Every time I walk into the fitness center at Golden West Manor (in Boulder), I am greeted with a smiling face known as Don Shields. Don is 86 years old and has a complex medical history. In spite of this, he is quick to greet you with a positive attitude and a story about the water jug in the corner. The jug weighs 40 lbs, the equivalent to how much Don has lost since he joined the Supervised Exercise Program, in the Golden West fitness center, a year ago.
“John Barclay (MBF exercise physiologist) turned my life around. He taught me how to go from being obese to becoming fit.” Don, or Dr. Don as some call him, is proud of his success, as he should be. “John also taught me to shove half the food to the other side of my plate.”
Don maintains the motto: make the best of what you have and deal with the setbacks with a positive attitude. Don’s physiologist considers, and monitors, his health obstacles when designing a workout program. Most physiologists believe that exercise can help many medically-complex issues, even those like Don’s.
You can find success too!
Regular exercise yields many benefits, regardless of age. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have jointly published exercise recommendations for older adults. These recommendations are specific in four areas: aerobic (cardiovascular) conditioning, muscle strengthening, flexibility and balance.
ACSM/AHA recommends older adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week, or some combination of moderate and vigorous intensity exercise.
Sound impossible? It’s not!
The most important message is to keep active. Reducing sedentary behavior at any age will help prevent/treat chronic disease and help maintain your functional capacity to keep you living independently longer. The best exercises are those that are low impact. Walking is a good choice, as well as aquatic exercises and stationary bicycle exercise.
Changing your behavior can take effort to begin with, but it does become increasingly automatic and therefore easier over time. Here are some guidelines for developing healthy exercise habits (Be sure to obtain clearance from you primary care physician before you begin a workout program):
· Don’t try to change too much at once. Set your focus on one or two small new habits at a time.
· Develop goals: Be specific; make sure you measure progress and success; choose goals that are achievable and realistic.
· Focus daily on why you are trying to change.
· Schedule time for your new habits.
· Create an accountability system. Keep a diary, use a smart phone app, get a training buddy, or be accountable to an exercise physiologist, trainer, dietitian, doctor or friend.
· Build in positive reinforcement through reminder tools: such as visual cues like photographs or talking to others about your goals.
· Monitor your progress.
Finally, take it easy on yourself. If at first you are unsuccessful start again. Remember that starting a new habit can be a lot of effort yet once you begin to form a habit, even if you lapse, it will be easier to restart because healthy patterns will begin to remerge and be established.
Article submitted by MBF Marketing Director Adrienne Rosel, with contributions from Exercise Physiologist Greg Cooper and other MBF staff. (MBF) Medically-Based Fitness is located in both Boulder and Longmont. For further questions/comments/inquiries please call 303-447-2873 or email arosel@medfit.net
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