Lifeline Senior Fitness

Personal Trainer and Senior Fitness Specialist 

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AGEISM, WHAT IS IT? Devaluing Our Aging Population.

A Perspective For All Ages

Ageism is defined as a prejudice or discrimination regarding a person's age. For the purpose of this blog I am referring to older adults. Senior citizens in our country are referred to those being 65+ years old.

In a society that heavily praises those who are self-reliant and independent, it is easy to mistreat and devalue our elders who naturally lose this status as they grow old.

“Growing older is accompanied by changes in physical well-being, mental acuity, and the frequency and patterns of social interaction. The changes most experienced are usually losses--of one's physical health, of one's memory, of one's social role. These losses are not inevitable, but when they, do occur, they need not be experienced as negative.” (Balzers, Dan)

American people have shaped society to view growing old as a negative part of life. With heavy influence on anti-aging, anti-death, reverse aging, etc.. our society views seniors to be less valuable than all other ages.  If you do not understand this concept yet look around you! Constantly we are being told NOT TO GET OLD as if it comes with all negative “side effects” yet there is no actual way to prevent getting older.

The Grey Market refers to this hidden market that specifically serves older adults.  From the beauty products, to medical procedures, to technology, to social activities/events this market targets older adults. Most of these products and services are geared to the idea of “anti-aging” or “reverse-aging”.

In other cultures growing old is looked at from a perspective of attaining a higher status in life. The older population is considered to be a very important part of the family. They believe elders are the most spiritually connected, wise, and sometimes referred to as magical human beings.

We all are contributing too ageism and will be victims as we grow older.  If we continue to have this built in cultural mindset towards growing old, we will continue to have depressed, neglected, mistreated, unmotivated, unfulfilled seniors in our society. Age should be considered a blessing, we should respect those around us who have achieved this status. Here are some tips for people of any age to consider to prevent yourself or your loved ones from being degraded with age.

1. Maintain Self-Respect and Pride     treat your life as valuable

2. Accept your Age    getting older does not make you less of a person you were before

3. Adapt with Aging    discovery new hobbies and activities that fit your aging body and mind

4. A New Lifestyle is Acceptable    Getting out of your routine is fine! Your body naturally goes through changes       as you get older, you will have to make a new routine

5.  Maintain Self and Social Esteem       Is everything you experienced and accomplished your whole life now       meaningless?? Reminisce on the past, while understanding your new roles are just as significant. 

6. Count your Blessings     although change can be difficult, maintaining an optimistic mindset is key

“The signs of old age therefore are not symbolic of physical and mental decline but rather signal the beginning of a new life task.” (Blazer’s Dan)

BY: lifelineseniorfitness.com

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Suffering from Limited Opportunities for Social Interactions?

Are you feeling like you can not participate in regular social interactions because there is a lack of opportunities to do so?  Due to current circumstance with COVID-19 social distancing for the elder population is highly encouraged and important.  Learning and adapting to these changes plays a significant role on your overall quality of life.

 You can LEARN how to adapt to this “new normal”.

  Many social interactions take place virtually. You can learn to participate in these events! Technology may seem too complex and unfamiliar. The process of learning how to use these technologies is very routine. Once you have a smart phone or computer with a camera, I would suggest reaching out to someone you know who can set you up with a zoom profile (this is the most complicated part). Once you have that step complete the zoom meetings are very routine and simple! 

ZOOM EVENT IDEAS: Virtual Cocktail party Virtual board game/card games Virtual movie night Virtual arts/crafts party Virtual fitness workouts Virtual face to face conversation with friends or family

lifelineseniorfitness.com

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YOUR LACK OF FITNESS IS DECREASING YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

According to theory, any decreases in social interaction are explained best by poor health or disability. 

Are you feeling unable to participate in your usual routine which may include socializing?  This may be due to lack of confidence in your ability to keep up with the activities you love. Maintaining your health and fitness plays a big part of your everyday life. Look at your fitness goals from a functionality perspective. 

FOR EXAMPLE: “If I participate in fitness training 3 days a week for 45minutes, my overall physical fitness will improve, which leads to better overall confidence in my physical ability to participate in these social activities” 

Working on improving and maintaining functionality can be accomplished with resistance training, balance training, and coordination.  Staying physically fit involves working on these areas to help you feel stronger or more confident with the activities you love.

