Inactivity in the elderly has become an ever increasing epidemic in the United States. Politicians as well as insurance and health care providers need to band together to reverse this trend to insure the longevity and quality of life. The elderly are not only at risk for lifetime diseases such as diabetes and heart disease; they are at risk for greater loss in bone density which translates into greater probability of falling and breaking bones.
Land-based physical activity is important for the elderly as it increases muscle and strength development, bone density and endurance which are both respiratory and cardiovascular. On the other hand, aquatic exercise benefits EXCEED land-based activities since it trains muscle parity and balance. Land-based exercise in the elderly is fraught with potential for injury. Likewise, unsupervised weight training can lead to torn muscle fibers, strained or torn ligaments, and unbalanced overtraining of some muscles while not sufficiently training the complementary muscles equally. Water exercise in a class format allows for participants to work at their own comfort level of perceived exertion. Good water instructors will always cue participants to work below the threshold of pain. In other words, participants can work to tension and ask for modifications of moves when in pain.
For the elderly, a good rule of aquatic exercise is to be mindful of aches and pains in advance of a water workout. If two hours later, the pain is greater than before training, then the participant has done too much. At this point, they can notify the instructor for modifications of moves that may affect their pain experienced. Because aquatic exercise trains complementary muscle pairs like biceps and triceps, the potential for injury in land-based exercise or activities of daily living (ADL) is reduced. Moreover, aquatic activities not only balance muscle pairs, they inherently strengthen the core muscles which provide for better over-all balance and strength. Core strength can show some correlation to immunity and overall health.
All seniors, especially those who are overweight, need to exercise in a muscle-balancing, core strengthening and reduced-risk-of-injury environment. Aquatic exercise is perhaps the ultimate life-time sport!
Felecia Fischell is an aquatic specialist with 25 years experience in aquatics. She leads aquatic classes and consults as an aquatic personal trainer and a swim instructor in and around Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, USA. The Founder of FunLife Aquatics Consulting and Personal Training, Felecia presents at health fairs and has given aquatic presentations to high schools, Howard County Board of Education, Howard County General Hospital and Howard Community College.
