SANE AND STRONG
In the era of coronavirus, how do you stay fit, healthy?
For many senior citizens, especially in light of the coronavirus, the challenge of keeping up their muscle tone and body strength often proves to be a heavy lift.
These days, however, walking, hiking, stretching and even moderate running to improve cardiovascular health might be embraced with less trepidation than the thought of almost anything related to weightlifting such as pushing, pulling, rowing and lifting. The concerns are:
• Will I hurt myself?
• How many repetitions, sets and loads do I perform before soreness and serious pain set in?
• What’s my progression? How do I monitor stability and success?
• What can possibly make this type of exercise enjoyable?
In spite of questions and worries, all sorts of experts — doctors, scientific researchers and front-line fitness trainers often quoted in mass media health magazines — are touting the benefits of weightlifting as the most effective treatment to prevent slowdown or partially reverse age-related muscle loss.
Remain mobile
A one-size program doesn’t fit all, experts admit, but taking steps toward strength training, from the simplest to most complex program, can lead to better body balance, flexibility, extension and rotation, allowing seniors to remain mobile longer. And that’s the goal.
He was actively going to the gym before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Before the lockdown, he was in “an individualized weight and exercise program for three times a week, and I’ve really picked up a lot of strength in my upper body and knees,” said David Baird, 69, of Spring Township, who attends Alliance Fitness Center, Spring Township.
Four years ago, Baird, a retired cable lineman and contractor, had an operation to implant four heart stents. He also is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Baird said when he was in his mid-40s he started to become too sedentary. It got to a point where he couldn’t walk too far without becoming winded.
“I’ve improved greatly with this personalized exercise program, which includes time on weight and rowing machines and regular monitoring,” he said.
Baird said he had joined another gym before coming to Alliance, but felt uncomfortable and more intimidated by younger and fitter clients there.
Recently, Baird a member of his church group saw him and said: “It looks like you are standing up straighter.”
Baird believes strength training “is the best thing I’ve done for myself,” he said.
“When I started this fitness center almost 30 years ago, we used to be called the geriatric gym,” said Sarah Small, 62, of Sinking Spring, Alliance owner and a certified strength and conditioning specialist specializing in muscle activation techniques.
“We started our demographic with the highrisk population, and many of our clients are 55 and older,” she said. “Many come in for a functional range assessment to focus on strength training.
“In recent years, I’ve seen more doctors referring patients (those with joint replacements or osteoporosis) and more people wanting to become pro-active so they can continue to do functional daily tasks.
“In the past, we were preaching to the choir, but I think interest is broadening,” she said.
When people find they can’t lift a coffee can from a shelf or a gallon of water without struggling or having a limited range of body motion and low energy, they often seek guidance in strength training, she said.
“A strong person is tough to kill,” said Colin McGee, 26, of West Reading, director of fitness at Alliance.
“People are often fearful of what they don’t understand, and that applies to weight training,” McGee said. “It’s simply about adding the appropriate resistance for you and finding the right starting point.
“Of course, all good things take time and effort.”
McGee pinpointed three challenges in working with first-time older clients:
• First, finding the best life balance between weight training and other aspects of a senior’s life. The goal is to strive for some daily consistency.
• Second, after several months of working oneon-one with a client, the