Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Play Isn’t Just for Kids

Play is often seen as something reserved for kids, a way to burn off energy and learn how to socialize. But it’s just as valuable for adults. In fact, play can be a powerful training tool that improves mental processing, reaction time, and the ability to adapt to unpredictable movement.

When we engage in play, we’re not just moving our bodies; we’re training our brains, muscles, and nervous systems all at once. Activities that feel like games help sharpen coordination, reflexes, and decision-making in ways that traditional workouts sometimes don’t.

What’s Really Happening During Play

Take a simple game of catch. It may seem basic, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface.

Using something like a tennis ball challenges motor skills, depth perception, and hand-eye coordination. Add a rule like standing on one leg while playing, and suddenly you’re working on balance, focus, and control. Now layer in the unpredictability of a throw with different speeds, angles, or spins, and your brain is forced to react, adjust, and stay engaged.

This type of play improves:

• Attention control (focusing on multiple things at once)
• Cognitive flexibility (adjusting to unexpected changes)
• Spatial awareness and memory
• Quick decision-making under pressure

Compare that to a more routine workout, where movements can become automatic and require less real-time thinking. Play keeps the brain actively involved.

Building Creativity and Problem-Solving

As play becomes more complex, it encourages something called divergent thinking—the ability to come up with multiple solutions to a problem.

Players start to experiment:

• Trying new throwing patterns
• Changing strategies
• Creating unpredictable movements

This kind of imaginative play taps into areas of the brain responsible for creativity and planning. It makes the game more dynamic and, in turn, pushes everyone involved to elevate their skills.

Just as importantly, successfully navigating these challenges builds confidence and reinforces a mindset of continuous learning.

The Role of Reflection

One of the most effective ways to deepen the benefits of play is through guided discovery.

After a game, simple questions can help participants reflect and improve:

• “What were you focusing on when deciding where to move?”
• “Which throws were hardest to react to?”
• “How did you keep your opponent guessing?”

This kind of reflection helps connect the physical experience with mental awareness. Players begin to understand not just what they did, but why they did it—and how they can improve.

From Practice Back to Play

After breaking down skills and working on them individually, the next step is bringing everything back into the game.

With repetition, these skills become automatic. That’s the goal! Building reactions and coordination that don’t require overthinking in the moment.

Research continues to show that better coordination and faster reflexes can reduce the risk of falls and everyday injuries. But beyond the physical benefits, play also:

• Builds confidence
• Strengthens social connections
• Keeps movement enjoyable

Why It Matters

When people understand why play is important, it changes how they approach it. It’s no longer “just a game” it’s meaningful, high-level training that happens to be fun.

By giving individuals the tools to reflect, improve, and re-engage, we help them develop skills that last a lifetime. And maybe most importantly, we remind them that improving their health and performance doesn’t always have to feel like work.

Sometimes, it just looks like play.

You get the required amount of sleep but all day long you still feel you’re in second gear. You’ve tried caffeine and sugar to help pep you up, but nothing seems to work. Luckily, there are some healthy tweaks you can do to help you feel energized all day long. Read below and chat with your doctor on how these nutrition, lifestyle or supplement changes may help you.

Make Your Meals Count

You may think that a Frappuccino, an energy drink or a smoothie are the best things to consume to start the day. This may be the very reason why you’re feeling so tired mid-afternoon! Instead start your day with a meal filled with a lean protein, some fiber rich carbohydrates and healthy fats. Did you know that the afternoon sluggish feeling is related to a naturally occurring dip in your circadian rhythm? But having a low fiber, high carb breakfast will amplify that sluggish feeling all day long.

Another place we get into trouble is with our lunch. A large plate of pasta and a soda is sure to leave you feeling tired. The best way to figure out what works for your body is to observe how you feel 30 minutes and two hours after you eat. If you feel a dip in your energy, start playing with your protein, fat and carbohydrate ratio. To start with, try eating a meal that is made up of 45% carbohydrates (vegetables, and whole grain), 10%-35% protein (fish, chicken, lentils) and 20%-35% fat (avocados, nuts, seeds). By incorporating this formula, it will keep your blood sugar in better balance, help prevent that sleepy feeling you get after you eat and improve your energy levels.

Sleep

Problems falling asleep, tossing and turning and not being able to fall back asleep are obvious reasons you may be feeling a lack of energy. The best way to combat these things is to forgo that 3pm caffeine boost and to get in sync with your circadian rhythm. Our natural sleep/wake cycles do best if we go to bed around 10pm and keep a consistent bedtime.

Not being able to go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night can be frustrating. It’s almost as if someone has turned on a light in your brain. My favorite two techniques to combat this are: meditation and writing out what’s stressing you out before going to bed.

