When we think of aging, some think about wrinkles, aches, and pains and the negative associations of the aging process. Yet there is so much more to aging! No, we cannot stop the aging process, but we can choose to live a healthy lifestyle. This is the time to do things you have never done and find enjoyment.   Here are just a few things to consider when aging gracefully and living your best life!

Be nice to your skin

To keep your skin looking and feeling at its best:

• Stay hydrate. On average we should drink 7-8 cups of water a day to keep our skin looking good and our body functioning appropriately. When we become dehydrated our skin can become dry and folded.
• Wear sunscreen and even a hat to keep the sun off your face
• Wear sunglasses when outdoors to protect your eyes from sun damage
• Use gentle skin care products
• Make sure and have a yearly skin cancer screening

Exercise

Regular exercise helps control your cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight, and reduces the risk of hardening of the arteries, stroke, and heart attack. A good fitness program conditions muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones to stimulate bone growth and helps prevent osteoporosis while keeping your body limber and lowering your chances of injury. Exercise is also good for managing low back pain, arthritis, and diabetes. Incorporating regular exercise into your life can help you feel better, sleep better and give you the endurance to enjoy your best life.

• It is recommended to participate in cardiovascular exercise 3-5x/week for 30-60 minutes. Walking, dancing, and cycling are examples of cardiovascular exercise.
• It is also recommended to do strengthening exercises 2-3/week. These exercises can be done with weights or bands.

Proper Diet

• Eat food high in fiber to help with healthy digestion and to avoid constipation. High fiber foods will also make your belly full!   Men 51+ need 30 grams of fiber and women 51+ need 21 grams of fiber daily. When increasing your fiber intake start slow and work up to the proper daily intake.
• Fill your plate with 50% fruits and veggies, 25% grains and 25% lean protein. Try to use fresh fruits and veggies that aren’t saturated in sugars and sauces. When choosing grains look for items that are whole grain such as bread, cereals, rice or pasta. And when choosing proteins go for the those that are lean in fat such as peanut butter, nuts/seed, bean, fish, or chicken.
• Limit foods high in cholesterol, sugar and saturated or trans fats.
• Refer to myplate.org for more dietary guidelines for older adults

Mental Health and Mindfulness

Being happy and healthy goes a long way when it comes to mental health. Many factors can affect our mental health and some we don’t even realize. Being mindful of our stresses can improve our focus and our memory.

• To keep your mental health in check surround yourself with good people. People who motivate you to be better and give off positive energy. Spend time with family, friends and loved ones.
• Accept your age. Aging is unavoidable so learn to embrace it and live that best life
• Get sleep. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Shut off the electronics and let your brain relax and let your body rest. Getting enough sleep can help reduce stress, depression and even lower your risk of obesity.
• Accept and live in the moment. Focus on the present and don’t stress over things you can’t fix. Engage in activities such as yoga or tai chi.

Though aging is inevitable we can influence how our journey goes.   It is never too late to start making healthy choices for a healthier happy future. Now is the time to age with grace and start living your best life!!

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Angelica Patterson
• City, State: Stone Mountain, GA
• Years with NIFS: 6 years
• Position: Fitness Center Manager
• What brought you to NIFS: a former co-worker who worked for NIFS   
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: During the program Personal Fitness Quest, I worked with a member for 6 weeks straight and to watch the improvement was amazing. Someone who started out needing a wheel chair after recovering from a fall all the way up to walking without assistance while improving overall balance.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: Their attention detail when it comes to bringing value to different communities.
• What is your favorite thing about working at your client site: Building relationships with the members, as well as helping in the professional development of the Health Fitness Specialist role. 
• What motivates you: My family motivates me, I was taught at in early age that with anything you do you want to try your best as well as its not never too late to improve. 
• What is your favorite hobby: Cheering on my favorite team the Philadelphia Eagles "Fly Eagles Fly".
  
  

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  ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

As we age, we are constantly looking for ways to continue living our lives to the absolute fullest. One key element to reducing the effects of aging and to warding off possible health threats is to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle!

Living an active and balanced lifestyle that incorporates a mixture of aerobic, muscular strength and endurance, and balance and flexibility exercises will help to ward off a wide range of diseases. For example, regular exercise helps the body control blood pressure, body fat, heart disease, anatomical and structural impairments, cholesterol, and can even help reduce cognitive decline.

