Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Picture this: You're gliding effortlessly across a small trampoline, the rhythmic bouncing sending a gentle wave of energy through your body. This isn't just some childhood fantasy; it's rebounding, a low-impact exercise gaining popularity among senior citizens for its myriad health benefits.

Unlike traditional exercises that can strain joints and muscles, rebounding is surprisingly gentle. The trampoline's bouncy surface absorbs the impact, allowing you to engage in a full-body workout without putting undue stress on your body.

Why Rebounding is a Perfect Fit for Seniors

As we age, our bodies become more susceptible to the effects of inactivity. Osteoporosis, weakened muscles, and diminished balance are just a few of the challenges older adults face. Rebounding tackles these issues head-on, offering a safe and effective way to improve overall health and fitness.

1. Cardiovascular Health Boost: Rebounding gets your heart pumping, increasing blood flow and oxygen delivery to your vital organs. This can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.

2. Bone Density Enhancement: The weight-bearing nature of rebounding stimulates bone growth, combating osteoporosis, a common concern among seniors.

3. Balance and Coordination Improvement: Rebounding challenges your vestibular system, which controls balance. This can help prevent falls, a major risk factor for older adults.

4. Stress Reduction and Anxiety Relief: Rebounding releases endorphins, those feel-good hormones that elevate mood and reduce stress. This can also improve sleep quality, a crucial factor for overall well-being.

5. Muscle Strengthening and Endurance: Rebounding engages all major muscle groups, leading to increased strength and endurance. This improves overall fitness and mobility, making everyday tasks easier.

6. Weight Management: Rebounding burns calories, aiding in weight loss or maintenance. This is particularly beneficial for seniors who may be struggling with weight-related health issues.

7. Mental Function Enhancement: Rebounding increases blood flow to the brain, boosting cognitive function and improving memory, concentration, and mood.

Facts About the Safe Use of a Rebounder

Rebounding is a safe form of exercise for most people, including senior citizens. However, it is important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. It is also important to wear comfortable shoes and clothing that allow freedom of movement. If you have any health concerns, talk to your doctor before starting a rebounding program.

Here are some additional tips for safely using a rebounder:

• Use a rebounder with a sturdy frame and a padded surface.
• Place the rebounder on a level surface in a well-lit area.
• Hold onto the handlebars for support when you are first getting started.
• Land gently on the balls of your feet.
• Listen to your body and stop if you feel pain.

Embrace the Bounce: Elevate Your Senior Fitness

Rebounding is more than just exercise; it's a gateway to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. Seniors who embrace rebounding often experience a newfound sense of vitality, relaxation, and mental clarity.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a rebounder, put on your favorite music, and let's bounce our way to better health!

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.

It has often been thought that core strength can only to be achieved through sit ups, crunches, and planks but in recent years there has been a lot more discussion about the way we breathe and how it effects our core. If you participate in 1-1 training or group fitness, you have probably heard your trainer tell you to breathe and brace your core through a particular exercise. What does it mean to effectively brace your core and why is it important? Is it to see your abdominals, provide you strength or to help with your posture? In all reality, we use our core for many daily tasks such as standing tall, getting up off a chair, or even walking. Learning how to brace your core is fundamental in creating a strong foundation for all movements and can also help to aide in injury prevention.

As you may know, your core is not merely just a sheet of muscle. In fact, there are several muscles that work together to brace your core and support your spine. These muscles include rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, erector spinae, and your quadratus lumborum (also known as the QL muscle). These mighty muscles work together to keep your spine stabilized and upright. If there is weakness in one or a few of these muscles, it can lead to lower back pain, hip pain, or injury. Knowing this foundation, it can help us know how to engage these muscles for them to work altogether.

When it comes to your core, breathing is an excellent tactic to get those muscles working! What you can start with is a deep breathing exercise. Take a moment to breathe. Start by inhaling through the nose, really feeling your ribs expand. The next step is to brace the core muscles. Tighten your midsection by pulling your navel to the spine, think of this as bracing for impact – you will feel your ribs flare downwards as you do this movement. Of course, do not forget to exhale and expend the air being held in the lungs during the bracing. Some exercises can also be done to help brace the core such as squats, bird dogs, planks, and the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, it is important to understand the proper breathing technique that coincides with bracing your core. Take a moment to think of your favorite exercise. Is it a squat or a bicep curl? Whatever it may be, there are two main stages in the lift that correlate with the proper breathing and core bracing technique.