Stress and Adrenal Fatigue

Being in a consistent stressed-out state can cause you to develop a symptom called Adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue robs you of energy, prevents you from getting a good night sleep and causes you to crave sweet or salty foods. Meditation, yoga and apoptogenic herbs can help combat adrenal fatigue. These healing herbs can help balance the body’s natural response to handle stress by supporting the adrenal system.

The best adaptogen herbs to help boost energy are: ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil and ginseng.

B Vitamins

Known as the “energy vitamins”. Having low levels of B vitamins, especially B12, can cause you to feel fatigued. Ironically, having enough B vitamins in your diet also helps with getting a good night sleep. B vitamins are found in foods such as eggs, salmon, beef, chicken, avocado, leafy greens, milk, yogurt and legumes.

Exercise

When you’re feeling tired, the last thing you may want to do is exercise. Exercise is a great way to get your blood moving, which helps your heart and lungs work more efficiency, which in turn gives you more energy. On top of this, exercise increases your endorphin levels. Increased endorphin levels help make you feel good, decrease the feeling of being stressed out and helps you sleep better.

Moderate exercise is all you need. Contact one of your NIFS representatives to learn additional techniques to have more energy or to have them design a customized, and energizing work for you.

There isn’t anything easy about it. Residents were put to the test during Active Aging Week 2018 by completing an electric wheelchair obstacle course. An electric wheelchair is quite an intimidating assisted device that many residents around the building use to navigate the building. This was a great chance to see how residents could handle themselves in a situation where an electric wheelchair might be a last effort chance to remain independent and mobile.

The primary goal of this activity was for residents to see how life felt in someone else’s shoes for a moment. Electric wheelchairs aren’t always an ideal way to get around. Sure, it might get you from point A to point B in a shorter amount of time, but they often get looked down upon for “taking the easy way out.” Is it really the easy way out? The only easy thing about it seemed to be the fact that one could sit down in the process. Residents were quick to find out how much dexterity and fine motor skills are involved in steering this battery operated device.

Cones were set up in a large circle in the center of the room. Residents were instructed to drive around the circle as close to the cones as possible. When they made it the entire way around, they turned into the circle between two cones, without hitting them, and circled the cones in the opposite direction. Following the completion of the change of direction, the residents were instructed to pull between two cones that were located against the wall. This exercise was designed to simulate pulling between two chairs at the dinner table. They had to stop before the wheelchair crashed into the table (in this case, the wall). Then they had to back up as straight as possible and drive back to the starting position to exchange with the next resident in line.

All of the residents noted how fidgety the steering component was on the device. It didn’t always move in the exact manner they intended. The wheels are located in the back of the chair, which produces a much smaller turning radius that threw the residents for quite a loop. Some had trouble with speed control. Some had trouble with backing up. Everyone had their own complaints or pains about using the wheelchair for those 5 minutes.

Overall, the consensus was the same. Everyone enjoyed the experience, but knew they didn’t want to use the chair full time. Each person spoke about the stigma that came with using an electric wheelchair in public. Many residents would jump to the other side of the room when someone approached them in the chair because they thought they were too dangerous. Now the hope is that people will be more considerate and thoughtful towards those residents confined to a chair for mobility and independence.

NIFS can to help initiate activities like this at your community! Click below to download our quick read on how outsourcing your community fitness center might be the right move.  

Truly, one of the things I love about working in senior living is the passion employees have for serving the residents who live in their communities. Despite variation in the physical spaces’ amenities, decor, and size, the culture of caring about the residents is consistent. The people who work in senior living are genuinely committed to getting to know their residents as a means of helping them live exceptionally well.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but the other half of my career is spent in corporate

wellness, where the bottom line often drives the conversation. And while I think employers do care about their workforce, that’s not their starting point for investing in any wellness initiative. So when I work with senior living communities on improving their programming and activities for residents, I’m often surprised at what an afterthought their exercise amenities and services are. The clear appetite to provide residents with the very best options for living just doesn’t square with what’s in place for resident exercise at the community.

 If this disconnect resonates with you and you’re looking to make a change, consider
improving your resident exercise program with the tips below as ways to live up to your commitment to build active living options for your residents.

1. Provide staffing in your exercise program.

Residents will not (I repeat, will not) use your exercise equipment and spaces without the right leadership in that area of the community. It’s not sufficient to simply offer exercise classes, nor is it adequate service to have a trainer in the gym a few hours per week to offer assistance on the equipment. You can hire your own manager, or you can work with a fitness management company like ours. For more information on how get exercise leadership right in your community, check out some of the blogs we’ve written on the importance of staffing.

