Exercise Guide

I’m a missionary spreading the gospel of strength exercise
for older adults.

This article is a part of that gospel. You may think that only
body builders do squats, but they are the first exercise
anyone of any age should do as he or she begins an
exercise program. When you do a squat, you are
strengthening the thigh muscles (quadriceps) that you use
to get up out of a chair–I call them the muscles of
independence. Just doing a couple of sets of 8 repetitions
daily will increase your leg strength. Getting up off the couch
will be easier and you’ll be less likely to fall.

Here are your in-depth instructions for doing squats.
Stand with your feet hip width apart. If you are afraid of
falling, stand behind a heavy chair and hold on to the back
of
the chair. If there is a chance you may tip the chair over,
place some heavy weights on the seat. If you don’t need to
hold on, make sure you pull your stomach muscles in to
keep your back straight so it is not arched. If you don’t need
to hold on, hold your hands in a prayer position in front of
you.

In the strength classes I teach I say, “Stick your bottom out
behind. Pretend you are Donald Duck and waggle your tail.”
Then slowly lower your bottom as if you are going to sit.
Keep most of your weight back on your heels. Your upper
body should remain upright–do not bend at the waist. As
you lower your body, extend your hands out in front of you
until your arms are parallel with the floor. This will help keep
you from bending over.

Keep your knees over your toes. You can injure your knees if
you don’t. When you look down as you’re doing a squat, you
should always be able to see your toes. If you cannot, you’re
not doing the squat properly. If your knees hurt, try making
your bottom stick out further. This will keep your knees over
your feet. If they still hurt, don’t go down so far. If that doesn’t
work, do not do this exercise. If you can’t get the hang of it,
actually sit down slowly in a straight chair and watch to see
how you do it.

Lower your bottom very slowly down as far as you are
comfortable. Inhale as you go down Do not go beyond the
point at which your thighs are parallel with the floor. If your
leg muscles are very weak or if your knees begin to
complain, lower your body only a few inches. Check to be
sure your bottom is protruding out behind. The further you
stick out your bottom, the less your knees are likely to hurt.
You should take approximately four seconds for the
lowering phase.

Stand back up while you concentrate on tightening your
thigh muscles and making them do the work. Push up with
your thighs. Do not stand back up quickly; slower is better.
Exhale as you stand back up. Take about two seconds to lift
your body back up to its original position.

This is not a glamorous exercise. I tell class members that
they leave “lady-like” at the door. We are athletes while we
are working out.

Do eight repetitions of this exercise very slowly. It should
take about six seconds for each repetition and your legs
should feel tired when you finish. If they do not, you have
probably not been tightening the thigh muscles as you
stand back up; you’ve been letting your knees do much of
the work. As you begin to straighten your legs, tighten the
thighs and push. I find it often takes new exercisers several
weeks to really get the hang of this.

If your thighs are burning when you finish the set, you’re
getting the maximum benefit from the exercise. You may
want to shake out your legs if they feel very tired.
You will be amazed how doing this simple exercise
regularly will make it easier to climb stairs, arise from a
chair and get in and out of the car.
It will also improve your balance because your legs will
become strong enough to hold and support you securely as
you stand.

Tip: Make sure you do not bend at the waist so you are
looking at the floor. If you are not sure you are doing this
exercise correctly, get someone to watch you or exercise in
front of a mirror.

See your doctor before beginning an exercise program. If
any exercise causes pain, stop immediately. Modify the
exercise so it does not cause pain or find another exercise
to work the same body part. Any exercise program carries
risks of injury. Phyllis Rogers and/or Senior Fitness, Inc. are
not responsible for any injuries incurred during or after
doing the exercises described in this article.

