Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Beginning in the early stages of life, everyone is told to drink water, water, and more water. With everyone instructing individuals to consume more water, what are some methods to increase our water intake? Staying hydrated is vital for the human body to continue to perform activities that we wish to engage in. The human body is roughly fifty percent water, which may emphasize the instruction to consume more water even more than before. We are going to discuss three tips to increase the overall consumption of water so that everyone can reach their desired goals. I encourage you to implement one of the three tips and analyze whether your daily water intake increased. To determine that optimal amount of water your body may need daily, reach out to your primary physician for guidance.

Three tips that may help in increasing water consumption:

• Flavored Water – Drinking plain water on a consistent basis may result in an individual getting “bored” of drinking water. A fantastic method to increasing water intake may be to invest in flavored water. Depending on the individual, the individual may want to change the flavor of water they consume daily or even weekly. This is a method to keep your choice of water nice and fresh to stay consistent. As an example, an induvial may desire to consume “grape” flavored water one week and then the next week, they may want to consume “lemon” flavored water.
• Utilizing a Labeled Water Bottle – Water bottles made via certain companies include reminders on the side of bottles regarding the time of the day. As an individual consumes water, the bottle will have the next time slot with the recommended amount of water to have consumed by that time in the day. As an example, one water bottles with labeling may encourage an individual to consume 16 ounces of water by 9:00 AM. This method has become popular for many individuals as the importance of water intake continues to grow across the nation.
• Reminders – Utilizing technology in the form of smart phones or smart computers, an individual has the capability to set electronic reminders throughout the day to consume water. This is an alternative method available in the event an individual does not have a labeled water bottle as previously discussed. With this method, individuals also have the capacity to set the amount of water to consume daily at their own desired pace throughout the day. This method is perfect for individuals who want to be in complete control regarding the management of their water intake.

Which of the three tips will you continue to practice, add, or share with a friend? Let’s all stay hydrated together!

Imagine a full exercise class, residents upbeat and ready to start, a packed schedule of personal training clients, or hallway conversations about how good the residents feel after exercising. I say imagine because during the cold months, these things aren’t always a reality.

There are many reasons why our group fitness classes have lower participation, why our personal training clients keep pushing off their session until next week, and why we don’t have as many conversations with seniors about feeling well and full of energy. As staff, we need to be prepared for these seasonal shifts and adjust as needed. Seasonal Affective Disorder can play a huge role in the lack of resident participation and engagement in the fitness center. Here are some tips that staff can implement to keep senior residents active.

Tip #1: Change the group fitness schedule.

NIFS staff collect data on class participation, and we use this data to enhance our group fitness calendar seasonally. If you know it’s too cold outside to continue your outdoor walking class, change it to a gym circuit class. You can entice those residents to take the new circuit class by incorporating use of the treadmill or other cardio equipment, along with strength machines and usage of the non-typical group fitness class equipment.

Take note that in the New Year it's great time to trial a new class with the uptick in New Year’s Resolutioners. Use that feedback to adapt and keep the excitement going through the next few months.

Tip #2: Call the residents or send them a personal note.

You know who the regulars are and when they come to the fitness center. Haven’t seen them for a week? Call them or send them a personal note that you miss them and would like to meet for a consultation to see if they need any assistance adjusting their personal fitness routine. This act of kindness goes a long way in keeping seniors engaged and staying active.

Consider creating a few handouts, such as balance and no-equipment total body workout, that can be given to residents who are struggling to come to the fitness center but are open to exercising in the comfort of their own home.

Tip #3: Run a wellness program or presentation and incorporate SAD facts and management techniques.

During the winter months, it can be easy for people to dismiss their feelings. Maybe they think they are tired after being busy decorating and baking and going to all of the social functions. But what about when the holiday rush is over? It is up to community and fitness center to staff to not only engage residents to stay active, but to also consider their overall wellbeing. Following the holiday or winter season may be a great time to focus on wellness and highlight ways to manage Seasonal Affective Disorder or be a helping hand to someone who expresses SAD symptoms.

Consider hosting the presentation or wellness social and offering a giveaway for complementary personal training, to help residents get back into an exercise routine, or a complementary massage, to help residents relax and decompress.

Put these tips into action and see how small changes can make big impacts for the senior residents and fitness center engagement!

