SENIORS AND EXERCISE!

I now teach in an Assisted Living Center and see how important it is for Seniors to get the ‘proper’ exercise.  Not just throw them into anything and say okay.  This is not the way to do it. They need slow, smooth and resistive exercises to build their flexibility, strength, coordination, timing, balance and gait. 

According the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2009) by 2030 the portion of the US population aged 65 and older will double to about 71 million.  The growing number of older Americans will put unique demands on public health, ageing services and the nation's health care system.  The CDC suggests that chronic disease, such as, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, place a profound health and economic burden on older adults, owing to associated long term illness, diminished quality of life and greater healthcare costs. Healthy-Steps program is one that all Seniors can do with no harm and only wonderful results to increase your quality of life, range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination and more.

Just a short time ago one of our instructors who is a PhD published a study for our program with Seniors showing it helped prevent falls, improved balance and gait.  Other studies we have show it improves quality of life, decreases depression and increases energy.  All these things seniors need and want.

Just don’t put your Senior partner, mother, father, aunt, uncle, friend into any program.  Investigate it first.  It needs to be able to done sitting or standing.  Half time so they don’t get injured.  Have timing and coordination and brain exercises in the program.  Be fun and easy, great music and laughter, definitely required.

I have seen such a wonderful and great improvement in the Seniors I am teaching.  Their attitude alone is worth a million.  But their flexibility, coordination, brain, strength, breathing has improved so much, they can see the difference in themselves and don’t want to miss a class.

I have seen other Assisted Living Centers who have exercise programs that are all wrong for Seniors just because they are popular or someone in the center is there and handy to teach them.  Be careful, they need specialized exercise programs to get stronger, smarter, and live longer. 

  Sincerely,

Sherry Lebed Davis