Phyllis Rogers is certified as a Certified Fitness Trainer,
Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults and Longevity
Wellness Specialist. She is available for speeches and
workshops. Her e-mail address is
fitness9@mindspring.com or learn more at
http://www.StrongOver40.com

Her book “Over 40 & Gettin’ Stronger contains instructions
for a complete workout, including squats. She has just
released an audio CD which guides you through the
workout. To obtain the book/CD combination, send a check
for $25.95 plus $4 for shipping to Fitness Press, P O Box
4912, Marietta, GA 30061. Or visit http://www.StrongOver40.com

Share This

My Aunt Helen once said to me “Sooner or later ole Uncle
Arthur-Itis will get you.” She lived to be 99 years old, so
apparently Aunt Helen was able to hold Uncle Arthur at
bay.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common medical
conditions, affecting an estimated 15.8 million Americans.
Usually it is chronic and occurs when the cartilage erodes
that normally cushions the joint and protects it from impact.
As bone rubs against bone, a person will feel pain and have
difficulty moving the joint. Osteoarthritis can range from mild
to severe and age is a leading risk factor.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint pain and swelling,
limited flexibility, grinding sensation with joint motion, and
numbness or tingling in an extremity.

In Aunt Helen’s day, doctors usually told the arthritis sufferer
to rest the joints. But if she were here today, her doctor
would likely suggest exercise and/or drugs or dietary
supplements instead.

There are prescription drugs available that help many
people and your doctor may recommend one of them.
Sometimes he may have to try several in order to find one
that helps you without undesirable side effects.

Another new treatment is a series of hyaluronate injections.
This provides lubrication and nutrition to the joint; however
some studies have found no benefit.

Also available are dietary supplements that help with
arthritis pain. Studies suggest that glucosamine sulfate, an
over-the-counter supplement, may provide benefit for those
with osteoarthritis in the knees. Other non-prescription
supplements include chondroitin and MSM which are often
combined with glucosamine into one capsule. Another
option is SAM-E, a product available in health food stores,
which some people find to be of benefit. SAM-E also helps
combat depression and should not be taken with
prescription drugs for depression.

Recently interest has developed in the role of exercise for
arthritis. Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff, MD, MHS, a rheumatologist
and associate professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition
at Tufts University in Boston, says, “Often what happens with
someone who has arthritis is that a doctor says to go out
and walk in order to reduce the pain. So the patient tries it.
But in people with arthritis, the knee is the joint most
commonly afflicted, followed by the hip, so walking hurts
and that leads to a negative cycle. The person stops
exercising and gains weight because they’re not engaged in
any physical activity. The extra weight then puts even more
pressure on the joints and the pain feels even worse.”
Indeed for every pound you weigh, each step you take puts
up to 3 pounds of pressure across your knees and hips.
Every step you take down, as when you are descending a
staircase or stepping off a bus, puts up to 6 pounds of
pressure on your lower limb joints per pound of body
weight. Gain just 10 extra pounds and you’re facing as many
as 60 extra pounds of pressure on your knees every time
you step off a curb.

Dr Roubenoff, along with Miriam Nelson, PhD and
Kristin Baer, PhD, of Tufts designed a study to test whether
certain kinds of exercises not generally recommended for
people with arthritis would help them move about more
freely and without pain.

After just 4 months, the two dozen exercisers in the Tufts
study experienced a 43 percent reduction in pain, compared
with just 12 percent in a control group that did not do any
strength training. And physical function in the exercise group
improved by 44 percent overall–almost twice as much as in
the control group.

Why is it that strength training can free up a person with
arthritis in a way that aerobics alone cannot? How can
strength exercise help a person with knee or hip arthritis to
walk and get around better, when walking without strength
training first might only cause more pain and
immobility?

Dr Roubenoff says: Think how a car functions on a bumpy
road. It’s the role of the shock absorbers to take each bump
as it comes so that a jarring shock isn’t sent up to the
passengers. If the shocks fail, the car’s spring and axle
assembly absorb the jolt, but the passengers really feel it.
In your body the muscles are the shock absorbers. The
joints are the springs and axles. Thus the better shape the
muscles are in, the better they can take each shock as the
body hits the ground, sparing arthritic joints and thereby
sparing the person further pain.

