Senior Fitness: Enhance Your Quality Of Life During The Golden Years

"Working out and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle is not a panacea for aging, but it does help make the trip to our golden years a much more enjoyable ride."

~Bob Benitez, CPT

As the youth of the 1950s and 60s become the newest senior citizens on the block, it’s important that they commit to regular physically activity. Many people who grew up during these decades did not have a gym on every block like we do now, and regularly going to the gym was not quite as popular. The fitness industry was in its infancy and growing into the 80 billion dollar industry it is today.  People used to be much more active outdoors and stayed healthy due to active careers and home life. Plus internet, social media, and video games didn’t plague their time.

Due to those lifestyle differences, sometimes convincing today’s seniors that going to the gym to work out is important proves to be difficult. It could be intimidation or just not seeing the need.

In an interview with Bob Benitez, Certified Personal Trainer and 20 year vet, mentor, and coach in the fitness industry, he discussed the importance of fitness for people who are of a certain age.  If you are a senior citizen reading this or you are trying to convince a loved one that the gym is worthwhile, this article highlights all the ways fitness can enhance the quality of life for those who are 50 and over and how gym atmospheres have changed to include today’s seniors.

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Make The Gym Meet Your Needs: Because Your Needs Are Different As You Age

Benitez dedicates much of his time to training clients who are 45, not technically seniors, and over to ensure their needs are met in the gym. As people age, their bodies change, and their mindset is more mature. Fitness is not really about vanity anymore. Instead it’s about maintaining health. An older adult will feel more “at home” in the gym if they seek out a gym and trainer that are prepared to meet their needs: 

"While I can easily work with a younger population, older adults have just as much, if not a greater need, for PTs. Aside from the obvious biological changes to the body, there’s a psychological piece, and to me, that’s a bigger challenge to overcome than the physical challenge."

Find A Trainer You Connect With

A youthful personal trainer who has never had an ache or pain in their life may not understand your physical or medical needs unless they have a certification in senior fitness. However, a trainer who has more life experience and who is also of a certain age may have experienced high blood pressure, a weight loss journey for medical reasons, nerve problems, joint pain, or many other types of physical ailments that accompany aging.

When a trainer understands your medical issues they can personally relate to you and understand any limitations that you may need to overcome. This type of connection is what Benitez is talking about. He states,

“Simply giving older clients the knowing and empathetic acknowledgement is huge and goes a long way to establishing rapport that’s vital to a successful PT/client relationship.”

That PT/client connection will keep you returning to the gym. It’s almost a feeling of, “He did it, and so can I!” All you have to do is seek out the “Bob Benitez” that works in your local gym. There are other trainers like him in every city that want to work with you!

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SilverSneakers Program

Locate a gym that works with the SilverSneakers Program. SilverSneakers is a fitness program provided through thousands of health care plans nationwide to make getting and staying fit affordable. SilverSneakers provides access to gyms, fitness classes led by certified instructors, and sponsored social activities all geared toward senior health and wellness. To find out which gyms participate and whether or not you qualify, visit their website. The links are included at the end of the article.

Am I Too Old To Start? I’m Worried About The Unknowns of Training

Am I Too Old To Start?

It is never too late to start exercising. Many seniors feel they are fragile and would not benefit from exercise or that it puts them in danger of getting hurt. This is false. Reducing exercise is what typically causes loss of endurance and strength and a more rapid deterioration of the body.

Exercise is what prolongs your physical and mental health. Even if you must sit in a chair, there is exercise that will benefit your body.  

Modifications To Exercises Make Them Do-Able

Almost every exercise can be modified, and exercise does not have to be strenuous to have a profound impact on your health.

Because every-BODY is different, routines have to be different.

~Benitez

No two clients are exactly alike. Each person starts at a different level of fitness ranging from never been in the gym to very active. Your trainer will work with you and your doctor, if necessary, to build a training program tailored to you and your specific needs. You will start off slow and build strength and endurance.

The Benefits of Fitness For Seniors

Besides building strength and endurance, here are some of the other benefits of regular exercise for seniors:

• Helps lose or manage your weight
• Helps manage stress and boost your mood
• Rehabilitate from injuries
• It may prevent disease or keep it at bay
• Lower blood pressure
• Prevent muscle loss or build muscle
• Prevent the onset of osteoporosis
• Improve balance and flexibility
• Improve cardiovascular health
• Helps with sleep
• And the list goes on…

READ Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults

Training With Benitez – What Might Your Exercise Program Look Like?

When asked what a training regimen might look like for a fairly healthy senior, Benitez said that he uses the following check list with emphasis on slower motions for older adults.

Benitez (2016) says:

1.  Cardio is STILL King: I use Rates of Perceived Exertion (RPE) to gauge a client’s cardio capacity and am always mindful of their heart rates. One client’s cardio is another’s walk in the park.  I recommend cardio of 30 minutes or more (depending on the time available) which can include swimming, stair stepper or elliptical machine. These alternatives to running minimize the impact on joints.

2.  Flexibility makes it Easy: Whatever “it” is, flexibility will allow you do to “it” more efficiently.  This ensures your body can operate through a full range of motion.  Flexibility is the product of proximal stability and distal mobility. 20 minutes of static stretching following cardio gets great results.  (Note: I do believe in stretching before cardio, but only enough to warm up.  In transitioning to resistance training, it’s best to minimize the stretch and allow for greater load on weights).

3.  Resistance is Necessary: Strength or resistance training is important to ensure efficient ADL, or Activities of Daily Living.  As we age, our bones become more brittle which is why you hear about older adults who fall, break their hips and, in some cases, pass away from their injuries.  At any age resistance training is a must.  It mitigates bone loss and builds muscle at the same time.  30-45 minutes per session.   

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Your workout could also include group classes that are created for seniors including Zumba, yoga, swimming, or outdoor classes. There are even gyms for people who are 40 and over only. The more you like the exercise you do, the more likely you are to stick with it.

Conclusion

You are not expected to walk in the gym and perform exercise like a seasoned athlete; you just need to get moving. It does not have to be painful or stressful. Everyone has a beginning point from which they build. You will be impressed with how quickly you notice changes in how you feel and how those changes impact your daily life.  Exercise can really help make your golden years golden.