Ken Baldwin – FAI Master Trainer
Did you know that 10,000 people are turning 65 everyday in the US Alone?
Here’s another interesting fact for you – in the 1900’s life expectancy was 49. Today women aged 65 have a 75% chance of living to 100. Men have a slightly less percentage. The average age life expectancy today is 77 for males and 78 for females.
So we are living longer and this creates some interesting challenges. How do we support life as we age and why are people living longer? Our health system in every country in the world is already overcrowded and on the brink of collapse due to unhealthy habits and lifestyle changes over decades that have led to a more sedentary way of life.
It’s time to do something about it!
All the research is showing that to combat Aging and slow down many of the factors that affect our decline in health, we have to move more, be active, and train our body and our mind better!
But are we as Fitness Professionals doing our Aging Population a dis-service? Strength training, functional exercise, and high intensity are tools that help increase our longevity. Yet why is that we are not getting results or providing adequate programming for our aging Population?
A simple answer to this question is that our trainers simply don’t know what and how to program for them because for the first time in history the Baby Boomers demographic is the fastest growing percentile of any age group, including the number of people on the planet being born. It’s never occurred like this before and no one is prepared to be able to look afterthem. Trainers who know how to work with the Baby Boomers are in high demand and are never out of work.
There are a lot of things that need to be considered for this population if you are looking
at training this demographic.
These are :
-
- Empathy and the ability to relate to “Their way of life”.
- Education. You have to understand what the Aging factors of life are, how they affect everything we do and how we can utilise this education to make positive changes to slow the Aging Process.
So here is a look at some of the things we need to take into consideration.
Muscle strength declines 30% from age 50 – 70, more dramatic losses after age 80.
(Starling et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999.)
Our aerobic reserves are slowly declining as we get older. If it declines enough then recreational and then daily activities are impaired. Now it becomes overly tiring to walk around the block, climb the stairs, go shopping or play with the grandkids. If aerobic capacity declines enough then a person crosses that all-important disability threshold and becomes dependent upon others.
Vo2 declines about 10% every decade after the age of 50, we lose about 5 -10 beats per decade which means that our cardiac output also declines 1% per year. This means less blood is pumped around the body, the ability to have oxygen supplies available when required is diminished. From here we don’t have as much capacity to generate power, move faster or change direction, or go up hills. We get tired more easily and can’t do the things we wanted to do. A slowed response can make the difference between a minor injury or a life-threatening incident.
Peak bone mass is reached at around 25 years of age and remains relatively stable until around the age of 50. After 50 progressive losses of bone mineral density occurs in both men and women. As bones lose their density they become weaker and the risk of fracture during normal insults increases.
In older populations broken bones are potentially lethal. Hip fractures are the number one cause of nursing home admission. Approximately 50% of those who suffer a hip fracture never fully regain their mobility and independence and 50% of those die within the first year. So a broken bone for an older adult is a very serious matter.
Women are three times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men.
The spine, hips and wrists are especially prone to fractures from falls, impact or excessive strain. In addition, excessive spinal flexion especially with resisted rotation should be eliminated from their program.
With the right education and programming on how to address these conditions you will have a far better income stream, more clients than you can service and the ability to really make a change in people’s lives.
The Functional Aging Specialist Certification is the only certification for Fitness Professionals that specifically addresses this population and the obstacles that they face in their quest for living a better stronger and more independent lifestyle.
If you are passionate about what you do and really want to make an impact and change people’s lives as well as leave a legacy behind, build your business with the inclusion of Education for Slowing the Aging Process.
Get certified with the Functional Aging Specialisation Certification.