Strength training directly targets the muscles and when they
are stronger, you can walk and get around better because
the joints affected by arthritis are relieved of much of their
shock bearing burden.

I can testify that strengthening leg muscles help relieve
arthritis pain because I constantly hear participants in my
strength exercise classes tell me how getting stronger has
helped relieve their arthritis pain in knees, hips and
shoulders.

Now you’re probably asking, “What exercises should I do?”
Squats are the exercise most recommended for arthritic
knees–they help strengthen the quadriceps, the muscles in
the front of the thighs. For instructions on doing them
properly to avoid injury, visit my web site:
www.StrongOver40.com. My book “Over 40 & Gettin’
Stronger” contains an easy to learn weight training workout
for the entire body.

While squats help most people, I find that one person out of
everiy 100 cannot do squats without pain–they should not
do them and should check with their doctor.

Phyllis Rogers is not liable for any injury incurred while
doing the exercises recommended in this article.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of “Over 40 &
Gettin’ Stronger” which contains an easy to learn strength
workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at
home. She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for
older adults Her book is available at Amazon.com and on
her web site http://www.StrongOver40.com She can be reached
at fitness9@mindspring.com and is available for speeches
and workshops.

Share This

I believe that we need to create a new attitude toward aging
in the United States. We do not do senior citizens a favor by
attempting to make life easier for them. Many of the health
and mobility problems experienced as we age are caused
from immobility and in our society we make it easy to be
immobile. The idea of taking it easy as we get older should
be discarded and replaced with a new outlook.
I spoke recently with a 30-year-old acquaintance and told
her that I taught resistance training classes for senior
citizens. She said, “Oh, that’s wonderful. You can have them
play games and pretend to be animals.” When I replied that
we did squats and shoulder presses just like she does at
the gym, her eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Why does our society assume that when we become
“senior citizens” we should be treated like children? Her
attitude is what’s wrong with the general public’s beliefs
about aging.

At a meeting recently I heard a representative of AARP
describe in glowing terms how AARP is helping seniors by
giving them items to make their lives easierequipment
like grab bars in the bathtub. I am not saying that this is a
bad idea. Grab bars in the bathtub are an excellent idea.
Probably all bathtubs should have them because seniors
have no monopoly on slipping in the tub.

But I have a problem dealing with the concept that we
should make life easier for senior citizens as they age. And I
am preaching to anyone who will listen that we need to
rethink our attitude toward aging.

In their book, Biomarkers, William J. Evans and Irwin
Rosenberg say, “when you arrive at age 55 or 60, it is not
time to put your feet up and take it easy for the rest of your
life. In truth, at no time during your lifetime is putting your feet
up and resting for extended periods of time a good idea.”
Dr. Walter M. Bortz II, who studied the deleterious effects of
bed rest, came to the conclusion that “at least a portion of
the changes that are commonly attributed to aging are, in
reality, caused by immobility. As such, they’re subject to
correction by mobilitymeaning activity and exercise.”

Not being able to take care of themselves is one of the
biggest fears of the elderly. I heard recently from a friend that
his 87-year-old mother had fallen while she was in her yard
alone. She was unable to get up and had to lie there for
several hours until someone came along to help her.

What if we didn’t encourage seniors to move to homes with
no stairs? What if there were more physical events
designed specifically for older people? What if there were
more strengthening classes available to help seniors
regain and retain strength and independence?

What if seniors in assisted living homes weren’t treated like
children and told to sit in chairs and exercise by placing their
hands on their heads and then on their shoulders and back
again? What if they were asked to exercise as do younger
peopleby lifting weights for upper body and doing squats
for lower body strength?

