Personal training for older people
Why is it important for older people to exercise and use a personal trainer?
Unless people do regular strength exercise, they lose over five pounds of muscle and significant amounts of bone mass every decade of their adult life
This results in a progressively slower metabolism and is associated with numerous degenerative problems and diseases, such as low back pain, obesity, heart disease, adult diabetes, and certain types of cancer
Fortunately, a sensible and successful strength training program is not an energy- sapping, or time-consuming ordeal
Your elderly relative needs only to exercise 20 to 30 minutes, two or three days a week, to develop relatively high levels of musculoskeletal fitness
The good news is that the loss of strength, endurance, flexibility and balance are not inevitable. The National Institute on Ageing in America believes that, “when older people lose their ability to do things on their own, it doesn’t happen just because they have aged. More likely it is because they have become inactive.” (Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Ageing)
How can a personal trainer help you to stay fit and healthy?
Our ageing population can really benefit from working with a personal trainer
A strong relationship is built between personal trainer and client to ensure that goals are met and the very best advice is given
A session, or a block of training sessions, can introduce individuals back into exercise, updating those who have lapsed and introducing it as a fresh new challenge to those who maybe haven’t exercised regularly since leaving school
What will a personal trainer work on with an older person?
- Cardio Endurance: As we age, we often lose aerobic fitness and experts believe this contributes to reduced mobility in daily life. A personal trainer can help your ageing parent develop their cardio fitness
- Flexibility: Joints change with age and this can lead to stiffness, decreased range of motion and more injuries. Weights and stretching can increase flexibility
- Balance: Each year, hospitals see thousands of older patients with broken hips due to falling. Balance exercises can help avoid injuries from falls and keep your ageing parent independent and mobile
- Strength training has incredible benefits for everyone, but especially for the elderly. Experts believe that “resistance exercise may forestall declines in strength and muscle mass for decades.” (Decreased Mobility in the Elderly: The Exercise Antidote)
It’s never too late to start exercising
No matter how old you are, exercise can improve your quality of life and you don’t have to spend a lot of time doing it to see and feel improvements. Like everyone else, the elderly need to engage in cardio, strength training and flexibility exercises to stay healthy and maintain as much strength and functionality as possible
Before they get started, it’s essential to get checked out by their doctor
If your ageing parent has any conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, or heart disease, they’ll need to get advice on the types of exercises they can and can’t do
Stella Nash has been involved in the health and fitness industry from an early age, having herself been a dancer, gymnast and athlete. Stella is a well-known and sought after instructor at a number of top London and Home Counties health clubs and she now has established Pilates and yoga studios within Watford,St Albans and Radlett www.tfcstudio1.com
