In addition to cardio and flexibility exercises, resistance training is essential in your older years. It keeps your muscles strong, increases your bone density, and reduces the symptoms of age-related health conditions, such as arthritis and osteoporosis. (See References 1) Resistance bands or cords are ideal to use for your workout; they're lightweight, affordable, portable, and promote your coordination. (See References 2) You can do the exercise while sitting down on a chair to avoid compromising your balance and stability.
Include Arm-Strengthening Exercises
Strong arms make it easier to carry items, and to push yourself up from a seated position. To work the front and back of your upper arms, perform biceps curls and triceps extensions. During biceps curls, you sit in a chair, and secure one end of the resistance cord under your foot, while you hold the other end in one hand. You then bend your elbow and bring your hand toward your shoulder, working against the resistance. Then slowly return to the starting point. During triceps extensions, you hold one end of the cord against your chest with your right hand. Your left hand holds the cord about 8 inches from your right hand. Extend your elbow, and pull forward on the cord, to engage your triceps. Perform up to 10 reps of each exercise with both arms. (See References 3, p. 102 and References 4, p. 77)
Perform Chest and Back Exercises
Seated chest presses and rows mainly work your chest and back, which can help improve your posture, and make it easier to get up from chairs or the toilet. For chest presses, wrap the middle of the band or cord around the back of a chair and grasp an end in each hand. The band should be at chest height. Then extend your elbows and press your ...
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Resistance Training For Special Populations; Ann Marie Swank [http://books.google.com/books?id=SRjnAB1EZcQC&pg=PA102&dq=resistance+band+elderly&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3EAQU9HTBM78oATb8YLYDA&ved=0CE8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=resistance%20band%20elderly&f=false]
Exercise and Wellness for Older Adults: Practical Programming Strategies; Kay A. Van Norman [http://books.google.com/books?id=YVFVCBjac1EC&pg=PA76&dq=Exercise+and+Wellness+for+Older+Adults:+resistance+bands+upper-and+lower+body+strength&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iQARU4r8PIHkoAS75ILoDQ&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Exercise%20and%20Wellness%20for%20Older%20Adults%3A%20resistance%20bands%20upper-and%20lower%20body%20strength&f=false]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Activity Do Older Adults Need? [http:
Barnes PM, Schoenborn CA. Physical activity among adults: United States, 2000. Advance data from vital and health statistic; no. 333. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistic. 2003.
The four progressive resistive exercises I chose are, Thera-band tubing shoulder flexion, Thera-band shoulder diagonal, Thera-band shoulder Extension, and Thera-band shoulder external rotation at 90 degrees.
...ll, B, Willett, W, Manson, J, Leitzmann, M, Stampfer, M, Hunter, D, & Colditz, G (2001), 'Physical activity and mortality: a prospective study among women', American Journal Of Public Health, 91, 4, pp. 578-583
Health monitoring allows you to discover and treat health problems early, before consequences. Many psychological disorders, cancers, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders can be prevented by monitoring health and incorporating physical activity and exercise; for example: depression, breast cancer, obesity, cardiomyopathy, emphysema, and osteoarthritis. There are primary benefits that can be received from engaging in exercise or physical activity. One of the main benefits is reducing the risk of premature death: “it is been estimated that people who were physically active for approximately 7 hours a week have a 30 to 40% lower risk of dying early than those who are active less than 30 minutes per week” (Kohl & Murray 2012). It's clear that research has found the importance of avoiding inactivity and that even a little physical activity is better than none at all; due to dose response relation between poor health and the amount of physical activity.
In America alone, only about 51% of Americans exercise 3 or more times a week, and 18% exercise only 1 to 2 times a week (Shy). 30% of American sadly doesn’t do any type of extracurricular activity or exercise at all (Blackburn). For the people who don’t exercise, try to because you can really only benefit from it. The one’s that already do know the health benefits for exercising. Aside from just exercising, one activity or activities you could do is weight lifting/strength training. Most people don’t think about this but strength training is actually a big key for exercise.
With the development of HEDIS measures, the emphasis on physical activity in older adults has taken on greater significance. Physical inactivity contributes to an estimated 27% of national healthcare costs, and older adults are more likely to develop chronic disease preventable by physical activity (Neidrick, Fick, & Loeb, 2012). Currently, less than 20% of older adults meet the activity recommendations set forth by the CDC, and over half are considered to lead a sedentary lifestyle (National Quality Measures Clearinghouse [NQMC], 2015; Neidrick, Fick, & Loeb, 2012).
Human aging is inevitable; it is characterized by a decline in skeletal muscle mass, alongside with decreased muscle strength (Van Roie, Delecluse, Coudyzer, Boonen, & Bautmans, 2013). Resistance exercise has been characterized as an effective treatment strategy to counteract the loss skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength (Leenders, M., Verdijk, L. B., van der Hoeven, L., van Kranenburg, J., Nilwik, R., & van Loon, L. J.) (2013).
According to the Department of Health and Human Services “adults should get at least two and a half hours (150 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity ("Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans-)”. Unfortunately, it is estimated that only about 20% of adults are actually exercising the recommended amount ("CBSNews"). This leaves the other 80% of adults at a disadvantage. Inactivity in adults yields even more increased risk than children. Adults who do not exercise and do not get the proper nutrients are more at risk for “high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer ("Why Is It Important? -")”. Unlike children, adults are more aware of these risks, however adults have more reasons to be deterred. The most common reasons adults don’t exercise or eat healthy are that they don’t have time, they feel uncomfortable with their current physical condition, they lack energy due to a poor diet, or they just haven’t developed a habit for exercising ("CBSNews"). The last reason reiterates the need for better physical education
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
This study suggests that fall risk prevention should include information on physical activity. This shows that Activity Theory is important on aging. The article suggested ways to help get older adults involved in physical activity such as; exercise programs focused only on older adults, practicing positive reinforcement, and teaching ways to overcome barriers in activity.
Regular physical activity is an important part of effective weight loss and weight maintenance. It also can help prevent several diseases and improve your overall health. It does not matter what type of physical activity you perform--sports, planned exercise, household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks--all are beneficial. Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. Based on these findings,
Shape your body by cutting fat and sculpting muscle. Enhance your performance by increasing strength and cardiovascular endurance. The physical training process has been deconstructed, examined, and reconstructed. Needless complexity has been simplified or removed. The resulting system is balanced, thorough, and efficient. Whether you are a complete novice, skilled intermediate, or seasoned expert: Consider this system to be an issued challenge. Take on this challenge. Use the programs. See the results. Feel the results. Achieve your ultimate potential.
The author has reviewed the previous studies on the barriers of regular physical activity in the community living older people (Jones and Nies 1996, Conn 1998, Heesch et al 2003, Lin et.al 2007). But the review shows that little study was done among older adults living in LTC about the barriers they face in their physical activity. The areas of nursing practices are to identify the barriers in older people that keep them away from their physical activity. Developing a plan of care and interventions depend on the individual problems.