Having worked closely with older adults for 13 years in our Stronger for Longer program we have seen a real shift in the way seniors look at exercise, in particular strength training. It is fair to say the older population is extremely interested in not just maintaining their health and vitality as they age, but finding ways to improve it. Right at the top of the list of things that most seniors would like to improve is their leg strength. There has been many studies completed showing how leg-strength is associated with the ability to rise from a chair, walking speed, and the risk of falling. These studies also show that deteriorating leg strength is a good predictor of frailty and mortality with older adults. Due to the cumulative effects of aging and physical inactivity a certain percentage of older adults struggle with performing many basic functional tasks such as walking and climbing stairs both requiring a fair degree of leg strength. Those who are unable to perform one task are much more likely to be unable to perform additional tasks and very quickly the likelihood of functional impairment increases. The good news is you can reverse this decline by using carefully selected strength exercises and in this article we will show you exactly how. The pictures and videos shown in this article are all from 70-80 year old clients in our Stronger for Longer program.
Why You Must Adjust Your Diet To Meet Your Nutrition Requirements As You Age
There is one thing that is guaranteed in life, we are going to get older. Good nutrition is vital for everyone, every day, but as we age good nutrition is more important than ever. Even though we are less active in the later stages of life, eating well is vital to ensure our body gets the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals needed for a quality life. The need to eat quality food increases as we age. A lot of people nowadays rely on medication to help them live longer, but are these people enjoying a quality life? In my opinion I’d rather live longer and live well, than just live longer. In this article we asked Mel to help explain what modifications older adults may need to consider with their nutrition to ensure their body remains as healthy as possible. She also shares some of her amazing recipe ideas to give you many ideas of how to make healthy food taste great. Enjoy.
Agility Training Is Vital To People of All Ages & This Is Why
When most people think of agility training the first image that pops into their head is some sporting athletes jumping over hurdles and running in speed ladders. While agility is a great training method for sports it is so much more than that and a very under-valued training method that can provide incredible skills to our body. Far too many people avoid using agility exercises for they lack coordination and have never been great at sports. Their fear of looking silly and making a mess of the exercise makes them avoid using this method which is unfortunate for they miss out on the amazing benefits they provide. What you will find out in this article is how valuable this type of training can be to people of all ages and abilities for improving how they move.
What Are The Key Factors to Improving Bone Density & Preventing Osteoporosis?
In recent weeks I have had several discussions with people regarding the things they should do to prevent Osteoporosis. Some of these people had witnessed their parents succumb to this and were concerned that it would happen to them so they wanted to ensure they did everything they could to prevent it. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone that makes a person’s bones weak and more likely to break and is often called a “silent disease” because you cannot feel your bones getting weaker. Many people do not even know they have osteoporosis until after they break a bone. Once you have Osteoporosis you cannot reverse it so it is vital you do everything you can to prevent it from happening by making important lifestyle choices. If you do already have it you can still do things to prevent any further bone loss and also drastically reduce the likelihood of any future bone fractures. The sooner you start the better, for research shows that how likely you are to develop osteoporosis depends partly on how much bone mass you attained in your youth. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have “in the bank” and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age. In this article, I will discuss what they key factors you need to start doing now to avoid this becoming a problem later in life.
Prevent Falls With Older Adults Using Strength, Agility & Reflex Stability Exercises
If there is one thing that really changes the quality of life with older adults it is the loss of balance and fear of falling. Statistics in the US show that one adult over the age of 65 is treated in the emergency room for a fall every 18 seconds (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Quite an alarming statistic and even more scary when you consider that hip fractures are the most common injury from a fall and the number one cause of nursing home admission. Approximately 50% of those who suffer a hip fracture never fully regain their mobility and independence, and 50% of those die within the first year! Falling for an older adult is a very serious matter, and a life-threatening situation. The good news is it can be easily prevented by adopting exercise strategies that utilize the skills of reflex stability, balance, agility, and even speed. This article we will explain exercises and methods you can use to prevent falls and provide several real-life examples of these in action.
Why Strength Training Is The Best Anti-Ageing Exercise
Strength training for older adults is incredibly important, not to just to our muscles and bones, but for overall health and well being. When we say exercise can slow the ageing process we are not necessarily talking about how you look, but more how you function in life. When an older adult comes to see me for the first time and in many cases are very stiff, lack confidence walking up and down stairs, balance is a huge problem and they are noticeably weak, and they feel as if it is too late. Some are on powerful medication with damaging side affects that are merely treating symptoms and speeding up their rate of disability. In many cases older adults are often treated by society as it is too late and an inevitable part of getting old. But it is very important to realize that it is NEVER TOO LATE and that older adults are not merely the sum of their chronic diseases. And they should never be treated as such. Nor should it be assumed that just because they are older they are going to have a whole bag of disease conditions. They may, but they might not. The most important part of understand about exercise is, its impact on “functional capacity” which is what I am going to talk about next. This article we are going to show you real life examples and give you proof of why we ALL should be using Functional Strength Training methods to live a healthier life.