More times than not have I heard clients tell me that the aches and pains, or other health issues they have is just part of aging. While this may be true to some extent, you can still improve your over well-being in your older adult years even if you have never exercised in the past. Of course, the earlier you get started with an exercise routine the better but even just by including a moderate amount of exercise has shown substantial health benefits particularly for adults 50 years and older. Now that you recognize that exercise can help turn around your health at any age, the next step is figuring out what types of activities you enjoy and will be able to stick with long term.

Beginning an exercise program later in life will require you to find more meaning behind why you are moving. As previously mentioned, you should choose activities in which you enjoy doing so that sticking to a regular program is easier. To avoid normal biological changes caused by aging, pursue kinder, gentler workouts that consist of slower and longer warm-ups and cool-downs, and exercise routines that focus on lowering the risk of injury while still promoting posture, strength, endurance, flexibility, agility, and balance.

The most effective type of cardio training for an older adult is low impact physical activities. For example, swimming, walking, cycling etc. Many fitness professionals recommend a minimum of 20 minutes of cardiovascular training most days of the week. Personally, I have found it easier to get clients to commit to a cardio training program when they work their way up to 20 minutes. In other words, starting off small with bouts of cardio in 5–10-minute increments every day and then gradually increase the time. Just getting up and taking a walk around your apartment or through the halls can be a good way to burn some calories and get you moving!

Between the ages of 50-70 years old we lose 30% of our muscle strength. Sedentary adults beyond the age of 50 can expect to lose upwards of about 0.4 pounds of muscle per year. To slow this process down it is important to include strength training exercises into your routine at least twice per week. This way you will allow for adequate rest times for all muscle groups. It is important to have a strong upper body as well as a strong lower body. Increased leg strength has been shown to reduce the risk of falls with seniors greatly. Personally, I find it easier for my clients to stay committed to their strength training routine when they focus on the full body rather than splitting up their upper and lower body day.

One fear many older adults have is their increased risk of falling. On average falls are reported by 1/3 of all individuals over the age of 65. You can easily prevent your risk of falling by including regular balance training into your exercise program. Including a regular stretching routine into your overall exercise program can help to prevent injuries and can even help to increase blood flow to tired muscles, aiding in the recovery process.

The truth of the matter is that exercise is and will always be one of the main elements in living well across the lifespan. There are many ways to get started on an exercise routine. Everything from personalized exercise prescriptions, group fitness classes, and even personal training may be an appropriate starting point. There is something for every active ager out there, so get up and get moving!

Every 4 (or 5) years a special summer event comes around that makes us all want to feel like an athlete. This year, residents in CCRCs from Minnesota to Florida showed that they have what it takes to compete in the NIFS Summer Games. NIFS fitness staff put together 8-10 different events that residents could compete in over the course of the Games. On the surface, this program looked like a way to celebrate the summer, but there was certainly more intention behind the design.

Functional Movements

The most obvious goal of the Summer Games program is movement. Each sport was chosen as a way for residents to motivate themselves to get some physical exercise into the day. But, while they were enjoying themselves, they were also performing functional movements in each activity. Some were obvious. For example, “gymnastics” was actually a series of balance exercises using cones, foam pads, and other tools. Walking and swimming events were also an obvious way to get more people to exercise to earn their medals. But what about sports like basketball, soccer, and table tennis? On the surface, it’s “just” tossing a ball at a hoop or kicking one into a basket, but have each of these incorporates other important skills as well. Think about it: to throw a basketball into a hoop you not only have to practice hand-eye coordination, cognitively calculate depth and force, but most people also perform a mini-squat to lob the ball up toward the hoop. For soccer, many of the same skills apply plus you have to balance on one foot to be able to line up and kick the ball.

Social Wellness

I think we can all recognize that the last 18 months have taken a toll on most people’s social and emotional wellness. One major barrier for some residents to come back to the fitness center and to group fitness classes is that they feel like they’ve lost their fitness. They are worried they won’t be able to keep up and so they are missing out on the physical benefits of regular exercise. One way to combat that feeling is to get people out of their homes and back into the social situations they love. Once they start to remember what they’ve been missing in the fitness center and with their friends and neighbors, it’s more motivating to come back to their regular activities.

And, of course, FUN!

At the end of the day there’s always going to be some element of trying to improve quality of life and infusing some fun into the community. For the NIFS Summer Games, much of the enjoyment for participants came from the competition aspect. Over 400 medals were handed out to participants across the program! Whether they were competing with other residents to see who could earn the most medals or challenging their own past performances, this one definitely brought out the athlete in everyone!

