My good friend Rebecca Prouty owns Always Best Care in Temecula, a company that provides in-home care for seniors. The following article is re-published with her permission from their recent newsletter.
6 Benefits of Hiring a Personal Trainer for Seniors
Spring is on the way, and that means getting out and about to enjoy the warmer weather. It’s a time to start gardening, golfing, and playing with grandkids at the park. However, in order to make the most of this time, seniors need to be feeling strong and able to navigate their surroundings. Hiring a personal trainer can help older adults boost their health and mobility as they age so they can stay as active as possible.
Why Choose a Personal Trainer Over Going It Alone at the Gym?
There are gyms and fitness centers all over where members can come and go as they please to work out. So why opt for a personal trainer?
1 Safety. Going to the gym can be intimidating, and using equipment incorrectly or performing exercises with improper form can lead to injury. A personal trainer is right there to ensure that seniors are doing each exercise correctly and know how to use equipment. They can modify exercises to accommodate limited mobility, poor balance, weakness, and much more to keep individuals safer.
2 Age-appropriate exercises. Personal trainers understand the unique challenges seniors face and that the workout a 20-year-old is doing may not be right for a 70-year-old. Instead, they can recommend a workout that focuses on specific goals the senior may have such as core strength, balance, coordination, or flexibility.
3 Personalized attention. There’s no guessing involved when it comes to working out with a personal trainer. They tell individuals exactly what to do, demonstrate how to do it, then watch while it’s being done. As seniors make progress toward their goals, the trainer can increase the intensity, adjust modifications, or add new exercises. Everything is based on the senior’s needs, not a cookie-cutter program.
What are the Benefits of Staying Active for Seniors?
In working with a personal trainer, seniors can experience a wide range of benefits they might not get being inactive.
1 Ward off disease. Physical exercise can enhance the immune system, support cardiovascular health, improve digestion, and help with managing diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions. It is also great for mental health because it can reduce risk of depression, decrease stress, and improve cognitive function.
2 Improved mobility. A personal trainer can work with seniors to build muscle strength and increase flexibility which can help with coordination, balance, and overall mobility. Many seniors want to stay active and be on the go, so keeping their body healthy can help them do so for as long as possible. They can bend, stretch, sit, stand, run, twist, and turn with more confidence and greater ease.
3 Increased independence. As more seniors choose to age in place, working with a personal trainer can help them continue to maintain their independence. They can focus on exercises to help with navigating their home, completing activities of daily living, improving strength and endurance, and much more.
As seniors age, maintaining good health is essential, and working with a personal trainer can play an integral role. In addition, partnering with an in-home care provider can also help seniors stay on top of everything they need and want to do while getting personalized assistance. Always Best Care offers a wide range of in-home care services tailored to fit each person’s unique needs and can support seniors in aging in place more safely and confidently. Contact us today at (855) 470-2273 to learn more and schedule a free consultation.
For additional ideas to stay active, give me a call!
We can discuss some practical tips and discover if any of my programs or classes are a good fit for your friends or family.
If you’d like to schedule that call with me, just CLICK THIS LINK, and let me know in the message that you would like a 1-on-1 call with me right away and I will be in touch to schedule that—oh, and leave me your phone number in there too since email is not as reliable as it used to be! Thanks.
Lisa Teresi Harris is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer, and author of the book Building Your Enduring Fitness. A certified Geri-Fit Instructor, she helps Boomers and seniors to regain and keep muscle strength, mobility, and energy.
Contact Lisa to inquire about a customized, in-home fitness program for you or a loved one.