman no longer found life interesting until she started Aquafit and discovered the joy of joining a welcoming community. While physical fitness may seem like the obvious draw, it may only be the added benefit because participants will tell you that it’s the people that keep them coming back.
Inspired by the Aquafit community and the feeling among the group that this was a home away from home, Mary Lake decided to use the documentary to share the program’s success with other Ys and fitness centers. She hopes that the film will provide a model for other communities looking for ways to serve its recovering and aging population. Westport is not a large community, but it is able to provide Aquafit classes six days a week while leaving most of its swimming pool lanes open for swimmers and other programs. If they can do it, any mid-sized community can. It’s a wonderful program for creating a community and providing opportunities for socialization for people who need a safe way to be active and prevent illness caused by inactivity, loss of strength, and isolation while aging.
With Below Surface, Mary Lake had much more than a story to share, she had a vision. Her husband, Frank, shared that and fortunately had filmmaking connections through his company. They became producers on the project and brought a community of people together to make the film, design the website, make posters—do everything involved in producing and promoting a film. The Aquafit participants became the stars, talking about what they love most to do, and as Mary Lake said, “It was enormous fun. It was invigorating and a total flight of fantasy to start doing something you’ve never done before.”
Below Surface is a valuable tool illustrating what can be done to support well-being and healthy longevity in a community setting. The film will be screened on October 17th at the Hearst Tower, followed by a panel discussion with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia that brings together AARP, the New York City YMCA, and the NY Department of Health. And it’s just getting started. Mary Lake stressed the projection that half of five-year-olds alive today will live to be 100. They will need activities to live independent, fulfilling lives. When looking at programs that can support fitness in body, mind, and spirit with the added bonus of building community, Aquafit is a standout and needs to be expanded throughout the country.
Below Surface has already been invited to 16 film festivals and won several awards, including the Audience Favorite Award, at festivals in 2023. Please go to www.belowsurfacedoc.com for more details about the festivals and to view the film’s trailer.
The film will be available to stream for free from September 25-October 1 as part of the Global Peace Film Festival. (https://peacefilmfest.org/2023-free-for-all-shorts/)