The National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS) has partnered with NuStep to host a free event on World Parkinson’s Day, Thursday, April 11, 2024, to raise awareness on the benefits of exercise for those fighting back against Parkinson’s. We have a big goal of achieving 10 million steps on the NuStep to honor the 10 million people living with Parkinson’s worldwide.

If your organization would like to rally your communities to join our cause and demonstrate a commitment to resident well-being through education and exercise, we’d love for you to make a Pump it Pledge on how many steps your organization plans to contribute! You can calculate your organization’s Pledge with 3 simple steps:

1. Identify how many of your communities will be participating.
2. Identify how many NuSteps are available at those communities to Pump it with us!
3. Estimate each of those NuSteps taking 30,000 steps on April 11!

This outcome will be your organization’s Pump it Pledge and we’d like to thank you for your contribution by featuring you on our event social posts and in upcoming blogs spotlighting our wonderful supporters! Email Emily Davenport with your Pump it Pledge and for resources your organization can share about the event with your communities, residents, and social followers!

Communities can register at our event page linked here. With 100% of survey participants reporting the event created buzz and engaged their residents in a new way in 2023, your communities are sure to have fun as they contribute to a great cause!

We have also partnered with Team Fox for an optional fundraising element in 2024 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Individuals or communities in this component can find more information here on our Pump it fundraising team!

Last year, the only complaint we heard about Pump it for Parkinson’s was several communities heard about it too late and missed out on the fun! 2023 was the first year the National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS) hosted the event to raise awareness on the benefits of exercise for those fighting back against Parkinson’s Disease and by all accounts it was a smashing success!

• Over 4 million total steps on the NuStep cross trainer were accumulated by senior living communities across the US far exceeding our goal of 1 million steps.
• 100% of event survey responses reported Pump it engaged their residents and staff in a fun new way and created buzz within their community!
• 100% of event surveys reported their residents were pumped to contribute to a Parkinson’s focused event!

As we gear up for year number two, we are going even bigger with new goals, new recruiting efforts to engage more communities, and an optional fundraising element. Here are the basics of what Pump it for Parkinson’s is and how communities can get involved.

Pump it is an event on World Parkinson’s Day where communities can rally their residents and staff to contribute steps on their NuStep cross trainer to submit towards NIFS nationwide goal. Registration is free and participating locations receive a digital toolkit of educational resources, signage and tracking sheets to help them promote and host the event in their community. Hosting Pump it for Parkinson’s is a great way to engage your residents and staff in wellness, contribute to a nationwide goal and help your residents who are impacted by Parkinson’s feel recognized. At the end of the day, communities submit their total step count to NIFS and we tally up all the hard work from thousands of residents and staff across the US who contributed! One thing we heard repeatedly from communities last year is they were surprised to learn how many residents and staff were directly impacted by Parkinson’s Disease and how many residents kept their diagnosis hidden. Pump it empowered many individuals to share their story!

The one-day event will be hosted on Thursday, April 11, 2024, and here are our big goals for this year:

• We are aiming for 10 million total steps to honor the 10 million people living worldwide with Parkinson’s Disease! Rally your residents, staff, families, and prospects to contribute steps on as many NuSteps your community has available. This a great program to engage residents across the continuums if you are a lifeplan community by recruiting your activities and rehab staff in licensed areas to participate! Our motto, every step counts and it’s a great way to help residents of all abilities contribute.
• Due to requests, we are also proud to announce a partnership with Team Fox to incorporate an optional fundraising element for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF)! Communities can form or a team or individual donations can be made if desired.
• We are inviting senior living operators to make a Pump it Pledge by recruiting as many of your communities to participate in this free event as possible. We will recognize your organization’s commitment to resident well-being through future blogs and social announcements featuring our participating locations. Contact Emily Davenport for more information on creating your organization’s Pump it Pledge!

Not only do communities have an opportunity to participate in an engaging event, but they also have a chance to win a free NuStep T6 Cross Trainer thanks to our partners at NuStep and a kit of Parkinson’s fitness resources from NIFS to enhance their wellness program.

Visit our event page to register: https://wellness.nifs.org/pump-it-for-parkinsons and follow along at Pump it for Parkinson’s Facebook page for great tips, images, and inspiration for a successful event. We would also like to extend a thank you to our event partners who are committed to helping us spread the word about Pump it for Parkinson’s including NuStep, Wellzesta and ICAA. If you are a vendor in the senior living space willing to help us spread our message, please reach out here for more information on how you can help.