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Benefits of
the SrFit™ Program
| We all understand that exercise is
beneficial to aging adults. Even a slight increase in muscle strength
can improve quality of life and stave off the frailty that used to be
considered a normal part of getting old. And while strength training is
not the only type of exercise important for older adults, it should be
obvious that the frailer a person becomes, the greater the importance
of strength training. |
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SrFit shows
you the best ways to develop (or redevelop) physical fitness in older
adults. We understand how to apply physical training in the best ways
to match the physiology of aging and its often subsequent chronic
diseases, and will teach you to do the same.
In an article
by Wayne Westcott, PhD, published in the October 1995 issue of American
Fitness Quarterly, twelve health and fitness benefits were outlined
that result from strength training by older adults. Strength training
helps diminish muscle loss, avoid a reduction in metabolic rate,
increase muscle mass, increase metabolic rate, reduce body fat,
increase bone mineral density, increase glucose metabolism, increase
gastrointestinal transit, reduce resting blood pressure, improve blood
lipid levels, reduce low back pain, and reduce arthritic pain.
Although the
benefits of strength training have been discussed exclusively to this
point, older inactive adults also lose ground in three other areas that
are important for healthy independence: endurance, balance, and
flexibility. Endurance training can maintain and improve cardiovascular
function and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes,
colon cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Furthermore, it can reduce
overall death and hospital rates. Balance and flexibility exercises can
independently help prevent falls, while flexibility training helps keep
the body limber since it stretches the muscles and tissues that hold
the body’s structure in place.
Remember,
regular exercise helps - not hurts - most older adults. Older people
become sick or disabled more often from not exercising than from
exercising. Regardless of age or condition, almost all older adults can
safely improve their health and independence through exercise and
physical activity. But it’s important to know how to
individualize a training regimen that fits the physiological
capabilities of the older person. SrFit provides that insight.
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