AEHC Educational Emphasis
2007-2009
Minor Focus - Increasing Physical Activity as We Age
“Fit in 10”
Dr. LaVona Traywick, Assistant Professor - Gerontology
The Situation
Introduction
We are often told to exercise, but what does that actually mean?
There are actually four recommended ways or styles of exercise, and to
get all of the benefits of physical activity, you should do all four
types of exercise. These are 1) balance exercises, 2) endurance or
aerobic exercises, 3) strength training exercises and 4) stretching or
flexibility exercises. But it is not just what we do but how often.
According to the National Institute on Aging and the American College of
Sports Medicine, adults should exercise three to five days a week for
20-60 minutes of either continuous or intermittent activity to equal a
minimum of 150 minutes. By intermittent, they mean a minimum of
10-minute segments of exercise throughout the day. Many health benefits
from exercise can be achieved at lower intensities of physical activity
if the frequency and duration of the exercise are appropriate.
Objectives
Participants will:
- Learn the recommendations for frequency and duration of
exercise.
- Increase knowledge about exercise practices.
- Gain an understanding of the four different types of exercise.
- Be shown examples of different types of exercise.
- Discuss barriers to exercise and how we can overcome barriers.
- Set an exercise goal/nutrition goal.
- Increase their knowledge of eating healthy as they age.
Balance
Balance exercises help prevent a common problem in older adults –
falls. Falling is a major cause of broken hips and other injuries that
often lead to disability and loss of independence. Some balance
exercises build up your leg muscles, while others require you to do
simple activities, like briefly standing on one leg to work on your
stability. Balance exercises can be performed as often as desired,
preferable on most or all days of the week.
Endurance
Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. They
improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Having
more endurance not only helps keep you healthier; it can also improve
your stamina for your activities of daily living. Endurance exercises
may also delay or prevent many diseases associated with aging, such as
heart disease and diabetes.
Endurance exercises can be divided into sessions of no less than 10
minutes at a time. You should aim for at least three 10-minute sessions
a day until you can build up to a minimum of 30 minutes of continuous
endurance exercise on most or all days of the week. More often is
better, and every day is best.
Strength Training
Strength training builds your muscles, which makes you stronger. This
increased strength will enable you to continue to do things on your own.
Strength exercises also increase your metabolism, which helps in
maintaining your weight and keeping your blood sugar in check. That’s
important because obesity and diabetes are major health problems for
older adults. Studies suggest that strength exercises may also help
prevent and treat osteoporosis.
Strength exercises should be performed on all of your major muscle
groups at least twice a week, preferable every other day. It is not
recommended to do strength exercises of the same muscle group on any two
days in a row as the muscles need time to recover and grow stronger.
Stretching
Stretching exercises help keep your body flexible by stretching your
muscles and the tissues that hold your body’s structures in place.
Certain stretches are recommended to help individuals recover from
injuries and to prevent injuries from happening in the first place.
Flexibility also may play a part in the prevention of falls.
Stretching exercises should be performed at least three times a week,
preferably daily. Stretching exercises should be performed after
endurance and strength exercises, when your muscles are warm. If
stretching exercises are the only kind of exercise you are doing, always
warm up your muscles first.
Eating Healthy as You Age
If your group has snacks, discuss what will be served before meeting.
Once more get out your icebreaker objects!! Toss a different object
around while having participants name nutrients that are needed and why.
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