What ifinstead of building chairs that lift seniors to a
standing position they learn to exercise so their leg
muscles are strong enough to lift them onto their feet?
Why not work on keeping seniors strong as they age–so
they will remain independent and not need the aids that are
so accepted in our society? Why don’t we attempt to change
the mind set that has produced this problem?

The answer for most of us is that we don’t know any better.
We are not aware that we can choose to remain
independent as we age because we have been told all our
lives that we should take it easy as we grow older.

To illustrate how deeply embedded is the idea that we
should slow down as we get older, here are a few quotes
from a book published a few years ago about preparing for
being unable to live independently as you age.

“…Eliminate the need for strenuous physical exertion where
possible, especially the need to climb stairs”
“A dining table in the kitchen saves walking and reduces
fatigue.”
“meal preparation can also be tiring. Guarding
against overexertion requires attention to the following
guidelines:
“Reduce physical exertion: Keep bending, lifting, and
reaching to a minimum. Replace heavy iron cookware with
lighter weight pots and pans.”

This mind set enables seniors to progressively become
weaker as the muscles in their arms and legs atrophy. Why
not encourage seniors to climb stairs as long as they are
able? Why not suggest that lifting heavy pans can help keep
your arm muscles strong? Why not stress that being active
actually causes you to have more energynot the
opposite?

The truth is that the more you exercise, the more energy you
will have. Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s the
way our bodies were designed. I see it every day in the
senior strength classes I teach. Every student I have ever
had states that they have more energy when they work out
regularly.

Of course, some seniors have diseases such as
Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, and that is a different
story. They are truly not able to remain independent.
However, they should exercise as much as they are able.
Exercise can help delay the onset and progression of many
diseases.

My mother is 96 years old and still lives alone in her own
home. She’s an amazing lady who gets around without a
cane or walker. When I visit her, I find myself wanting to wait
on her, to go get items that she needs, and in general, to
take care of her so that she never needs to get up from her
chair.

This makes no sense at all. We need to give up
“enabling” seniors to become more and more dependent.
Tufts University in Boston has done much research into the
aging process. They have proven that even 90-year-olds can
become stronger just by doing resistance training. Muscles
do not forget how to be strong, they atrophy because they
are not used.

Over and over in my classes I watch people in their
seventies and eighties become stronger. I watch them
become more independent and self-sufficient. I see their
self-esteem increase as they begin to realize that they are
not doomed to a continuous spiral of becoming weaker and
weaker with every passing day.

Class participants tell me that they can get in and out of the
car easier, that going up stairs is easier, that the arthritis is
their knees is gone, that the creaky shoulder is without pain.
And most of all they tell me that they feel better and have
more energy. They work at exercising. They come to class
barely able to lift three-pound weights. In only a few weeks,
they move up to five pounds. Then they laugh at how three
pounds used to feel heavy. They move up to eight pound
weights for some of the exercises. They feel better about
themselves. I love hearing their stories about how strength
training has changed their lives.

Encourage your loved ones to remain independent, to get
up and move around their homes, to take care of
themselves. If you have a parent living with you, encourage
him or her to be self-sufficient. Don’t try to alter the living
space so they hardly need to move. Make sure they
understand that they need to be active.

If you are a health care provider, encourage your patients or
residents to do things for themselves, to walk, to participate
in exercise classes, to do anything that will cause them to
move and stretch. Investigate how strength exercise might
be included in the lives of those for whom you are
responsible.

If you are a senior, get moving and get lifting. Climb up and
down stairs, carry bags of groceries, work in the
gardenmake your body work. Get involved in a exercise
program or set up one of your own. Include walking,
stretching and strength training for a complete program. If
you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them.

Let’s all work to change our attitude toward aging. No longer
let us sit and rock while our muscles atrophy. We can work
together to help all of us learn how keep strong and
independent for as long as we live.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of “Over 40 &
Gettin’ Stronger” which contains an easy to learn strength
workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at
home. She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for
older adults Her web site is http://www.StrongOver40.com. She
can be reached at fitness9@mindspring.com.

Share This