What are people most thankful for as they age?
"In my experience, people are most thankful for their health and independence as they age. Many people want to live in their homes as long as possible. When people start to lose their independence, this can be harder to achieve."
Why do people lose their independence with age?
"One of the biggest complaints of aging is trouble with walking and stairs. This happens due to loss of strength as you get older. With normal aging, you lose 3% of your muscle strength every year. This can show up in many ways: having more trouble taking care of your home, getting out in the community or enjoying your hobbies."
Is there anything people can do to be proactive?
"Yes. A strength training program can help to minimize strength loss as you age. The key is it must be progressive, meaning it gets more challenging with time. I find the biggest problem with exercise programs for aging adults is they are not challenging enough to build strength."
What if you have multiple health issues?
"Strength training is safe for adults of any age, with any medical issue. If you have concerns about strength training because of a medical concern or pain issues, a physical therapist is the perfect person to help you create a custom program for you."
What's the key to staying independent?
"The key to staying independent is participating in exercises that cover your strength, balance and endurance on a weekly basis. Oftentimes people have one area covered, but not all three of these effectively, leading to declines. This is one of the things we specialize in at HouseFit, creating custom exercise programs to help aging adults age in place and enjoy life."
HouseFit provides free, in-home fitness consultations; sign up by calling 314.939.1377.
"With normal aging, people lose 3% of their muscle strength every year. This can show up in many ways: having more trouble taking care of the home, getting out in the community or enjoying hobbies."