When members of our corporate fitness centers meet with our staff for a complimentary fitness evaluation or exercise prescription appointment, it has long remained our focus of meeting that employee where they are in their fitness journey. Whether they are rehabbing a knee replacement, looking to improve their half marathon time, or returning to work from maternity leave, our degreed and certified staff do a deep dive to learn about the employee’s goals, motivations, and barriers to tailor a program unique to their needs. Through the pandemic, meeting employees where they are has taken on new meaning as we developed a stronger capacity to support members beyond the four walls of their employer’s corporate fitness center. NIFS HealthYou programming provides an array of virtual fitness and wellness services to support employees as they work remotely or travel for business.

HealthYou has long been a value-added service for our corporate fitness management clients but the demand and awareness skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now that members have experienced the flexibility of fitness options that meet them where they are both personally and logistically, HealthYou engagement is here to stay - even as employees return to the office and have access to their onsite fitness center. After all, jumping into a fitness class on a Saturday morning or still being able to meet for your weekly training session while you travel for work are great solutions in helping employees stay active when they aren’t on campus. Don’t just take our word for it, here are a couple of fabulous testimonials from our members that speak to the achievements they’ve gained working with our staff with HealthYou virtual resources.

Crystal P. - Employee of Fortune 500 Company, Indianapolis, Indiana

“This has been a fabulous perk working for our organization. Working with a trainer once a week has really helped me and my husband get back into a routine. We can do it in our basement at any time. The workouts are short enough to do with little kids at home, they hit total body and met my goal of feeling stronger, more fit, and flexible! I have recommended this to a lot of coworkers and keep spreading the word. I hope you consider keeping this option around even after things return to normal or the new-normal. My trainer was Hannah and I loved working with her! Her workouts were challenging, yet fun. She is so positive and up-beat! Meeting her and getting to know her, also makes me more likely once back in the office to come down for a class or workout while she is there because I know her now. I told Hannah I wanted to get strong without the bulk and she came through. I am amazed at how I feel after doing her workouts and how much I did in a short amount of time. I feel meeting with her keeps me accountable to working out. Needing to report into Hannah is always on my mind, which in turn means I do my workouts, even when it is so easy to say I have other things to do. I am also connected to the Yammer page and the posts the fitness staff are making are great about classes, fitness tips and tricks, nutrition, etc. This perk helps me stay healthy, helps my family stay healthy and promotes fitness and health to our child! Please keep this the new norm, as something wonderful the pandemic has taught us! For me, this was a wonderful way to connect, meet someone new and grow! THANK YOU!”

Charlie - Employee of Fortune 500 Company, Indianapolis, IN 

“Thanks for the workout today. I thought I’d drop you a note to capture my appreciation. You have really been motivating and inspiring these last couple of months and I have really been impressed with both our live sessions and the wealth of materials (recorded library of workouts) that are available on-demand. As I do every year, I made a vow for New Years that I was going to seriously work to get back in shape. Thanks for helping me plan my goal of 300+ minutes of exercise per week. This has been a far more reasonable and attainable goal to track each week. I’ve successfully lost 16lbs in the last 8 weeks. Also when I was getting started on my game plan, I was looking at spending money on gym memberships and/or personal training options. The NIFS online content has actually been easier to use and easier to fit into my crazy work schedule, which means I’m much more likely to actually do it. I also really appreciate the monthly Prove YOU Move challenges which have kept me motivated and engaged. They actually work as little “above and beyond” challenges that add a little more to the daily routine.”

We’ve been promoting to our members that “your fitness is personal” and that’s not only in the design of their exercise program but also in exercising at a time and location that best meets their needs on a given day. The testimonials above are great examples of the personal fitness journey these members have been on over the past year with our amazing staff.

HealthYou can be a standalone service option for organizations who do not have an onsite fitness center or perhaps have employees to reach in various locations. HealthYou is also a value-added service for NIFS fitness center management clients to provide the flexibility and resources for employees to stay active with busy and dynamic schedules. Looking for additional resources on how to enhance your virtual wellness options, download our checklist or visit our website for more information on NIFS fitness center management.