Let’s start with a squat and keep these steps in bind for breathing and bracing.

1. When you are standing, try to keep your shoulders rolled back and down, allowing optimal space for your lungs to expand.
2. As you go down into the squat, gravity is helping you get lower, this is the key motion to allow yourself to take a deep breath in.
3. When you are ready to stand from the squatting position, this is where bracing your core is the most effective. As you push to stand, let out a breath through your mouth and brace your core.

The push of the air coming out of your lungs will help to contract your core muscles and make the movement much smoother.

Now, here is a challenge for you! Think of any movement you do daily and try to practice it at least one time each day. When gravity is assisting, that is the time to breathe in, when you are pushing up against gravity, brace that core and exhale! Learning to brace your core takes time and a lot of practice. Bracing your core can be done as you’re completing your daily tasks. Take time to practice, and watch it help you in your day to day!

Every senior living community offers group fitness classes.  If you want to stand out from the competition, you have to offer more.

Good is no longer good enough.

So much in senior living is evolving, except for fitness.  The fitness industry itself is evolving, and rapidly, but many communities aren’t progressing to adopt new exercise equipment for older adults, updated staff-led services that increase resident participation, or smart data from the fitness program that can inform future decision making.

What about your community?  It’s likely that you are offering at least some group fitness classes that the residents choose from each week.  These classes in senior living, especially formats that specifically address balance training or brain health, are a must for any senior living community.  There’s a decent chance that your residents love their group instructors, and the report from your life enrichment director probably notes that the classes are well-attended and well-liked.

There’s also a strong likelihood that you haven’t looked closely at your exercise program recently as a place where the community could position itself as a leader in your market.  Good is no longer good enough.  Good is a starting point; it doesn’t mean the exercise program for your members is complete. 

It’s time to do more than group fitness.

When prospective residents walk into your community for a tour, they see a welcoming, warm lobby area with social nooks for sharing a cup of coffee and the latest gossip or viral YouTube video.  On the tour, you show them contemporary dining venues with menus that make their mouths water. You talk about updated apartments, technology tools that help them stay connected to their family and the larger community.   

As the tour progresses through the community, you eventually arrive at the exercise room. (Or maybe you skip the exercise area because it doesn’t contribute positively to the lifestyle you’re selling.) And it looks old, maybe like an afterthought. The equipment is donated or dated, the artwork is original to the wall, the small collection of dumbbells have cracked vinyl or rusted edges, and the information on the bulletin boards is no longer current.  Worst of all, it’s a ghost town; no one is in there.

It’s a disconnect for the individuals on the tour.  And while that disconnect is real for your prospects today, it will be even more jarring for future prospects and adult children who are the savviest health consumers we’ve seen to date. Certainly, you can’t update all areas in your community at the same time, and there are many priorities ahead of the fitness space(s).  But that doesn’t mean a revitalization of the exercise program should be entirely off the table. 

You don’t necessarily need massive capital budgets to make improvements in your community fitness center.  And you don’t need to blow your operating budget to provide vibrant exercise-related programming to community.  But if you want to start using elements of your senior living programming to combat someday syndrome at your community, you absolutely have to do more than offer group fitness classes.

Find out how to do better for your residents.

Your prospects expect more than just classes on the calendar, your current residents deserve better, and NIFS can help you get there.  Find out more about how the right staff, the right services and the right equipment can positively and profoundly impact the exercise program you're offering your residents. Click below to find out more.

As the seasons change and leaves take on vibrant hues of red, yellow, and orange we are reminded that much like an artist, we can craft our lives in beautiful ways, and what better time to celebrate that reminder with our senior residents than during Active Aging Week? Active Aging Week, celebrated annually, shines a light on the importance of maintaining an active and engaged lifestyle as we age. This year, at NIFS, we’ve decided to focus on “aging artfully” and help the residents in the communities that we partner with age well through embracing their creativity.