Think about what you really miss doing! IT’S NOT TOO LATE. There is always room for improvement when you set your mind to achieving a goal. 

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Why Seniors Should Hire a Personal Trainer

AUGUST 10, 2020

One way seniors can prevent falls is by training and practicing safe habits to maintain strength, balance, and coordination.  Working with a fitness professional can increase the skills necessary to maintain functionality and confidence with activities in everyday life.

Falls can turn out to be costly and quite an inconvenience for seniors.  One mistake may turn to a life changing experience.  Here is a list of some common outcomes caused by falls:

  Bone Fractures/Orthopedic Surgery

According to the CDC more than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways.

   Head Injury/ Brain Damage

According to the CDC falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries These can be very serious, especially if the person is taking certain medicines such as blood thinners.

   Fear of Falling AGAIN

Fear may cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. When a person is less active, they become weaker and this actually increases their chances of falling AGAIN.

 No longer can live independently due to setbacks from fall

Assisted living in Illinois and Indiana is estimated to cost estimated $3500-3900 or more A MONTH.

Hiring a senior fitness professional can prevent the chances of falling. The financial advantages to working with a trainer is one thing, more importantly the best quality of life may be achieved by practicing and training to prevent common mistakes caused by these detrimental falls.

Written by:    lifelineseniorfitness.com

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Seniors Staying Fit to Prevent Costly Falls

Seniors who maintain their fitness are less likely to experience a detrimental and costly fall. 30% of adults age 65+ will experience a fall yearly. The cost...  $50 billion A YEAR! Most of these incidence occur in seniors ages 85+ or older.

 The estimated damage a fall causes for an individual varies on the severity of the incident. One fall could put major limitations on an individual, setting back one from participating in activities they enjoy for good. 

One way seniors can prevent falls is by training and practicing safe habits to maintain strength, balance, and coordination. 

Written by:       lifelineseniorfitness.com

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5 Aspects to a Balanced Overall Well-being.

A balanced life is a happy life.  Maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle can be challenging during different times in a person life. It is easy to get caught up in certain aspects and neglect others. Well-being can be described as the state of being comfortable, happy, and healthy.  We must be aware of what aspects are stronger or weaker in your own personal life to achieve optimal wellness. As a fitness professional it becomes challenging to help someone achieve fitness related goals when other portions from the healthy lifestyle puzzle are missing.  Written below you can evaluate your own life and maybe fill in some missing pieces to your puzzle.

Here are 5 points I believe are key to a happy healthy life. 

1) Physical Health (of course my fav) Meaning take care of yourself! Engage in exercise normally followed by providing the proper nutrients and rest your body needs. Slumping around or burning the candle at both ends are two sides of the spectrum we need to avoid.  *Tips for this*   -Make physical activity part of your weekly schedule (specific days and time) -Plan out meals for the week  -Wind down at night to get sufficient amount of sleep 

2) Social The social aspect of life is one to evaluate as an individual.  To me this key point is vitally important.  This includes keeping good relations with family members along with creating good relationships with others. Sharing a portion of your life with someone else is just as rewarding to them as it is to you. *Tips for this* -Make plans weekly to attend some form of socializing -Make an effort to spend time with family members -Go slightly out of your comfort zone to try something new with others

3) Personal Here is one some tend to neglect without noticing right away.  Although many are busy with obligations outside of their own personal life it is necessary to keep in touch with oneself. Connect with your mental state of mind. Don’t forget to take care of yourself first! *Tips for this* - Take a solo adventure - Find specific day and time weekly for your favorite hobby (music,art,reading,cooking,shopping)

4) Spiritual Connect with your own personal beliefs. Whatever higher up that may be to you, it is important to BELIEVE in something. *Tips for this* - Meditate/attend a yoga class - Make time every day to pray or read up on spiritual text

