Senior Fitness 101 - Get Fitness Facts

Did you know that.????

• Inactive older adults lose strength, balance, range of motion and endurance, all of which negatively affect their ability to remain healthy and independent?
  Current research indicates that exercise can help maintain or restore each of these four areas and improve a person's likelihood of remaining active, healthy and independent.
• 33% of those over the age of 65 fall each year?
  The risk of falling increases to over 300% the year following a fall. 25% of those who incur a fracture from a fall never regain their independence and 10% die. Several studies have shown that through exercise both healthy older adults and those with balance problems can make moderate to great improvement in balance and mobility and reduce their risk of falling. Furthermore, their fear of falling decreases, which encourages more movement.
• People of all ages benefit from strength training?
  Studies have shown that people of all ages can improve their strength. Strength training can enhance the ability to live independently by promoting strength needed for activities of daily living. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends resistance training two to three times a week on non-consecutive days.
• Most people lose 20 - 40% of their muscle tissue as they age?
  28% of men and 66% of women over the age of 74 can no longer lift 10 pounds. Strength training can help restore, or partly restore muscular strength. In a study involving nursing home residents age 80 and over, the residents progressed from using walkers to using canes after just ten weeks of simple exercise.
• Joints that have freedom of movement are less likely to be painful?
  Flexibility usually declines with age, but older adults can preserve and restore flexibility with a regular stretching program. The best time to work on improving flexibility is at the end of an exercise session, when muscles are warm.
• Regular exercise can bring relief from chronic pain, but resting may actually have the opposite effect?
  At one time, Doctors advised people to rest when they had pain. We now know that inactivity can contribute to chronic pain, fatigue, stress and anxiety. With exercise, your body releases chemicals that block pain signals from reaching your brain. Building muscular strength takes force and load off you bones and cartilage, which can provide relief from pain. And, gentle stretching has been show to benefit individuals with chronic pain.
• Women age 65-85 lose as much as 50 percent of their ankle range of motion, and men as much as 35 percent?
  This increases the risk of falls, especially when walking. This risk may be reduced by performing exercises that involve flexing the ankle.
• Physical activity has been show to have positive psychological benefits for older persons?
  Exercise enhances relaxation, lowers stress hormones, enhances sleep quality, and contributes to an overall sense of well-being.

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