As fitness professionals, we are sometimes met with surprise when we step outside of the fitness center and run programs that are more wellness and activity based, but across the country we have a team full of passionate and creative staff, and together we focus on total person health and wellness. We know that aging doesn’t mean there has to be a decline in quality of life, but instead provides opportunities to explore new passions, hobbies, and forms of self-expression. As we hold offerings to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being this week we will also be emphasizing the role of art and creativity in active aging and bringing light to some of the benefits that come with them:

1. Social Interaction: We know that not all residents in our communities are fitness buffs, so offering programs that are outside of the box gives us the ability to connect with a new group of residents and ease them into participating in other wellness programs and events. For all, joining in on creative groups and classes combats loneliness and isolation and helps to foster social connections while nurturing creativity.
2. Mental Stimulation: Engaging in creative activities and trying new things stimulates and enhances cognitive function and memory while keeping your mind active.
3. Emotional Well-being: Increased happiness, a sense of accomplishment, and stress reduction are all biproducts of creative expression thanks to an outlet for emotions. Participating in creative programs can help reduce stress, improve mood, and provide an avenue for processing emotions and memories.
4. Self-Discovery: Exploring your creative side can help you to better understand your interests, and help you find new hobbies and passions. It’s never too late to learn an instrument, try your hand at painting, or share your wisdom. Your creative work can also become a meaningful legacy!

Some of the programs that our staff have planned for this active aging week include classes in various mediums of art, music, dance, writing, expressive exercise classes paired with music or art, outdoor exercise in nature, active adventures, upcycling projects, collaborative offerings with other departments including food and beverage, activities, physical therapy, and so much more.

Artful aging is about staying engaged in the world around us, embracing creativity and living with intention. Celebrate Active Aging Week with us by embracing the art of aging well.

Learn more about how NIFS programming makes an impact in senior living!

Do you walk in Awe?

A few days ago, a resident handed me an “invitation to an Awe Walk.” He had picked it up from a nearby park. He thought I’d be interested in the topic and brought me a copy. This was my first-time hearing about Awe Walking, so I was intrigued! The document invited me to not just simply focus on the present, it was deeper than that.

So, how does one take part in an awe walk? It’s as simple as choosing to walk in awe. It’s the intentional decision to focus on things around you rather than yourself. Instead of focusing on your to-do list or exciting weekend plans, choose to shift your attention externally to the beauty around you. The word awe can be defined as a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Of course, it may not be the first time you’ve seen the leaves change from green to deep orange and red, but the beauty and mystery can still be stunning.

Why walk in awe?

Choosing to walk in awe shifts our attention to things outside of ourselves. This change has big mental health benefits. An 8-week study facilitated by the University of San Francisco showed that choosing to walk in awe had the following benefits: increase in daily compassion and overall well-being, a decrease in anxiety and daily negative emotions.

While you become more distracted from the stressors in your life, you’re making room to notice and pay attention to things other than yourself and your own concerns. When we look away from our wants and needs for a moment, it can improve one’s love of life, relationships, and worries. Decreased levels of stress can lower blood pressure, improve sleep and digestion, and decrease muscle tension. Although an Awe Walk can be done in all settings, natural, indoor, urban, there are added health benefits of being in nature. Walking in awe can be a good reminder of how small we are in this big world and vast universe. It’s a great way to help us improve our perspective on certain things or life overall.

Invitation to Walk in Awe

Consider attending or attempting your own Awe Walk. Take note of the nature and happenings around. Be enthralled in it almost like a child would. Take a moment to feel the warm sun on your face and touch the flowers growing nearby, how do they feel? What do you hear? Can you find the animals that are making that sound? Have you found the water that is trickling nearby? Don’t just notice the nature around you, experience it. Intentionally. Fully. Try these prompts on your next walk!

1. Begin your walk by bringing attention to your breath. Take nice slow and deep breaths - let your belly expand more than your chest.
2. Notice your steps on the ground. Do they make a soft sound? A loud crunch? Do you feel anything? This warms up your awareness to the sensations that are easily forgotten on an unintentional walk.
3. Be open to experience an Awe Walk. Allow things to spark your curiosity. Do you notice something that gives you a sense of pleasure or surprise?
4. What catches your eye? Is it the wispy clouds in the sky? The windy path or maybe the comfort of a path you’ve traveled before? The color or smell of the flowers?
5. Allow this sense of wonder, excitement, inspiration carry on into the rest of your day and further.

Try an Awe Walk! Tell us about your experience!

