The importance and benefits of physical fitness for senior adults …

There’s a story of a doctor saying to his patient, a senior citizen, “I’m sorry, but right now you’re not in good enough shape to get in shape.”

As a certified Fitness Professional, we always recommend that people — especially senior adults — first consult their physician before starting a personal physical exercise program. I’ve known several people who were told something similar as the person above, that they would have to improve their health before they could start a serious personal fitness program.

That’s a situation you want to avoid at all costs. A chief reason is not everyone is able to improve their health enough to try to improve their fitness. That’s a dire set of consequences.

One reason why similar circumstances exist for millions of people is they live most of their adult lives being negligent regarding their physical health and physical fitness — they were (and still are) bad stewards of their bodies. Now, as they move deeper into their senior years, they feel (literally!) more significantly the cost of that negligence, and changing that has become essential to avoid serious health issues.

But there’s some good news.

Fitness isn’t just for the young. Senior adults can develop a personal fitness program that improves their level of physical fitness and enhances their physical health. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims senior citizens need:

• • At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, five days a week) of moderate intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running.
  • At least 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles.
  • Activities to improve balance such as standing on one foot about three days a week.

Beyond avoiding dire health conditions, let me give you a dozen benefits for older adults to adopt a personal exercise program. Physical exercise:

Prevents bone loss. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) reports, “Both men and women lose bone density as they age, with post-menopausal women losing up to two percent each year. Strength training has been shown to counteract this loss and actually restore bone density. Having stronger bones leads to fewer fractures and can also aid in balance.”

Relieves osteoarthritis pain. According to NCOA, “While it may seem counterintuitive, moving more can actually help lessen the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Arthritis-friendly exercise includes low-impact cardiovascular activity, strength training, and range-of-motion exercises. How does exercise help arthritis? It takes pressure off aching joints by strengthening the surrounding muscles. Physical activity may also help ease joint inflammation and aid in lubrication, which reduces pain and stiffness.”

Helps prevent chronic disease. NCOA says, “Exercise provides a protective effect against a host of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. If you already have a chronic condition, physical activity can minimize symptoms. It can even help reduce cognitive decline. One study found that participants over the age of 60 showed fewer Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers when they performed 30 minutes of exercise every day.”

Boosts immunity. The CDC reports that regular physical activity provides important health benefits for chronic disease prevention, such as:

• • Brain Health – Reduces risks of developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and reduces risk of depression.
  • Heart Health – Lowers risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
  • Cancer Prevention -Lowers risk of eight cancers: bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach.

NCOA reported that, “A 2018 study linked moderate exercise with a lower incidence of acute respiratory illness and fewer sick days off of work. The exact way exercise supports immunity is not known. However, there are many theories. Some scientists believe that the anti-inflammatory effects of physical activity enable better immune function. Exercise may also improve the performance of immune cells.”

Improves mood. Physical exercise has been linked to improved cognitive function and associated with lowering the risk of vascular dementia. And NCOA claims, “Simply put, exercise makes us feel good. It can help ease anxiety and depression symptoms, increase relaxation, and create an overall sense of well-being. A 2019 study of adult men age 65 and older found that the mood-boosting benefits of exercise continue well into old age, underscoring why it’s so vital to stay active.”

Decreased risk of falls. Older adults are at a higher risk of falls, but exercise improves strength and flexibility, which also help improve balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls. Seniors take longer to recover from falls, so anything that helps avoid them in the first place is critical.

Helps maintain the ability to live independently. Losing the ability to live independently can be a traumatic experience for an older adult, but it isn’t something that has to be an inevitability. In fact, a George Washington University study found that seniors who spend a lot of time watching television and little time being active are more likely to lose mobility. Being physically active, though, has the opposite effect. Regular activity can slow the loss of muscle and strengthen bones, while also reducing joint and muscle pain. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, exercise can also help improve both the ability to walk and the ability to balance, reducing the risk of falls and fracture. Overall, physical exercise can be a key way of enabling older adults to maintain their ability to live independently.

Helps reduce and/or manage body weight. As your metabolism naturally slows with age, maintaining a healthy weight can become a challenge. Regular exercise helps increase your metabolism and build muscle mass, helping your body to burn more calories, and do so more efficiently.

Promotes cardiovascular health. Harvard Health explains that your heart, like any other muscle, can weaken over time, especially if you are sedentary. As you age and become less active, the muscle in your heart’s left ventricle — the chamber that pumps oxygen-rich blood back out to the body — becomes stiffer.

“This change in the heart muscle, coupled with simultaneous stiffening of the body’s arteries that leads to high blood pressure, begins a harmful cardiovascular aging cycle,” says Dr. Aaron Baggish, director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “Without intervention, this sets the stage for heart failure later in life.”

But as with your other muscles, it’s possible to strengthen your heart and even reverse some of its aging. The solution: regular cardio exercise. “Research continues to show that exercise is the best way to slow your heart’s aging process,” says Dr. Baggish.

Promotes sleep. While many older adults report sleeping less or problems sleeping and/or sleeping well, poor sleep patterns and sleeping less is not a direct outcome of aging. Research regarding how older adults can sleep better consistently includes the recommendation of physical exercise. One study concludes, “Participation in an exercise training program has moderately positive effects on sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults. Physical exercise could be an alternative or complementary approach to existing therapies for sleep problems.”

Aerobic exercise reduces hypertension. According to the National Library of Medicine, the results of a meta-analysis and systemic review of research on the effect of exercise on older adults indicated that exercise leads to significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Accordingly, regular exercise can be part of the treatment plan for hypertensive elderly.

Can improve social wellness. Maintaining strong social ties is important for aging adults to feel a sense of purpose and avoid feelings of loneliness or depression. Exercise can be a way of improving or maintaining social wellness by making it something you share with others, whether you join a walking group, take a fitness class, make friends at a gym, or enjoy recreational activities with friends and neighbors, there are numerous ways to be active, move more, and exercise while also enjoying connections with other people.

When older adults decide to start a personal fitness program, they will want to consider four types of exercise that is important for a well-round personal fitness program. They are cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility training, and balance training (you can read more about that in my blog post here).

A great help for starting a personal fitness program, especially for older adults, is the fact that many gyms employ certified Personal Trainers with specific experience and training in working with older adults. These Personal Trainers can assess your current fitness condition, help you set personal fitness goals, and then help you put together an exercise regimen that will start you where you are and guide you to progress to your personal fitness goals.

Scotty