Why Fitness Matters to the "AARP" Crowd!

As one ages, it is obvious that the body suffers from acute on chronic inertia and soon deteriorates.  One of the leading causes of death is the "DREADED FALL".  The 'AARP' fall (anyone 50 or over) leads to multiple deaths and morbidity.  The CDC reports that each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls.  Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death.  One out of three older adults 65 and older falls each year, but less than half talk to their healthcare providers about it.  Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and no-fatal injuries.  In 2010, 2.3 million non-fatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized.  In 2010, the direct medical costs of fall, adjusted for inflation, was $30 billion.

It is imperative that one is not only concerned with their lipids, cholesterol, ad blood pressure, but their flexibility, mobility, balance, and strength.  Being a member of a health club with a high % of healthy seniors, it became apparent that regular fitness works.  The joke among our co-workers is that at work we are lean, mean fighting machines compared to everyone else, but at the health club we would be classified as overweight, out-of-shape, and a potential medical disaster.

The balance, flexibility go first that leads to a decrease in mobility ad strength.  Avoid 'face plants' - the act of landing face first as a result of an accident or error- by getting involved.

We recommend any continuous- life-long- exercise program that one likes, but it must include cardiovascular and strength/flexibility training.  Yoga, Pilates, personal training, TRX, group workouts, or any of the number of fitness plans work.  Do not be embarrassed y the inability to perform easy exercises in the beginning.  You will and can catch up- you will surprise yourself!