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OVER 60 – AND OVERLOOKED?
ASSESSING & TRAINING
A GROWING MARKET
Training older adults needn’t be about what
they can’t do, but instead what they can do
to not only maintain, but improve their quality
of life, says personal trainer Kate DeMayo.
n recent years, study after study
has shown decisively how
important exercise is for older
adults. We now know that exercise lowers
the likelihood of developing a range of
chronic conditions, including cancer and
diabetes; improves memory and cognitive
functioning; reduces the incidence of falls;
and combats osteoporosis by improving the
health of bones. And that’s just the start.
We know a lot about why older people should
exercise – but do many of us who work as
I
trainers and instructors feel confident in knowing how? Faced with
clients aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s, do we understand the kinds
of exercise regimes that will maximise their chances of maintaining,
even improving, their quality of life?
What not to do?
When I studied to be a personal trainer over 15 years ago, much
of the conventional wisdom on older adults stressed what not to
do with them. No deep squats, because that might aggravate knee
arthritis. No twisting, bending or high impact. And no lunging (never
mind that half of my clients play lawn bowls, which involves repeated
movements that look an awful lot like lunges…).
More recently, an article in Readers Digest on ‘14 exercises to never
do after the age of 50’ drew criticism from numerous exercise and
health professionals, especially physiotherapists, for its age-based
assumptions and overly cautious advice based on chronological
age. The article title was subsequently changed to ‘14 exercises to
modify after the age of 50’.
There seems to be plenty of cautionary advice on what to avoid, and
NETWORK SUMMER 2018 | 61