Senior Fitness – Solid To The Core

March 10, 2023

Fall Prevention in Seniors

I am a senior. I am a full-time caregiver to my spouse, Deborah. We have been together for 40 years. We live in the St Petersburg, Florida area, and we love it here. My intention to care for her and keep her physically active is not without its daily challenges. One of my greatest fears is that she will experience a nasty fall. She has fallen several times in the last five years, and thankfully her counter-reaction time enabled her to help break the falls. Her older sister was not as lucky. I know that the balance training we practice together is a critical factor in improving and maintaining her proprioception.

Helping Deborah maintain her physical well-being and coordinated neuromuscular fitness was my driving force in becoming a Senior Strength & Fitness specialist.

According to the CDC, every second of every day, a person 65 or older falls. Every second of every day, an older adult (age 65+) suffers a fall in the U.S.—making falls the leading cause of injury and injury death in this age group. One out of four older adults will fall each year in the United States, making falls a public health concern, particularly among the aging population.

Facts About Older Adult Falls

About 36 million falls are reported among older adults yearly—resulting in more than 32,000 deaths.
Each year, about 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for a fall injury.
One out of every five falls causes an injury, such as broken bones or a head injury.
Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling—usually by falling sideways.
Women fall more often than men and account for three-quarters of all hip fractures.

However, most adult falls are largely preventable.

Known effective strategies for reducing the number of older adult falls include a multifactorial clinical approach (e.g., gait and balance assessment, strength and balance exercises, and medication review).

It is my intention to write and be an advocate for senior Health & Fitness and motivate you to improve your overall fitness, balance & active lifestyle choices. For me, it’s personal.

March 9, 2023

Study reveals how exercise turns back the clock in aging muscles (Senior Fitness & Health)

A new study investigates how exercise can help rejuvenate aging muscles.

Doctors call physical exercise a “polypill” because it can prevent and treat many of the chronic diseases that are associated with aging.
A new study of muscle fibers from mice and humans shows how exercise affects gene expression.
The exercise-induced changes “reprogram” the epigenetic expression of the fibers to a more youthful state.

Research shows that people who exercise regularly not only strengthen their muscles but also improve their overall health, regardless of how late in life they start.

For example, recent studies have found that exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, in older people.

Conversely, reductions in muscle mass and strength are associated with lower quality of life and higher mortality from all causes.

As a result of its proven ability to prevent and treat several chronic diseases at low cost, doctors have called exercise a drug-free “polypill” that can benefit nearly everyone.

“Exercise is the most powerful drug we have,” says Dr. Kevin Murach, assistant professor at the Exercise Science Research Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.

He believes that exercise should be considered a health-enhancing, potentially life-extending treatment, alongside medications and a healthy diet.

Scientists hope that a better understanding of how exercise rejuvenates aged muscle at a molecular level will provide clues for future anti-aging therapies.

“For individuals over 70, I highly recommend low-impact, full-body workouts with a focus on lower body and core,”

“Resistance training is not only suitable but highly recommended for those in their 70s and beyond,” he said.

“The key is starting slow and progressing slowly with consistency,”

“Walking is an activity that I recommend, along with resistance and mobility training,”

I recommend strength training at least two days a week and mobility training, including stretching, every day.

I teach “Fit For Life Classes” three days per week at the Suncoast YMCA, Clearwater, FL.

January 19, 2022March 21, 2023

“Your Thoughts and your Body Weight” Part 2 of 3

As older adults, we have experienced the ups and downs that life brings. With that experience, we have acquired “attachments” to certain ideas. These become reinforcing beliefs as we stay in our “comfort zone.” For instance, many of us have tried all sorts of ways to manage our body weight, and all through these different “diet plans, we may have lost the desired weight only to put it back on again, and in many cases, even more than we lost! The story or beliefs we now have, based on these failed experiences, is that we can’t lose weight.

So, how do we overcome these mental attachments?

Here is my story.

About eight years ago, my daughter, her husband, and my spouse and I went out to get a bite to eat. It was Christmas time here in Florida, and my weight issue was simple. While I was standing, my daughter took a side shot picture of me. My belly was hanging over my belt line. Everyone had a good laugh when I gave a shout out to my new “beer belly” which really wasn’t that new. The very next day that picture shot through me to my core. For quite a while, I held a story; my story, that the extra 30 lb I had gained over a period of 10 years couldn’t helped. I didn’t have the time to work it off. As a full-time caregiver to my spouse, it was just the way it was and is. As a matter of fact, I had all sorts of attachments to being a full-time caregiver. ” Ican’tt do what I want when I want. I couldn’t do this, and I couldn’t do that.” On top of that, I also held a story about myself that I was always in trouble. Particularly in making ends meet. and this was what was really bothering me.

We all have these thoughts and beliefs about ourselves. And you know what? They may be our reality, but they are not reality. They are the product of my “False and Failed intentions.”

Intention- “Intentions are mental states in which the agent (me) commits myself to a course of action.” Now, this goes on all the time in my head, and when I don’t follow through, it is absolutely a “false intention.” In other words, I lied to myself, which also means that I was not “impeccable with my word” to myself.

“Breaking the lying to myself habit.”

How did I break this vicious cycle of lying to myself about my weight? I called a close friend and shared with him the fact that I was decieving myself about having this “Intention of losing the weight.”I wasn’t taking the actions I visualized. By sharing this and being vulnerable about my weakness, I could now be accountable to him. I committed to him that I would start by taking two steps toward my goal of losing 25 pounds. I am going to ride my bike three times per week for a minimum of 45 minutes and cut down on the bread intake. And we agreed that I would speak with him next week to confirm that I had taken the action of my intent.

Within two weeks, I had dropped 1.5 pounds. Sure, it was only 1.5 pounds, but after a month, it was three! I now had momentum and a new healthy habit. Getting on the bike was now actually joyful! I admit cutting way down on the bread wasn’t actually delightful, but I still had my peanut butter on toast, but one slice was enough. It became a real treat! So did eating more vegetables. I improved my diet, and also Deb’s (my spouse) because I do all the cooking as a full-time caregiver.

As I gained more confidence and momentum over the next 14 months, I went from 200 pounds to 175! The major factor in my success was threefold.

1.) I reached out and shared my problem authentically and vulnerably with someone I could trust to be straight with me.

2.) I visualized myself as a fit personal trainer. (This was a longer-term goal)

3.) My commitments ( the actions of my intention) were accountable to another human being.

The major takeaway to this post is that I could not lose the weight all by myself. I needed encouragement from a trusted friend and/or professional coach who understood.

Today, I am full of gratitude for so many things.. particularly for my friends, my coaches, and family. And I try everyday to hold this intention… “To be grateful “

So “Carpe Diem!”