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You're
Never Too Old...
(HealthScout)
-- Hey, all you seniors out there -- instead of thinking you're
over the hill, why not walk, cycle or jog up it.
That's the
message being pumped up for the eighth annual National Senior
Health and Fitness Day on May 30. More than 150,000 older adults
are expected to participate at about 1,500 locations across the
United States.
"This is the
nation's largest older adult health-and-fitness event," says Gary
Ford, a director at the Mature Market Resource Center, which organizes
National Senior Health and Fitness Day.
"It's a day
to celebrate or recognize the importance of regular physical activity
for older adults," Ford says.
Events will
be held at senior centers, retirement communities, health departments,
hospitals, park and recreation departments, health clubs, and
other community locations. Programs and activities will include
walks, low-impact exercises like Tai Chi, health fairs, and exercise
demonstrations.
It's vital
to encourage seniors to be active and to inform them about the
benefits of exercise, Ford says. "As you get older, staying physically
active is critical for good health," he says.
Ford notes
the 1996 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and
Health that says older adults can obtain significant health benefits
with a moderate amount of physical exercise. There are many studies
that say the same thing, he adds.
And that doesn't
mean you have to hop on a bicycle and pretend you're Tour de France
winner Lance Armstrong. Walking is a great exercise that's cheap
and easy for older adults, Ford says.
"One of the
things that goes on during the Senior Health Fitness Day is to
show people who haven't been active that there are lots of different
choices in terms of exercise and physical activity," Ford says.
There are
several elements to physical activity that benefit seniors, says
Margaret Hawkins, senior program coordinator in health for the
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation.
Regular aerobic
activity improves your heart, lungs and circulation and helps
reduce the onset of some diseases, while muscle strength and endurance
exercises help older adults continue to do the things they did
earlier in their lives. Balance exercises help prevent potentially
disabling falls. And stretching keeps muscles and joints flexible,
enabling freedom of movement and range of motion, Hawkins says.
Exercise provides
other rewards also.
"We've learned
from focus groups that we've conducted just recently that people
have a sense of well-being when they're physically active, that
sleep is improved, that they feel good about themselves, that
they feel less stress," Hawkins says.
While many
seniors recognize the benefits of exercise and physical activity,
it's a challenge to motivate them to do it or make them think
of it as a priority, Hawkins says.
"It doesn't
have to be one chunk of time; there are health benefits to doing
physical activity in 10- or 15-minute increments. So a little
bit in the morning, a little bit at lunchtime, a little bit at
the end of the day, can still have health benefits. They don't
have to do 35 to 40 minutes all at once," she says.
"If [exercise]
was a pill that people could take, the health of our older population
would be quite different," Hawkins says.
What To
Do
Consider these
facts from the National Institute on Aging:
- Lack of
physical exercise and poor diet are among the leading causes
of death for older Americans.
- Staying
physically active on a regular basis can help prevent or delay
certain diseases, such as some types of cancer, heart disease
or diabetes.
- Regular
exercise can improve mood and relieve depression.
For more information
about the benefits of exercise for older adults and how to do
it effectively and safely, go to the
AARP Wellness Center, the
National Institute on Aging, or the
American Senior Fitness Association.
Reference
Source 101
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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