5) Professional For the working population this point may be difficult to maintain balance and should be evaluated weekly. This aspect of well-being can be very rewarding but also very detrimental. Work is a major portion of many people’s lives. Although it is not meant to be easy this aspect should have some positive factors to contribute to your overall health. It would be ideal to find some sort of enjoyment in this part of your life!   *Tips for this* - Make achievable goals - Find positivity in or enjoy what you do - Take time off/make off days’ work related free

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Importance of Rest and Active Recovery

NO PAIN NO GAIN! Turns out a rest from the pain may benefit the gains.  For some hard workers it is difficult to understand this concept of rest/recovery day. Many fitness programs you will come across always have a rest/active recovery day for a scientific reason. This rest day worked in to the program does not mean you should disregard all the hard work and healthy eating you put in.  The rest day is meant to be replenishing.  If you find you are running yourself down more on “rest days” by eating bad foods, maybe staying up late, possible excessive alcohol consumption, or the complete opposite spectrum by taking your “active recovery” too far by doing activities that are overly aggressive you should reevaluate what decisions you make for these days of rest.

Our bodies can only withhold so much work and continue to make improvements in a given amount of time with no break.. From a physiological stand point you are allowing your muscles and nervous system to recuperate on rest days. To do this effectively you need to feed your body plenty of water and good nutrients on these days.  Also by participating in some type of low intensity physical activity such as taking a walk or doing a slow flow yoga class.  You don’t want to spend your “rest day” being a complete lazy butt..  Your nervous system needs to stay live so you are not sluggish when the next workload day comes around.

Here are 3 tips on how you could spend your rest/active recovery days.

1. DO NOT MAKE THIS YOUR “CHEAT DAY” Your body on this rest day is asking to be replenished. Continue your healthy eating and drink plenty of water on rest day.

2. Participate in light activity such as going for a walk or simple hike followed by intense stretching/foam rolling. Any low impact activity that keep the nervous system active works for this recovery day

3.  Get some sleep! Try to get a good night of rest or even take a short nap this day! Sleep is important too.

The rest day is a necessity for better overall gains. If you aren’t taking your rest day seriously this may be the difference between good and great. Personally I think everyone could benefit form 2 rest days/week one mid-week and the other a weekend day depending on how intense the workout load is per week and how many days your spend working out.  A rest day is part of the program and should be treated like a “work” day not a “lose everything your just gained day”.  If you are one that struggles with not getting a workout in for the day just treat this rest as a day to better your system for more improvements.  You may find yourself to feel better or more energetic which means getting more productive work done during the week.  

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Hate Cardio? Amp up your workout with HIIT

CARDIO VS HIIT

Steady cardio and HIIT are two different types of aerobic exercise.  Steady cardio could consist of the steady state running, cycling, elliptical, etc.. for 20+ minutes. If you find it difficult and boring to go run a few straight miles HIIT may be for you.   HIIT (high intensity interval training) is short burst of exercises for a given amount of time followed by rest period.

New studies show that a 30 min HIIT workout may be more effective over running steadily for 30 minutes when it comes to weight loss, lean muscle gain, and cardiovascular health.  Studies suggest that HIIT has a few factors over steady cardio that should be noted. First off HIIT training is time saving. An effective workout could get done in 20-30 minutes burning estimated 400+ calories each time if you get your heart rate up high enough (85%max+).  

Weight loss/fat burn

The high calorie burn during the workout itself is not all, the biggest factor with HIIT is the afterburn!  Once your workout is over, your body will continue burning calories as it cools down. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or the afterburn effect. The next 20+ hours your body will be using more energy to recover and rebuild the breakdown of lean muscle tissue. The strength exercises will release growth hormone to build more lean muscle mass which also results in greater fat burn. Training at high intensities for short burst of time is achievable for everyone with proper instruction.

Lean Muscle Gain

During the HIIT workout you are engaging in full body exercises that could involve some weights. Now you are not only working aerobically but also making strength improvements with the full body exercises chosen.  Steady state cardio such as running will become a very consistent repetitive movement. Your body will adapt and become familiar with this overtime. Improvements from a cardiovascular perspective will be seen here but less significant improvements in everything else. 

