Elderfitness

October 29, 2017

Aging in place, managing in our own home for as long as we can -- that’s what most of us want. We’re in no hurry to go into care. But as we get older, it gets harder and harder to climb the stairs, do housework and yard work, shop for groceries, walk to the bus stop. Fitness is the key. We can’t stop the clock from ticking, but we can try to maintain or maybe even increase our ability to function, bearing in mind our porous bones and wonky hearts and aching, swollen joints. So how do we do it? Many senior centres run fitness programs, but they are mostly geared toward older seniors and are too gentle for seniors who are still active. So I searched through the evidence-based literature to try to come up with a formula that we could try at home, without hiring a personal trainer or buying expensive equipment. I’m no fitness guru, so do this at your own risk, and check with your doctor first. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down.

Endurance

  • 20 minutes every day of moderately intensive aerobic activity: energetic continuous movement that makes your heart beat faster and makes you feel warm.
  • Examples: low-impact aerobics, aquafitness, brisk walking, bicycling, dancing.

Interval training

  • Short bursts of intense activity, 2 days a week
  • Examples: Take a walk. For the first 10 minutes, walk at an easy pace. For the next 15 minutes, do a hard walk for 1 minute, then a medium walk for 1 minute, then an easy walk for 1 minute. Repeat 4 more times. Finish with a 5-minute easy walk. Or, if you have an exercise bike: warm up at an easy pace for 5 minutes, then cycle for 20 seconds at high intensity, cycle slowly for 90 seconds, repeat 4 – 6 times, cool down with 2 minutes of light cycling and 2 minutes of walking.

Muscle strengthening

  • 2 days a week, exercises that strengthen all the major muscle groups, upper and lower body.
  • 8 to 12 repetitions per activity, or until it would be hard to do another repetition. If they get easy, do another set.
  • Examples: squats, one-arm row with hand weights, bicep curls with hand weights, using resistance bands, wall pushups.

Balance

  • A few minutes a day.
  • Examples: walking backward or sideways, heel walking, toe walking, standing from a sitting position, standing on one foot.

Flexibility

  • A few minutes a day.
  • Examples: arm and leg stretches, yoga.

This is all very sketchy and you need to fill in the details by finding examples and routines on the internet. YouTube is full of great free workouts; you can exercise in front of your computer. Use keywords like “20 minute” and “low impact”. Keep searching until you have a nice collection of varied workouts so you’re not doing the same ones every day. Check out some pregnancy workouts; they work well for seniors because they’re safe, and careful about balance.

If you would like to read up on guidelines or get some background information, go to: