Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Core time: stability from the 'inside-out', by Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FASCM
The extensive work of Stuart McGill, PhD, professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, grounds the exercises presented in this article. McGill’s second edition of Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation1 expands his original work to include new issues in spinal health, and offers innovative training tips that connect to daily living. His evidence zeros in on practical, effective exercises that address back health from both prevention and rehabilitation perspectives. In my article, the focus is on water training ideas that may help healthy people prevent low back pain.
moreExercise
Strengthening active older adults for better tennis, fitness and health by Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, CSCS
Active older adults typically perform a variety of physical activities, but few of these provide progressive resistance exercise. For example, walking, running, cycling, swimming and other aerobic activities promote cardiovascular fitness, but they do not prevent the five-to-seven-pound-per-decade muscle loss associated with the aging process.
To maintain (and regain) muscle tissue, older adults must regularly perform sensible strength training. A recent study with 1,644 adults (mean age 53 years) showed an average muscle gain of 3.1 lbs. after 10 weeks of two or three weekly weight workouts. The same study revealed similar rates of muscle development for older, middle-aged and younger adults.
Sports and athletics
Sexuality in older adults by Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP
Despite the fact that it is not often discussed and not something anyone wants to hear about, many older adults are interested in sex, and some lead active sex lives and enjoy sexual activity. Sexual activity is associated with health, and illness can have a major impact on both sexual activity and satisfaction. Also affecting sexual activity are the many physiological changes that occur in both men and women with age.
moreEmotional wellness
Research fuels new physical activity recommendations for older adults by Marilynn Larkin, MA
On August 1, 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) unveiled updated physical activity recommendations for healthy adults ages 18–64 years, and companion recommendations for those ages 65 and older. The companion recommendations extend to adults ages 50–64 years who have chronic health conditions or functional limitations that impact their fitness, physical activity or ability to move. Together, the new recommendations “reflect the growing importance of ensuring safe, effective physical activity for adults ages 50 and older,” observes Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA), an association that supports professionals who develop wellness and fitness facilities and services for adults over 50.
moreResearch
Promoting good balance: encouraging older adults to undertake activities that improve balance by Lucy Yardley, PhD, and Chris Todd, PhD
Poor balance, leading to falling, can pose a major problem in later life. Around one in three older people fall each year, and 10% of these are seriously injured, many never fully recovering. The risk of falling can also lead to fear, restriction of activity, and loss of independence. The costs of caring for people who fall have been estimated at $20 billion a year in the United States alone, and are forecast to triple over the next 50 years. Fortunately, there is now good evidence that teaching older people how to undertake “strength and balance training” can reduce their risk of falling.
moreBalance training
Project Enhance: evidence-based programs succeed in communities
Developed in the mid-1990s by Seattle-based Senior Services in partnership with the University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative, Project Enhance (formerly known as the Senior Wellness Project) provides community health promotion programs for older adults. This initiative offers two nationally recognized evidence-based programs:
• EnhanceFitness, a low-cost, adaptable exercise program that offers levels challenging enough for active older adults and safe enough for unfit or near-frail elders
• EnhanceWellness, a motivational behavior-change intervention that encourages older adults with chronic conditions to take on health challenges and maintain control of their lives