Cardiovascular Improvement

During a steady cardiovascular state your heart rate spends majority of the time between 60-80% of max. Although it is great endurance wise, the workload of HIIT is working the heart up to a higher level.  During a HIIT workout your heart rate may reach up to 85% of max or higher during each burst of exercise. This good stress you’re a putting on your heart is improving your overall cardiovascular health. 

NO LONGER HATE CARDIO DAY!

Strength exercises in intervals at a high intensity is a great combination for a quick challenging workout.  Although a good long run some days is favorable by some, many others struggle with working cardio.  If this is you stop dreading cardio day and try interval training!

 Below is an example of a 30 minute HIIT workout.

Warm-up 

2x 30 sec on: 10 sec rest 

1.     High Knees

2.     Butt Kicks

3.     Jumping Jacks

4.     Mt Climbers

 Round 1

3x 20 sec on : 10 sec rest : 30 second rest between each set

1.       Dumbbell squat to overhead press           -could use kettlebell or sandbag

2.       Inchworm with pushup          -walk hands out to pushup position          -complete pushup          -walk hands back up to standing

3.       Alternating Split Squats Jumps          -could add weight

4.       Resistance band Skiers          -Shoulder extensions          - place band around stable device          - with straight arms pull handles back behind hips

5.       Resistance Band Squats         -Step on band with feet         -pull handle up to front rack position         - complete squat  

Round 2 (kettlebell circuit)

3x40 sec on : 20 sec rest : 1 minute rest between each set

1.       KB sumo squat to high pull

2.       KB single arm row         -Start in staggered stance         -Row bell up to side (middle of torso)

3.       KB Swings

4.       KB pushups         -alternate hand on bell at 20 seconds

5.       KB alternating frwd lunges           -step forward to lunge         -push back on front leg back to standing

COOL DOWN 5 MIN 

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Look and Feel Better Right Now by Fixing Your Posture!

You have been told your whole life to “pull your shoulders back” or “stop slouching”.  This is a practice that could get you moving on the right path to a healthier life.  Posture is defined as the combined arrangement of all joint positions of your body at any given moment. It can be understood as an attitude or bearing you bring to the specific physical actions you take.  Good posture is distributing the force throughout the body to avoid over-stress on certain areas. When working out you are always told to complete exercises with “good posture” because all movements (running, jumping, lifting, etc..) are most efficiently and safely done in the proper positioning of the body.

Here are 3 reasons why posture is so important for your overall look and well-being:

1.     Physical Benefits & Appearance First and foremost good posture leads to healthy muscles, joints, and spinal alignment; all vital for everyday life and achieving fitness goals. Practicing to build a good postural alignment will help to reduce any tension in specific areas.  Balance is key! When your muscles can work more efficiently this will reduce the time to fatigue along with being less prone to stresses or injury. When it comes to physical appearance posture can be the ultimate game changer. Look at body builders/competitors, much of their practice and success comes from knowing how to pose themselves. We can relate this to modeling as well. Making this good posture naturally occurring could literally make you appear better looking or healthier- bigger or smaller, your choice :)

2.     Mental Health Improvements It is no argument that it is easy to judge a person based off bad posture. If you see someone sitting slouched over you automatically get that unapproachable/uninterested vibe. This bad positioning is related to being unhappy or tired; chances are you will feel this exact way if you catch yourself in this unintentional position.  Something as simple as this can change your whole mood along with how other people view you! Generally when you think of a confident, healthy happy looking person you picture someone with an upright tall stature. LOOK GOOD FEEL GOOD

3.     Physiological Considerations Think about breathing or regular bodily functions such as digestion. When you are fatigued it is natural to want to hunch over to catch your breath but it is ideal to allow yourself to complete each exercise “tall and proud” allow your lungs to open fully and take in that oxygen you need to recover. This is where practicing good posture in everyday life is essential because if you are not use to being in this upright position, breathing may actually seem harder due to muscle tightness. Good posture may also release any compression of the internal organs allowing your digestion to function how it normally should. Avoid constipation, acid reflux, etc..

Going throughout your daily living and exercise routines with better posture could bring you a few steps closer to that goal you are looking to achieve. Always make sure to complete exercise with proper form and technique. Here are a few examples of DAILY exercises to fix that posture up.

*p.s. I would highly recommend trying out yoga.

