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!

So what’s so practical about going to the gym, anyway? We can always find a million and one good reasons not to go. The dishes aren’t done, I haven’t finished reading the newspaper, the laundry is piling up, I have a headache, it’s too nice to be stuck inside, I’ve had a bad day…the list of excuses can go on and on. So why even bother?

The good news is that you don’t have to work out. But with every yin there is a yang, and the bad news is that if you choose not to exercise, you can expect to have a tougher time, especially as you get older, with simple daily tasks.

What Happens When You Can’t Perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

At this point in your life I bet you can’t imagine not being able to walk up and down a flight of stairs, or losing the ability to dress yourself or brush your own hair. These are simple activities of daily living that we tend to take for granted. I can’t imagine entrusting my 5-year-old nephew with picking out clothes and putting them on me. I would probably have on a t-shirt with dinosaurs or a front-end loader on it, a pair of warmup pants (on backward, of course), and slip-on Wellie boots on the wrong feet. So thank goodness I can manage to get myself together and pick out my own clothes at this point in my life—and walk up and down the stairs to pick out said clothes, and get myself to work, or out to dinner with my husband, or on a walk with the dogs.

So how do we lose the ability to do functional movements that seem mundane at this point in our lives? It all boils down to inactivity. Sure, there are a lot of other issues that can compound the simple act of avoiding movement and exercise. But the act of avoiding movement and exercise on its own is enough, over time, and added to the natural muscular wasting or atrophy that occurs as we age, creates a perfect storm of problems that can seem insurmountable.

We need movement, especially weight-bearing exercises, to keep our muscles healthy and vital. As we age (Newsflash: we are all getting older; by the time you get to the end of this blog, you will be 10 minutes older), our bodies are less able to both maintain and create new muscle. Once you reach age 70, this issue begins to accelerate. By age 80 the problem has moved into the fast lane, and boy does she have a lead foot. 

The Senior Fitness Solution: Keep Moving and Staying Active

This wasting process makes daily activities increasingly more difficult. And now we are back to the idea of going to the gym, because we don’t want our legs to shrivel up like a worm that sits in the sun too long. But we still have the same old excuses. So what to do? Do the things that you want to continue to maintain your ability to do.

• Going up and down stairs: You still want to walk up and down the stairs? Take 10 to 15 minutes a day and briskly walk up and down the stairs. If you don’t have a staircase, use the curb outside or buy an aerobic step riser from a sporting goods store.
• Getting in and out of chairs (or on or off the toilet): Another key exercise for leg strength is a modified squat, or what we call a sit to stand (and it’s also good for balance). Sitting on the edge of a sturdy chair, trying not to use your arms, come up to a standing position. Then sit back down. Imagine you are sitting on a lemon meringue pie. Don’t splat it out; sit on it gently. Don’t stay in the chair. Just touch it with your rear end and then push back up. Try 2 or 3 sets of 10.
• Dressing yourself and performing ADLs: Want to still be able to dress yourself and brush your own hair? Do modified pushups or wall pushups! Two sets of 10 per day will be more than adequate. Add in some weights (you can just use soup cans) and do some overhead presses and a few bicep curls and reverse flys to activate the upper body. Stick with the idea of doing the exercises until the muscles fatigue, usually after 20 to 30 repetitions. Add in a few planks for core strength. If planks are out of your league right now, just do some bent-leg lifts while on your back on the floor.

All of this is probably within your reach now. But why don’t you take a few minutes after you finish reading this blog to test out your abilities. Do all the stuff I outlined above, with not too much of a break in between, and see how you do. If it is a little or a lot tough, keep at it! It will get easier, and you will still be able to brush your hair and get off the toilet as you age! I’d say that active aging is a reward in and of itself.

Check out more great ideas like this from our staff!  Click below for more best practices from NIFS.

It's important to work your core to help improve your balance and stability which can help you to complete every day activities with ease.  The core consists of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips, and pelvis.  You don't need a lot of equipment to work your core properly, you don't actually need anything other than your own body weight to work on stabilizing and strengthening your muscles.  Want some cool, core exercises that you can use dumbbells with? Look no further! Below is a complete core workout that can be done with or without dumbbells. If you choose, grab some light to medium dumbbells and do the exercises below 8-10 reps before moving on to the next exercise. Repeat the whole circuit 3 times for some core-blasting fun!

Workout

1. Alternating Straight Leg V-ups*
2. V-up Figure 8s*
3. Plank w/ front and lateral rotation*
4. V-sit Around the World*
5. Russian Twists*
6. Plank w/ Reach Unders*

*=R and L side count as 1 rep