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Keith Ledbetter
• City, State: Indianapolis, IN
• Years with NIFS: 12 years
• Position: Corporate Fitness Manager
• What brought you to NIFS: I completed my internship with NIFS. I liked the NIFS model and how we are able to deliver our outstanding services to our clients and members. There are other ways of doing what we do, I think our way is the best.  
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: There are many moments that stick out in my mind, from people who achieved a large amount of weight loss to people who recovered from surgery, and gaining confidence after some traumatic life events and achieving their goals. The one that stick with me the most is when a member came down and started with NIFS PFQ program, then transitioned in to one of those “group fitness people.” She continued to see results and became the ignition point for the rest of her family to change some habits and get healthier too.  
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: Curiosity. This trait is expressed in trying to find new ways to deliver programs, exercises, or new classes to our members. Furthermore, curiosity is expressed by asking how will this new thing help my people. We are able to take in all of these “tools” and apply them in the most appropriate way to the correct group of people.
• What is your favorite thing about working at your client site: My people.
• What motivates you: My members, I want to deliver what they are asking for in the best way for them. That keeps me looking and trying to find the wrinkle in the wellness world that will connect with them.
• What is your favorite hobby: I have a few different hobbies, I like to garden, cook, bake, and some low level home DIY (floating shelves, tiling, what the wife sees on Pinterest and what I figure I can’t make it worse by trying). The through line of these hobbies being challenging myself and figuring out how to do something new.   

   

  Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

  ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

Have you wanted to create a healthier lifestyle, but don’t quite know how to get there? Maybe you have tried before, but haven’t been able to stick to your goals? Or life has thrown you a curveball (hello COVID-19 lockdowns) and you got knocked off track. It can be hard to keep yourself motivated to make good decisions every single day. Instead of relying on self-discipline to make these changes, studies have found that taking those healthy goals and turning them into habits might be the most efficient way to enact the changes you want to see! Do you have any habits you want to add to your routine?

• First things first, start slowly! No matter how good your goal is, no matter how much you want to achieve it, working slowly helps ensure your new habit will stick. All behavior change comes with its highs and lows but working slowly helps keep you from losing your focus when things get hard. Embrace each level of success when developing a new healthy habit!
• Be sure your goal is clearly defined. Did you lose your exercise routine during the COVID-19 pandemic and now want to exercise more? Exercising more is a vague goal. You’re more likely to make progress towards your goal if you have a clear goal post. Think about how often and what kind of exercising you want to do.
• Break goals into smaller, more actionable steps. Creating a new habit can be intimidating. See if there is way to reduce your goal into smaller pieces. Maybe exercising more means you need to start with staying hydrated. Start carrying a water bottle around with you, so you’re reminded to drink water throughout the day. I like to make a pitcher of fruit infused water and leave it in my fridge, so I always have a refreshing drink at hand! As you adjust to these new, small habits, you can move on to the next step towards your goal.
• Try to make it easy for yourself! Decrease the barriers that slow you down, so good habits can become automatic. Do you find it hard to get up and go to a morning exercise class? Try lying out your workout clothes before you go to sleep. When you wake up, you know you’ve already committed to going to your exercise class, so it’s easier to get up and go.
• Give yourself cues to remind you of your new healthy behavior. Are you trying to add lateral exercises to your daily routine? Habit stacking is a great way to incorporate new behaviors. If you make coffee every morning, you can stand at the counter and take lateral steps back and forth while your coffee brews. That way you are working towards your larger goal of exercising more without even having to think about it.
• Get a friend on it with you. Having a partner to help encourage you to reach your goals can help them become that much easier to reach.

New habits are hard to form; that’s a part of life. Keep going and set yourself up for success. Healthy behaviors don’t have to be about will power. Take the effort out of healthy living and make healthy lifestyle decisions into habits. What new healthy choices are you working towards making a habit?

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Charles Bartlett
• City, State: Atlanta, GA
• Years with NIFS: 3 years
• Position: Health Fitness Specialist
• What brought you to NIFS: If we are being honest, Indeed.com literally brought me to NIFS.
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: My most impactful moment was fairly recent. I am working with a client right now who has worked harder than anyone I have had previously, and has been very consistent with her appointments with me (she has even helped me get additional clients). She has continued to improve and can now stand up with out pushing off of her legs. It has taken several months, but it is a real success story.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: A full time NIFS employee working in a senior living community will always have an advantage over other franchise gym employees simply because of the challenges they face. Every age related chronic condition will be a factor in your daily routines and programming. NIFS employees also aren’t forced to adhere to a sales goal of PT and memberships. You can actually do what you’re supposed to do as a fitness professional, build stronger bodies and instill confidence,  without pressuring and harassing gym patrons with “deals or packages”.
• What is your favorite thing about working at your client site: My favorite thing about my role is that I get to help those who genuinely want and need help.
• What motivates you: My motivation is knowing that I actually get paid for something that I love to do. And that’s help others better themselves physically and mentally.
• What is your favorite hobby: Travelling, Cooking, exercising and watching college football are my favorite hobbies.

Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

This summer, eight different NIFS fitness managers lead their residents through the Sit-to-Stand Challenge. Residents were asked to set a goal each day and complete a certain number of sit-to-stand exercises. They could group them all together or break them up throughout the day. The program was received with much enthusiasm as residents completed an average of 367 sit-to-stands per person during the month!

So, why build a program based all around one exercise? For one, it gives everyone an attainable goal. Someone might say no to something where they are asked to do 10 exercises at a time even if it’s just three days a week, but everyone has time to just do one exercise per day, right? But why the sit-to-stand? Check out these benefits:

Maintain Independence

The seemingly simple movement of getting up out of a chair is something many of us take for granted. Have you ever counted how many times you stand up throughout the day? My guess is that it’s a lot. Giving older adults the continued confidence that they can get out of a chair with no help is huge for maintaining independence and comfortable living.

Fall Prevention

When older adults are looking to maintain independence, their main concern is often fall prevention. Many times when people thing about fall prevention, they think of balance-specific exercises like a single-leg balance or a tandem walk. What’s sometimes missed is the strength and coordination aspect of balance training. The sit-to-stand is a great lower-body exercise because it incorporates most of the big muscle groups in the legs and hips. Strengthening those muscles helps maintain stability and therefore prevents falls.

“Prehab” and Injury Prevention

Another major benefit of strengthening leg muscles is the support those muscles then give to joints in the hips, knees, and ankles. If someone is thinking about a knee or hip replacement, one of the things that a surgeon might suggest is to do some “prehab” or basically to strengthen the area around the joint before surgery so that recover will be easier and rehab will be more familiar. Think of it as giving yourself a head start on recovery. Who doesn’t want that?

Just about every piece of feedback on the Sit-to-Stand Challenge sent by participants was about how much stronger they feel after just one month and about how they want to continue doing the sit-to-stands in their normal exercise routine.

Check out what our participants are saying about the impact this simple challenge had on their strength and their confidence:

“About one quarter of the way through the challenge, I found it so easy to get up out of a chair. I was amazed at how easy it was getting up. I will be keeping it up from now on, but with 8-10 per day rather than 40 per day. Good program!” –Virsile, Chelsea, MI

“LOVED the sit-to-stand challenge along with all the other motivational activities.” –Jennie, Palm City, FL

“Probably many of us hadn't realized how much more sitting we were doing during COVID quarantine. I can tell I am stronger all over, not just lower body, from the continuous reminders to stay active and fit.” -Nancy, Indianapolis, IN

If you could choose one exercise to focus on perfecting over the course of a month, what would it be?

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Ashley Smith
• City, State: Indianapolis, IN
• Years with NIFS: 13 years
• Position: Coverage Supervisor and Account Manager
• What brought you to NIFS:
  I completed my internship in 2008 in the Fitness Center at NIFS headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. Being a college grad I quickly needed to find a job and one that I had just spent 4 years earning a degree in would be nice!! Corporate Fitness made sense and sounded fun. I applied for a coverage position and spent time floating around the Indianapolis sites NIFS managed which was cool, I also got to meet a TON of really cool people.
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: I think we all experience small and big wins while working with our members each day. It’s always great to see someone hit a goal, gain muscle, knock that PR out of the park or just make it through a tough workout! For me, the most impactful moments were spent creating relationships with members. When you listen to people you learn a lot about them and how to work with them in order to achieve things they didn’t know were possible.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: Our staff make it personal! They take the time to work with people 1-1 to customize workouts and plans to fit individual needs.
• What is your favorite thing about working at your client site: We have a great NIFS group at each site, I enjoy getting to chat with everyone each month and seeing staff help each other grow. In addition, we are lucky enough to be asked a couple times a year to help with big onsite events like judging a Bocce Ball Tournament and Run a 5K with the CEO. It’s nice because we all can get together for these events!
• What motivates you: Positivity and Albanese OR Haribo gummy candy… preferably bears, worms, things like this… but I don’t judge a gummy!
• What is your favorite hobby: It’s always changing but currently, I enjoy gardening, house planting, decorating for Halloween, arts and crafts with the kids, front yard baseball, hanging out with family and hiking, well in general just chillin’ in nature! 😊

Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS