Senior Fitness Guidelines
Changing Your Lifestyle Can Still Improve the Quality of Your Life
Oct 1, 2007
We are all aware of the benefits of an active lifestyle and a healthy diet, but did you know that the benefits extend all the way into the ripe age of ???. That’s right; even seniors who have been inactive can enhance the quality of their lives through physical activity and a balanced diet.
Recently the AHA (American Heart Association) and ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) amended the recommendations for seniors established in 1995 by CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and ASCM. The following are the updated guidelines for seniors;
- Seniors should remain or begin regular physical activity.
- This activity level should be aerobic in nature and moderately intense for 30 minutes five times per week or vigorously intense for 20 minutes three times per week (moderate intensity is when you can notice an increase in breathing, vigorous is a level of exercise that causes a faster heart beat and more intense breathing).
- You can combine aerobic exercise sessions to include both moderate and vigorous activity levels.
- In addition, seniors should include two days of resistance training targeting all major muscle groups (8-10 exercises), doing 10 to 15 repetions of each exercise.
- Seniors can exceed the recommended activity levels to achieve greater physical enhancement.
- Stretching should be performed twice weekly for ten minutes to help stay flexible and maintain the range of motion in the joints.
- Seniors should perform activities that help maintain and improve balance to reduce the risk of falling.
- Seniors with a pre-existing health condition should perform exercises designed to help improve their condition.
- Seniors should have a plan to implement, sustain and progress their workouts gradually. If there is a pre-existing health condition, the plan should include working on improving the condition. Also, take into account your current fitness level when implementing a fitness plan.
Seniors must take precautions to insure that chosen activities:
- Do not compromise existing conditions
- Do not present a risk of falling
- Do not cause overexertion
- Gradually increase in correlation to their current fitness level
- Includes all areas of physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and hydration)
It is highly beneficial for seniors to engage in physical activity
- To prevent injury from general weakness and falling
- To decrease the risk of disease
- To improve existing conditions
- To improve balance and self-confidence
- To elevate the quality of life
- To become more independent
- To gain health benefits not associated with a sedentary lifestyle
There are far too many benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle to sit and do nothing. Research has shown that walking as little as 40 to 75 minutes per week can reduce the risk of cardio-vascular disease. The current fitness level of an individual should not be the determining factor when contemplating physical activity. It is much more important to begin at a pace that is sustainable and build from that point. If you are not sure where to begin, consult a fitness professional or your doctor for assistance in putting together a plan you feel comfortable with.
As with any fitness program, consult your physician before beginning. Once you engage in activities you enjoy consistently, you will feel better, look better and function better!
“How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time.” – Fred Brooks
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