When you were a kid, going out to play was something you likely did every day. No matter if it was riding a bike, skipping rocks at the pond, or running around the neighborhood with friends, it was just fun! Moving came naturally and easy and was not considered “exercise” to the adolescent mind even though it was most certainly keeping your body healthy. The reason I bring this up is because I want you to think about those times. They were a lot of fun, weren’t they? Sometimes in our fitness center, we will hear a member say that exercise isn’t very fun. We get it! Exercise isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but as a fitness professional, my goal is to find a way to make it fun for you. Another thing we will often here is “I’m not as young as I was!” or “I can’t do that type of movement anymore.” It is true, with the play you did as a child, there was probably a lot of falling, bumps, and bruises and that can make a person apprehensive to get started in “play” again. But that is why we are here, to explore with you and find a form of fitness that you enjoy. Yes, the several number of changes that tend to happen to the body as it goes through the stages of life can make some things more difficult, but we want to help keep it from being the reason you decide to play less.

A regular physical activity regimen allows older adults to maintain independence as they age and navigate their way through life. The recommended goal for older adults is at least 150 minutes a week (that’s only 30 minutes of movement each day!) of moderate intensity aerobic exercise with two of those days being some type of muscle strengthening activity to improve muscle and bone health. All exercise is beneficial, but when we start aging, the most beneficial type of program would be one consisting of balance, flexibility, strength, and endurance. An equal mixture of all four and over time can provide drastic improvement in your everyday life activities as well as the overall health of your body.

Think back to younger years when stretching before and after physical activity wasn’t a thing, what were some of your favorite activities? Did you play cops and robbers with your friends, jump and splash in the pool with siblings, or play sports with friends? What are similar alternatives?

Did you really love running cross country track because it allowed you to get outside and see nature, that could now be substituted for going on weekly peaceful hikes with your family or friends. Explore local nature reserves and trails!

Did you like heading to the community pool or pond for a day with friends? Join your nearby fitness center and check out aqua classes or invite a friend to water walk!

Did you enjoy tennis? Consider taking up pickleball! A very similar game to tennis with less court to travel requiring less intense hits to get the ball across the net.

Did you belong to a bowling league? Believe it or not, virtual (Wii) bowling can be just as fun and competitive while also challenging your balance and stability!

Of course, we also suggest starting with your fitness professional! Talk to them about what you enjoy and what you don’t about exercise. We can help find ways to make it fun while increasing stamina and strength to enjoy “playing” more! Don’t forget that physical activity over time can improve quality of life and can increase longevity while decreasing other conditions that may come up. If it has been a while since you have exercised, that is okay! If you can make exercising social and fun, it can become something you love doing which helps to stay motivated instead of feeling like a chore.

The prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease is on the rise. Previous numbers indicated that 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year and new research from the Parkinson’s Foundation indicates a steep 50% increase with 90,000 Americans now diagnosed annually. For senior living providers if you aren’t seeing Parkinson’s amongst your resident population yet, it is on the horizon as diagnosis is directly associated with increased age. This may result in less than a dozen or so residents living with Parkinson’s in your community at a time, but if you consider how Parkinson’s may also be impacting spouses of those diagnosed, the impact is deep. In addition, there is a good chance you have employees and residents with loved ones impacted as Parkinson’s remains the second most common age-related neurological disorder behind Alzheimer’s Disease.

Much like Alzheimer’s, there is no cure, and the treatment path is to control symptoms. One of the best treatments to not only manage symptoms but also delay the onset is through exercise. In NIFS work supporting dozens of senior living communities across the US, I shared previously how we were receiving requests from our clients for quality exercise resources to support residents with Parkinson’s and NIFS development of our signature program Bold Moves.

As April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, many communities are looking for resources to provide Parkinson’s education to their residents and staff as well as options for quality fitness programs to cater to the unique training needs of residents with Parkinson’s. This is why we are pumped to host Pump it for Parkinson’s!