• How Fitness Managers Should Be Spending Their Time in Senior Living Fitness Centers
• Three Tips for Hiring an Active Aging or Corporate Fitness Professional
• Why Hiring the Right Trainer for Your Senior Fitness Program Is Vital

Fitness equipment isn’t cheap, but the items used for group classes are far less expensive than the capital equipment in the fitness center. For $5,000, you can buy one new treadmill, or you can buy a classroom worth of new resistance chairs. There are a lot of practical tools that group fitness instructors can use in classes to make them more interesting and more effective for the residents, and they aren’t that expensive. In your next budgeting cycle, make room for a few of these options:

• Small weighted balls: Sets of the 1.1# and 2.2# work well.
• Airex balance pads: Buy enough for each person in balance class to have one.
• BOSU: Buy a few to use in stations on a strength or balance class.

3. Establish a cross-referral system between your fitness center and your therapy group.

If you have qualified staff in your fitness center and there is not already a relationship between that individual and your therapy team, building a bridge between the two is low-hanging fruit on the improving-services tree. Check out this quick read to learn why we believe integration of therapy and fitness is important for resident well-being.

4. Take a hard look at all of your senior wellness initiatives and how fitness folds into that set of programming.

It should be woven in seamlessly among other programs and services designed to engage rather than entertain your residents. If all programming is being carried off in silos, it’s time to take a fresh approach. If participation in programs and services is represented by the same handful of residents, it’s time to re-envision your offerings. If the activities calendar looks pretty much the same as it did last month, last quarter, and last year, it’s time to breathe new life into what you’re offering. Download this quick read for a series of questions you can use to evaluate the quality of your wellness programming. 

Living in the country can have its share of pros and cons when it comes to getting in your recommended daily activity. Although you might not have access to a fitness center at your fingertips, here is a list of 10 ways for seniors to stay active in multiple wellness dimensions while living in a rural area: 

1. Can you dig it?  Try gardening!  Plant your seeds and reap the benefits with a bouquet of flowers, a variety of vegetables, and some new herbs to spice up your daily activity as well as your meals.
2. Enjoy some time with nature by going on a nature hike!  With the scenery ever changing, this can be a beautiful change up to your typical cardiovascular exercise routine.  So don’t delay, lace up your shoes and take a hike!   
3. Go for a swim at a local lake or community pool.  This activity uses the gentle resistance of water to strengthen your muscles.  It is easier on joints and the buoyancy of the water is effective for those with balance issues.  Don’t forget your water floaties!
4. Walk a pet.  Take your favorite companion around the block for some good company during your exercise.  Maybe you start with a short distance that increases over time as you and your pet improve your stride and endurance together.
5. Not feeling like going outside?  Then workout to a fitness DVD!  Pick out a yoga, gentle aerobics or senior boot camp DVD to do at your own pace in the comfort of your home.  What other workout DVDs do you recommend? 
6. Go to the mall!  Do laps around your local mall to get your steps in each day.  You don’t have to go into a store and make a purchase if you don’t want to, but this is a great option whether the weather is rain or shine!
7. Camping with the family.  Helping set up camp and carrying a pack can be a great way to burn calories while spending time with your loved ones.  Just avoid eating too many roasted marshmallows to gain back all of the hard earned calories that you just burned off!
8. Check off the “honey-do” list.  Kill two birds with one stone by doing chores around the house while making your spouse overwhelmingly appreciative of you!  Dust, vacuum, do the laundry or put way the dishes and work off calories all the while!
9. Do work around the yard.  Spend a nice, sunny afternoon outside by mowing, pruning and raking your yard.  Have a home improvement project that you’ve been putting off?  Then now is a great time to conquer it!  Your neighbors will be impressed by how immaculate your yard looks, and you will be reaping the benefits of your activity!
10. Play with your grandkids at a park or playground.  Tap into your inner child and participate in the games that suit your fancy!  These are memories that your grandchildren will cherish for the rest of their lives. 

What ways have you found to be fit in your area?  Keep in mind these safety recommendations to optimize your overall wellness.  Don’t live in a rural area?  Then check out this blog about Ways to Stay Fit in the City!

How many suffer from joint pain and inflammation?  Feel stiff and sore? Deal with lack of circulation, feel tired, depressed or have lack of energy, even have trouble sleeping? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the big question is why are you not getting a massage?!?

Getting a massage is a proven way to reduce some of these issues.  Because we are living longer and keeping much more active, our muscles, joints and bones will develop forms of stiffness, aches and pains.  In addition we start to have limited range of motion or flexibility.  Aging brings about many other conditions that affect our bodies, such as osteoporosis arthritis, back pain and reduction in circulation. Massage therapy cannot cure these issues, but it has been proven to alleviate them.  A good licensed massage therapist can use techniques that focus on areas of the body to gently get to those muscle contractions or knots, making the muscles feel less stiff with more capability to move. 

Feeling down and depressed? Guess what? Getting a massage can actually help improve your mental health.  A regular massage can play an important role in boosting moods by providing that much needed contact.  Sometimes certain oils or creams used in massage therapy are another form of enhancing mood. 

Can’t sleep? Guess what? That’s right a massage can help you sleep better! Massage Therapy has been proven to relax the body, reduce stress and even assist with concentration.  When you get a massage, you can throw away your worries or even think about things as you relax, therefore, not having to think about them when you’re ready for sleep.

So now that you realize how good massage can be follow these helpful tips prior to setting up an appointment:

• Always consult your physician and research your massage therapy options. 
• Look for a therapist who specializes in working with active agers.
• The words gently or soothing in the types of massage descriptions.
• Always get referrals
• Verify that they are licensed.  

The question is not why should I get a massage?  The question should be why not get a massage?

Your community fitness center is more than just group fitness classes, check out our white paper and how you can create a culture of wellness in your community.

Last week we talked about the proper way to warm up before exercising.  This week lets talk about cooling down post workout.  A proper cool down at the end of your workout is just as important as a total body dynamic warm up. Your goal during a cool down is to decrease heart rate and static stretch the muscles. To decrease heart rate, continue with low intensity cardio and reduce pace every minute or two. Marching, light jogging, or walking are great ways to get your heart rate back to its resting level. Static stretching prepares the body for its resting state. Start with some basic stretches. As you feel comfortable, incorporate some compound moves.

Basic:

• Upper back
• Check
• Quad
• Hamstring/calf
• Tricep
• Oblique
• Shoulders

Compound:

• Cobra
• Triangle
• Warrior 1
• Down on knee, hand inside foot, torso twist
• Eagle arms
• Downward dog
• Child’s pose

Check out these other blogs from NIFS Fitness Center Management's staff in regard to stretching:

Employee Health: Stretching and Ergonommics to prevent Injury

Workplace Wellness: Prevent Injuries with Stretching

Summer has flown by, unfortunately, and we’re headed into our last long weekend of summer. That obviously means have to have fun and live it up a little, so what better way to enjoy this three-day weekend than by spending time doing some of Indy’s popular activities with your family and friends?! There are a variety of activities available for all ages. You’re probably wondering what in the world there is to do in good ol’ Indianapolis. Some of the popular events include:

Family Adventures – You can test your risk taking and adventurous side by going to places like Go Ape! Treetop Adventure, a course at Eagle Creek with rope ladders, 39 crossings, including the log balance and flying carpet, Climb Time Indy, where you can challenge yourself with rock climbing, or Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park, which includes a Foam Zone, Ultimate Dodgeball, SkySlam basketball courts, and SkyRobics fitness classes. I have only been to Sky Zone and I must say I had just as much fun as the kids there and it totally wore me out!

ActiveIndy Tours – Enjoy some fresh air while enjoying a view of the city you live in! There are walking tours, biking tours, bike rentals (I’d totally love to try out those new Pacer bikes for my own tour!), running tours, and custom/private tours. You have quite opportunity to listen to stories and explore history! Another neat little piece of info – the running tour fee is donated to the Back on My Feet chapter, which in turn helps create self-sufficiency within the Indianapolis homeless community. I am one who lives giving back to the community, so I find that pretty neat!

Parks – I can hear that fresh air calling your name now! Did you know that Indianapolis has five recommended parks, White River State Park, Eagle Creek Park and Marina, Fort Harrison State Park, Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Garden, and Holliday Park. Each offers a different view or attraction. White River State Park, the park with a few of the finer attractions within walking distance of each other, includes the Indianapolis Zoo (definitely checkout the new Orangutan Exhibit), the Eitlejorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, NCAA Hall of Champions, Indian State Museum, Victory Field.  Eagle Creek Park and Marina is one of the nation’s largest city parks, encouraging you to enjoy the great outdoors and relaxation! The Harrison State Park offers a golf course, historic districts, and beautiful foliage! Garfield Park houses plants from the world’s tropics, and said to be every green thumb’s dream. Every kid’s dream park has to be Holliday Park, considering its slide towers, tunnels, bridges, climbable spider web, and trail along the White River.

Fitness Center – Wanting to try a new gym without making the full commitment on the first day? NIFS offers a 14-day trial pass, allowing you to experience opportunities that fit your fitness level and interest; from group fitness classes, an NBA sized basketball court, to a relaxing steam room or sauna - you’re bound to find something that keeps you motivated and active!

The opportunities for a fun-filled weekend are endless!  You can read up and research activities that suit your fancy through the linked words above, but whatever you do, get out this weekend and enjoy every minute of it! Indy’s popular activities aren’t limited to just Labor Day weekend, so if this weekend is filled for you, plan for another weekend to be active and explore Indianapolis’ beauty!

What fun activities does your city offer?