Hula, Senior-Style

If you close your eyes and dream of the hula, you may think of Hawaii.

But for a class of seniors, the dance has made its way to the states, reports The Early Show's Gretchen Carlson.

Grace Griffin teaches the "Hooked on Hula" class at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring, Md.

She keeps the aloha spirit alive by encouraging her "Hula honeys," as she calls them, to hang loose, as they do in Hawaii.

"I think there are a lot of benefits [of Hula]," says Griffin. "It's a happy joyful thing."

The seniors say the Hula is good for arthritis, stress and the heart.

"It just makes you feel like you want to be a part of that culture," says student David Callagy Kavika.

Some of the students in the class are first timers. But many of them are old pros who are still young at heart.

Louise Stuhler recently suffered a heart attack. But, that didn't stop her from getting back into the groove as soon as she could.

"I don't know what I'd do if I had to sit home 24 hours a day and watch the boob tube," says Stuhler. "I think it's the best form of exercise that there is because you have to use your brain and your body."

With all the inspiration, Carlson decided to give it a try. Before she knew it, she was hula dancing. But, she professes, it is harder than it looks.

But there were some guys there who preferred to sit back and watch their wives dance. They say they enjoy seeing the dance, and they have no complaints on the workout it gives the dancers — keeping the wives in shape.

Griffin says she has no plans to retire. She tried it once, but says she missed the Hula too much. Not to mention, she also missed her "Hula Honeys."