This event on Tuesday, April 11 will unite the senior living industry for a common cause. The National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS) and our partners at NuStep, ICAA and Wellzesta are inviting communities to join us for this education-based fitness event. Pump it for Parkinson’s is a day-long NuStep-a-thon where we accumulate steps from senior living providers across the US with a goal of achieving 1 million steps to honor the 1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s. NIFS will be providing communities with a packet in the mail of promotional items as well as a digital resource library that can help them customize an event unique to the interests of their residents. With informative resources for your Parkinson’s Education Station, employees, residents and families can learn more about Parkinson’s, grab exercise resources and healthy recipes while also contributing steps on the NuStep!

Registration is free and a great way for a community to introduce wellness resources for Parkinson’s or celebrate the hard work of residents who are already fighting back against the disease! Take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate your community’s commitment to being an industry leader in helping residents live well!

Every step counts and we would love for your community to join us and contribute to our goal of one million steps. Participating locations will have a chance to win a NuStep T6 Cross Trainer and will also receive a digital toolkit of Parkinson’s fitness resources including exercise videos, handouts and tips from NIFS registered dietitian. 

We work on a lot of build/design projects in retirement communities where the project is either new construction for a new community, or the plan is part of a repositioning that includes enhanced wellness spaces and services.  If you follow industry trends, you see it all the time in press releases, RSS feeds and other media avenues:  ground breakings for projects that include a state-of-the-art wellness wing, indoor/outdoor pool complex, etc.  Communities are  serious about folding resident wellness into their broader business strategy to remain viable in the market. Over my years at NIFS, I’ve had the pleasure of working on dozens of fitness center builds.  As you can imagine, I’ve learned quite a bit along the way. Below are our top five recommendations (in random order) on pitfalls to avoid during your design journey.

#5 – Don’t let your design team talk you out of consulting with an expert who is used to programming fitness spaces. 

NIFS Expertise Makes Our Approach Unique

We have designed dozens of client fitness centers to maximize function and flow in the space with diverse equipment options that meet the needs of active older adults. Check out our case study on how we took the guesswork and the legwork out of a large scale project for a client in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Find out more about NIFS consulting services by clicking below. We can help you bring the best programming, fitness center design and staffing to your community.

In sharing the many benefits of living in a senior living community with seniors, I often receive the response “I want to live in my home as long as I possibly can”. Making sure you are active and healthy can improve your life to maintain that desire to remain in your home. Below are 4 tips to consider before making that important decision.

1. Decide exactly where you want to live.

The ultimate goal of aging in place is to maintain your independence and avoid moving. But if your current home has too many stairs, you live far from public transit, or you’re located too far from emergency help, consider a senior living community. After all, isolation is a major issue for older adults, and maintaining social connections should be a priority when considering where you will spend your golden years. Weigh your options carefully for considerations like dining venues, activities and outings you enjoy and whether it has fitness amenities and professional staffing to help you remain physically active.

2. Adapt your home.

If you chose to stay at home, you need to make sure it will be suitable for you. A safe environment is critical to healthy aging. Home modifications can easily make a living space more accessible and comfortable. Plan ahead so modifications will already be in place when you need them such as extra handrails, walk in shower access, removing trip hazards, etc. 

3. Explore technology solutions.

Technology can be a key tool to keep you connected with the wider world. And there are many computers, tablets and cell phones suitable for older adults that can be made more senior-friendly with a few adjustments.

Voice-controlled assistive devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo can allow you to set medication reminders or control your home's temperature or lighting with simple verbal commands. Such devices can also place phone calls, read books aloud, or play music. Video doorbells that enable you to see who’s at the door without opening it and sensor systems that can detect falls and alert emergency contacts can be very handy for older adults who live alone.

4. Consider hiring a companion or in-home caregiver.

You may need extra support to remain in your home, such as help with household chores or personal care. Companion care can be a good solution for seniors who need more social interaction or require help with tasks like cooking, cleaning, getting to appointments, or shopping for groceries. And home care services can assist with bathing, dressing, taking medications, and more. Using these types of services can give you the support you need to remain in your home safely.

Aging in place is all about optimizing your environment in a way that lets you live where you want as long as you possibly can. Healthy aging doesn't necessarily mean avoiding physical challenges, but it does mean being prepared to deal with those challenges by making the necessary modifications to your lifestyle or living space. You can help ensure that you are well-positioned to enjoy your golden years in comfort by planning ahead.

All these tips can also be beneficial while living in a Senior living community. They are going to make your daily activities and routines easier, more attainable, and safer.

How will you plan for your future?