50 plus! Personal
Training for older People
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Exercise for the over 50’s
has a great impact on health enabling individuals to
lead an independent and active lifestyle.
Older people
who are fitter and have less body fat may also have
a better outlook on life than their less active, less
lean counterparts.
Whilst we cannot stop the body ageing, Personal Training
can delay or prevent some physiological adaptations
which are associated to the mature adult and simultaneously
promote the significant health benefits to gain from
the specialized and tailored program. |
These benefits fall into four main areas, each explained
briefly below.
1. Cardiovascular and Aerobic Fitness
The Facts About Fitness:
- Maximal heart rate drops by 1 beat per year
- Stroke volume
(blood leaving the heart) decreases with age
- Cardiac Output
decreases by approximately 20-30% as we age
- Mobility and
elasticity of thoracic region decreases, affecting lung
function
How would a personal exercise program help?
Cardiovascular
programs cause dilation and multiplication of the capillaries
allowing
improved oxygenation and
flow of nutrients to the muscle – both heart and lung
efficiency is enhanced.
The Outcome
- Decreased risk of heart disease
- Decreased
risk of high blood pressure
- Lowers and controls
cholesterol levels
- Increased energy
- The Immune system is boosted
due to increased regulation of body wastes
2. Muscle
The Facts:
- 40% of muscle fibres are lost between the early adulthood
and 80yrs
- This loss increases over the age of 60yrs and
is accelerated further with inactivity
- The loss of fibres
is predominantly fats twitch fibres which results in
a decrease in strength and inability
to
move quickly
How would a personal exercise programs help?
Resistance programs can help reverse and prevent muscle
loss. The weight bearing activities promote the
regeneration of muscle fibres, increasing the cross sectional area
of muscle
fibres The Outcome
- This provides enhanced skeletal and joint support
and may reduce the number of potential falls in later
years
3. Bones
The Facts:
- There is a reduction in bone density with aging (low
bone mass and reduced bone strength resulting in fragility)
- Women
are particularly prone to Osteoporosis due
to decreasing levels of estrogen in post-menopausal
stages.
- Joint degeneration occurs commonly in the over 55
age group which due to bad posture and inactivity.
Osteoarthritis sets in and range of movement in impaired
How would a personal exercise program help?
Resistance programs and weight bearing exercise concentrated
around the legs abdomen and back, reduce the onset
of osteoporosis by improving strength and postural control.
Flexibility programs
maintain range of motion and stabilizer control. This promotes good posture
and
even load bearing across joint surfaces drastically reducing the potential
for joint degeneration. The Outcome
- Osteoporatic fractures and falls are prevented
- Osteoporosis
is prevented
- Decrease back pain
- Resistance arthritis
4. Body Fat and related diseases
The Facts:
- One in five people in the UK are clinically obese
- Exercise
and diet can actually prevent diabetes in nearly 60% of
those on the brink of getting the disease
- Exercising reduces
the likelihood of developing diabetes by 71%
How would a personal exercise program help?
- Exercise regulates the blood sugar levels in your
body
- Cardiovascular programs help to burn
excess calories in the body, reducing body fat levels.
- Resistance
programs create more muscle cells in the body which in
turn cause an increase
in metabolism
- After a thorough exercise program the body reaches
a state of EPOC (Excess Post Exercise
Oxygen Consumption) which is basically a bodily state where more oxygen is
being burned than prior to exercise
The Outcome:
- Type II Diabetes can be prevented or controlled
- Body
fat levels can be significantly reduced which in turn
have significant health benefits as well
as psychological well-being
- The risk of heart disease, strokes, angina, and hypertension
are reduced
Psychological benefits?
In addition to these four main areas, studies have shown that
those older people who are fitter also experience less tiredness,
less depression, less anger and less tension in the lives.
Therefore the benefits a personal trainer can help you achieve
are not just physiological but also psychological.
So why do I need a personal trainer?
Having looked at the facts, the remedies and the outcomes,
one might argue that you can read a book or magazine to get
the knowledge you need to exercise. That may be true, but
no book will ever take you as an individual into consideration
and mould your unique needs and aspirations.
Exercise selection is crucial when training at an older age.
Not only can your personal trainer give you this expert advice
but at the same time you can learn how to look after yourself,
achieve some personal goals you have set yourself, and more
importantly, maintain them.
Call us for further information or to book your free consultation on 020 8965 1224 or 07921 777477 or email info@bodylinestudios.co.uk
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