GROUP FITNESS
TRAINING THE INVISIBLE GENERATION
SMASHING STEREOTYPES OF MATURE FITNESS PART 2
In this second of a two-part series , Leigh Sherry and Lianne Tiemens explore the key areas to focus on in order to deliver effective and safe workouts for the increasing Mature Aged population .
L eigh Sherry is an accredited Exercise Physiologist based
in Sydney ’ s Northern Beaches , where she runs SmartLife ®
Health & Fitness . Leigh is also a group fitness instructor of more than 20 years . Leigh and I share an unstoppable drive and passion for fitness . The kind where we can push our clients and members to go further in life . We also both work closely with mature age participants . We recently sat down to discuss the image of mature fitness in the fitness industry .
In this second article of a two-part series on the need to shake up industry perceptions about fitness delivery to older adults , we discuss the key areas mature fitness trainers should focus on in order to deliver effective and safe workouts for the increasing mature aged population .
A RECAP OF PART 1
• Strength , stamina , and flexibility significantly decline after age 55 , but with appropriate training these declines can be reversed
• Despite consistently being listed as a leading fitness trend , many fitness professionals and businesses appear reluctant to embrace training programs for older adults
• Fitness training for mature adults also makes sense from a public health standpoint , as it increases health status and reduces government spend on health conditions
• Fitness professionals may be limiting their own business success by failing to cater to a market that has greater discretionary spending power than younger fitness consumers
How old is ‘ mature ’?
What exactly is ‘ mature age ’? I looked it up . It wasn ’ t straight forward . I soon came to the realisation that there is no global , standard classification for the term . Definitions vary from ‘ old age ’ to ‘ aged ’ and ‘ elderly ’ and the age at which one is considered to fall into the category ranges from 55 to 65 . Looking for a reliable source I browsed through the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) website . The WHO states that ‘ most developed world countries characterise old age starting at 60 years and above . 3 ” In Australia , however , the terms ‘ elderly ’ and ‘ aged ’ mean people aged over 65 years of age .
To further compound matters , when it comes to health , biological ageing is only loosely associated with a person ’ s age in years ; there ’ s no ‘ typical ’ older person . Some 80-year-olds have physical and mental capacities similar to many 20-year-olds . Other people ’ s physical and mental capacities decline at much younger ages . 3
Leigh puts these sometimes conflicting pieces of information into perspective : “ We are talking about people aged 60 and up who want to live well . Our aim is to train them as functionally as we can to increase the quality of their everyday life for as long as we can .”
In the context of our discussion , it is essential to make a distinction between general population mature age participants and mature age participants who require clinical guidance from an allied health professional . “ We are not aiming to train mature age participants who require clinical guidance , in a gym setting . Clinical exercise is very different , and – most importantly – out of scope for a personal trainer or group fitness instructor .”
This brings us to the first key area to focus on when considering training the mature age population : a referral network .
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