Exercise is a dirty word that often turns the elderly into couch potatoes, and there appears to be plenty out there. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 60 percent of older adults are inactive. Fear of exercise can keep seniors with arthritis and other aches and pains from leading the active lifestyles they may have enjoyed in their younger years. However, mention activities such as a lively conversation, a good television program, a trip to the senior center and a brisk walk on a nice day, and your elderly loved one is likely to perk right up.Incorporating movements into those popular senior pastimes, oftentimes with the assistance of a family or professional caregiver or companion, is one way to keep seniors young and vital well into their elderly years, said Colin Milner, founder of the world’s largest senior fitness association, and Kathryn Curry from Home Instead Senior Care.”People think you have to exercise for hours to achieve any benefits, but that’s just not true,” said Milner, the founder and chief executive officer of the International Council on Active Aging, a Vancouver, B.C., company with 4,000 primarily U.S.-member companies, including senior-friendly fitness facilities and senior-care facilities that are committed to wellness. “But to stay independent and enjoy the quality of life that we all want as we age, we need to do some activity. Because if we don’t, our muscles will atrophy and our bodies will deteriorate sooner,” he said.”Seniors’ health issues often are not with aging, but rather with disuse. The main benefit of activity for people who are aging is actually reversing the impact that disuse has on their bodies. And that can be like a fountain of youth.”There’s plenty of evidence that seniors do enjoy being active. Recently, Home Instead Senior Care’s 26,000 CAREGivers ranked the activities their senior clients enjoy most. Among the top 10 activities were walking and social functions, such as those at churches and senior centers.”Even though seniors often have interests in various activities, a little encouragement from a caregiver can be a great motivator for older adults who may be reluctant to get involved,” said Curry, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office that serves the Colorado Springs, Monument and Woodland Park areas. “Companionship is just what many seniors need to get up and active again.”Here are some practical ways for seniors to incorporate activity into their lives. “For the true TV couch potatoes who use two remotes, suggest they stand up, move around and walk in place whenever a commercial comes on,” Milner said. “That’s a start. Recommend they walk to the store or park in the back of the parking lot, and walk to the corner to drop the mail in the mailbox rather than hand it to the mailman when he comes to the door. Remind them they can read a book on a stationary bicycle or, better yet, organize a book club and talk about what they’ve read on a walk around the neighborhood. There are a lot of basic ways to build activity into the day.”Fitness centers are also a good option, but the kind of facilities that feature blaring music and predominantly young bodies working out can be intimidating for seniors, Milner said. That’s why his organization has established an age-friendly fitness locator on the Web site at www.icaa.cc, where the elderly or a caregiver can click on a state and city and find a facility that has met strict age-friendly criteria.Milner said seniors also could learn about the value of strength training from a facility. “According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 11 percent of seniors actually do strength training,” Milner said. “And loss of strength is the No. 1 reason why most people are admitted to a skilled nursing facility.””Seniors don’t even really need equipment. There are some programs that explain how you can do strength exercises with soup cans,” he said. Look for information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov, which has a program called “Growing Stronger Longer” that features information about strength training and other activities for seniors.Another resource is Home Instead Senior Care, which recently published a “CAREGiver Activity Training Guide” for professional CAREGivers across North America. This new training tool is full of leisure, recreation and hobby ideas to help CAREGivers enhance their time with their clients. “This guide features dozens of popular senior activities for all seasons,” Curry said. “It focuses on the importance of knowing clients’ interests and pastimes, how to introduce activities to clients and ways to easily modify them to meet clients’ abilities.””If you think about it, our bodies were built to move,” Milner said. “Not moving is the unnatural thing. And that’s true at any age.”10 signs your senior is becoming a couch potato – and what to do about it1. She doesn’t go out anymore. Recommend a doctor’s physical. If she’s healthy, help her reconnect with old friends or make new ones at a senior center or age friendly fitness facility.2. He’s watching television whenever you call. Plan a regimen of standing and walking exercises during commercials.3. She’s gaining weight. Suggest daily walks around the neighborhood or at the mall, if the weather is bad.4. He seems weak. Learn about the benefits of a strength program for seniors. Log on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site at www.cdc.gov and check out “Growing Stronger Longer.”5. She loses her balance. Ask a doctor to make sure there are no medical conditions or problems with medications that are causing her to fall. Then contact a local age friendly fitness facility (www.icaa.cc) or ask your doctor about exercises that could help.6. He complains about not sleeping well. Schedule a visit to the doctor to make sure nothing is wrong, then help him develop a plan that incorporates more activities into his day.7. She says she has no friends. Discuss with her hobbies she once enjoyed and might like to resume. Help her organize coffee or lunch with friends.8. He seems blue. Call your local senior center, area agency on aging or church or synagogue to learn what organizations are available in your community from which he might benefit.9. She’s listless and her mind is foggy. Encourage her to read more and even join a book club.10. He has problems taking care of his home. Consider hiring a professional caregiver to serve as a companion and provide assistance around the house. See the office locater at www.homeinstead.com to begin your search.Where you can go for more information about senior fitness and activities:
- To learn more about age friendly fitness centers: www.icaa.cc
- Where to go for strength training information: www.cdc.gov
- For information about senior activities: Contact your local Home Instead Senior Care office at (719) 534-0908.
- For more about senior exercise: Log on to www.niapublications.org/exercisevideo/index.asp
- To order the booklet, Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging
- To learn more about Colin Milner and his expert status: www.icaa.cc