1.     Prone I,Y,Ts - add dbells (light) -lay on ground or incline bench

2.     Wall Shoulder Rotations -back flat against wall -chin tucked downward slightly(neutral pos.) -rotate up over head keeping arms on wall

3.    Shoulder and arm cirlces

4.     Seated pelvic tilts

5.     Spider lunges (high lunge) with rotation

6.     Chin tucks

7.      Camel Pose -or interlock fingers behind back and pull up and out

8.     Wall sits -add figure 4 stretch

9.     Bird/dogs and Deadbugs

10.  HIP FLEXOR STRETCHES

**very important if you sped majority of your day seated

EX: Forward lunge pose or quad pull back stretch (engage pelvic tilt to hit hip flexor)

11. Rows 

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Why You Really Should “Engage Your Core” in Exercise

When we are talking about the core most would relate that to being the abdominal muscles.  If you asked someone to think of a core exercise it is not uncommon that they automatically think you mean start doing crunches, sit-ups, bicycle etc...  These are examples of doing exercises that specially hit the abdominal muscles not THE CORE.

The term core can be defined as the central most important part of something. Turns out the core of the human body fits that definition respectively.  It consist of a complex series of muscles that includes everything other than the limbs.  It is responsible for all isometric and dynamic stabilization, transferring force efficiently, and initiating movement.

A strong core will accomplish 3 key things:

1.     Keep the human body in a stable upright state which will reduce pains (most common: lower back pain).  This also relates to better overall posture; which I will discuss the importance in my next blog!

2.     Decrease the risk of injury and achieve greater force production in movements by recruiting muscles to work together efficiently and effectively.  

3.     LOOK/FEEL BETTER AND STRONGER

When performing an exercises or daily activities it is crucial to be mindful of what your core is doing and what position you are in.  From sitting at your desk at work to completing an exercise; “engaging your core” is a real thing that keeps you stable.  Just think of standing up still for example, you do not want to be standing still with the weight of your upper extremities just stacked on your lower half. Strengthening this middle portion will not only result in possible waist size reduction but decrease level of harsh compression and possible pain. Once you get in the habit of really engaging your core you will become stronger and using your conditioned core for support will come naturally.  

If you don’t understand what this feels like you can practice by completing pelvic tilts lying flat on the ground or sitting in an upright position. 

When it comes to improving fitness related goals or becoming more confident in everyday movements, having a strong stable core is necessary. Start your training focusing on how the core is contributing to engage the muscles being used and achieve an overall greater force production. Look at the barbell bench press, this is an exercise that clearly uses the chest and arm muscles BUT it also requires use of back and LEGS! This press movement MUST be supported by a strong stable core.  Another great example is a barbell back squat, the force production of your leg muscles may be capable of more than what your core can handle if it is not conditioned properly. Even out of the gym you will need to efficiently use your core strength for the balance and stability required in everyday life.  One should go on with daily living confident that they are capable of taking on movement challenges that may occur. 

All said and done, if you begin to focus on how your core is contributing to each movement you may find positive results for that “small waist” or “leaner toned central area look” you are looking for. I highly encourage to focus on the use of your core area in every movement and come up with unstable circumstances in each exercise to improve your core strength even more.  Here are some core specific exercises to begin improving the general strength of your most important force and stability provider in your body!

·       Planks (prone and sides) -Challenge- Add leg lifts Unstable elbow placement(stability ball) Shoulder Taps

·       Glute Bridges (WITH PELVIC TILT) -Challenge- Single Leg Unstable foot placement (stability ball)

·       Chops -Medball -Resistance band -Cable

·       Superman’s/Back Extensions -Challenge- Use unstable surface (stability ball) Add weight

·       Downward Dog -Challenge- Single leg lifts to knee tuck in

·       Deadbugs -Challenge- Add ankle weights Perform on unstable surface (foam roller)

·       Bird/Dogs -Challenge- Add ankle weights on Perform on stability ball

·       Ab Roll Outs -Stability ball -Barbell on ground

·       Mountain Climbers -Challenge- Spider Lunges

·       Reverse Lunge with Rotation -Sandbag -Med ball -Plate/dumbbell

KB