When Connie Livingston started teaching adult exercise classes in the early 1970s, she recruited people to fill out student rosters. These days, classes are full and her personal training business is just this side of overbooked. She can’t even go to the grocery store without hearing requests for fitness advice.
“My job is made easier by all of the research that shows physical activity is positive for your health at any age,” said Livingston, 52, who runs her training business in La Grange. “People know physical activity can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. They hear it can help prevent bone loss and fractures.
“My schedule is booming because I specialize in developing programs for people as they grow older.”
“About 30 percent of our clients are 50-plus,” said Gregory Florez, president of First Fitness, a Chicago-based personal training business with clients in a half-dozen U.S. cities. “People these days feel it is a birthright to stay young and healthy. Exercise and diet are key strategies for reversing the aging process.”
Yet research shows about one-third of American adults are obese (more than 20 percent heavier than healthful weight), and the percentage increases in older age categories. There seems to be a gap between the motivated and motion-restricted.
“The all-or-nothing approach scares off a lot of people,” noted Livingston. “They are intimidated to even take a class.”
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine addressed the problem recently with guidelines about moderate exertion, specifically focused on an aging population that might be more accepting of physical activity such as raking leaves or walking the dog than more structured exercise regimens.
The guidelines call for moderate-intensity activities that burn about 200 calories per day most days of the week. Recommended possible activities include brisk walking, cycling for pleasure, playing golf with a pull cart, raking leaves and table tennis. Rather than 30 continuous minutes, as they recommended previously, experts are now saying a cumulative half-hour would be beneficial.
“People tend to think getting your exercise means going to health club to jump on a stationary bike or running four hard miles,” said Dr. John Principe, director of the Adult Medicine Center at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn. “But studies clearly show walking three to four times per week at a normal pace for 10 to 15 minutes each time can lower blood pressure by 5 to 15 points.”
Principe said lower blood pressure or reduced cholesterol readings are better goals than pounds lost. He explained how Americans’ obsession with weight blocks the path to wellness.
“People focus on numbers rather than achieving a sense of well-being,” he said. “Fitness should integrate the body with the mind and soul. The idea is to feel good rather than simply look better.”
Some suggestions from Principe: Don’t get on the scale more than once per week, using it simply to check progress rather than judge yourself. Pick physical activities you enjoy — gardening, golf, walking the mall — rather than selecting exercises for their fat-burning qualities. The best activity is the one you do regularly, he said.
If finding even 15 minutes for walking seems difficult in your hectic schedule, think about ways to make it seamless in the day’s events. You might take the stairs rather than the elevator or walk to your neighborhood place of worship. Parking at the far end of the store lot is another strategy.
For more experienced exercisers, Principe urged reducing wear and tear on joints, especially the knees.
“I have patients who want to continue running in their 50s, 60s and 70s,” he said. “I talk to them about getting rest days for the knees by participating in cross-training activities that don’t put weight on the joints. Swimming is a good alternative, even water aerobics will be gentler.”
Florez said his firm recommends regular stretching for older clients.
“Stretching increases the synovial fluid, which is sort of like motor oil for the joints,” said Florez. “Fifteen minutes of flexibility work each day can keep the A-level tennis player at the top of her game, or it can jump-start the newcomer into a state of fitness he hasn’t reached in decades.”
Florez said it is not uncommon for clients to remark they are in better shape at 55 or 60 than any time since college or high school. Some people are motivated by a heart scare, while others simply want to reconnect with their bodies. He said stretching is a common denominator for these rejuvenated folks. It allows them to pursue aerobic and strength-training activities without too many aches and pains.
“Core stretches for the lower back, hamstring muscles, hips, neck and shoulders are critical,” said Florez. “It allows you to accomplish even more healthful improvements in cardiovascular and muscular and bone fitness.”
Two simple stretch-holds from Florez:
1. Lie on your back on the floor with the left leg extended in front of you. Pull the right leg to the chest, then gently pull it to the left side of the body using the left arm. Keep both arms close to the floor. You should feel the stretch in your hips, lower back and hamstrings (back of the thigh). Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat on the other leg. Repeat on each leg three to five times.
2. Stand behind a chair with legs shoulder width apart. Scoot your feet backward until your waist naturally bends while the upper and lower body form a 90-degree angle. Your hands will be on the back of the chair and arms extended. Gently push the armpits toward the floor. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, which is enough time to achieve lasting changes in muscle elasticity, said Florez. Repeat three to five times. This stretch focuses on the muscles in the shoulders, chest, arms and lower back.
Research is extremely positive about weight training and older adults. Studies at Tufts University and the National Institute of Aging show even 80- and 90-year-olds can increase strength and mobility by lifting light weights or doing some sort of regular resistance work (with elastic bands and tubing or isometric exercises using your own body as the counterweight). Studies show strength training can inhibit bone loss, improve balance and reduce arthritis pain.
“Form is the key,” said Livingston. “I advise people to start with even one-pound dumbbells to follow proper technique. That’s how you get results. You shouldn’t move to a higher weight amount until you can do three sets of 12 repetitions without breaking form. The last few reps should be tough but not throw off the alignment.”
You don’t need a home gym or health-club membership to get started. Livingston said one 83-year-old female client uses a homemade barbell of a cane with ankle weights attached on each end. Dumbbells typically don’t cost much more than a dollar or two per pound.
Livingston said there will be good and bad days for clients working with weights, perhaps for the first time in their lives.
“You may have felt great last week, but this week you are getting less sleep or facing a lot of stress,” she explained. “The same weight somehow seems heavier and you get away from the right technique. I recommend going to a lower weight in that case.”
Of course, you can learn proper technique from a personal trainer or exercise instructor. (Don’t be afraid to ask about someone’s credentials; vague answers are a bad sign.) Some fitness videos are useful, notably weight-training tapes by Kathy Smith or Karen Voight. (Her “Great Weighted Workout” is highly recommended for all levels of fitness.)
In the last decade, Livingston has changed her own fitness habits, applying them to her clients over 40. She now does more “interval” work, alternating 10 minutes of aerobics with five minutes of stretching or strength training (depending on the day). Thirty to 45 minutes three to five times per week can be a solid contribution to health. But she advises clients to get enough sleep and not overdo it in any phase of life, including the walking track, dumbbell rack or stretch mat.
“I tell people to get a workout, not a `wearout,’ ” she said. “You don’t want to cross the line of where the risk of injury outweighs the benefits.”
SELF TEST ON FITNESS
Here are some questions to ask yourself about personal fitness. “Yes” means you are fit enough to enjoy an active life. “No” means there is room for improvement in your fitness routine.
Can you carry out daily tasks without fatigue and have enough energy to enjoy your leisure time?
Can you walk a mile or climb a few flights of stairs without becoming “winded” or feeling heaviness in the legs?
Can you talk to another person in conversation during moderate exercise, such as a brisk walk or light jog?
Do you go through most days feeling energetic rather than tired?
