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.
Topic- Physical wellness
Step up physical activity with the sport of flyball by Mary E. Sanders, PhD, FACSM, RCEP
John Tresise’s goal was to take charge of his health. The 69-year-old weighed too much and had diabetes plus other health-related issues. So he joined Energy BALANCE (Behavior And Lifestyle Assessment with Nutrition Centered Education), our individualized, comprehensive weight loss and wellness program at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. This program in the Division of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Metabolism is led by a team of physicians, dieticians and an exercise physiologist. Our provider team listened to John’s stories, evaluated his health status, and developed medical, nutritional and exercise goals to meet his objectives.
morePhysical wellness
Review the new health and activity guidelines
Any organization has the ability to produce a “guidelines” document, and many of them do as part of their missions to educate their stakeholders. Medical and health care societies, government agencies, associations, universities, research centers—guidelines come from all these sources.
In general, guidelines relevant to health care and lifestyle activities are produced by forming a committee (or more than one group) of people with academic and practice expertise to compile research on a topic and sort it according to the quality of the studies. Based on the evidence, the group makes recom-mendations.
Physical wellness
Boosting personal energy for adults 50 and over by Ron Woods, PhD
For many individuals, the longer they live, the less personal energy they seem to have. Savvy marketers have picked up the ball on this “energy shortage” and hawk energy drinks loaded with caffeine, energy bars and foods, sleep aids, and diet and other “natural supplements” that promise more get up and go.
morePhysical wellness
Strength training past 50 for cyclists by Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, CSCS and Thomas R. Baechle, EdD, CSCS
Bicycling is a truly amazing aerobic activity that can be performed and enjoyed by a large percentage of older adults. The wheels provide exponential advantages over ambulatory exercise on level surfaces and down hills. However, the additional weight of the cycle renders uphill riding much more physically demanding than uphill walking or running.
This is one reason why all cyclists, and especially older cyclists, should perform strength training.
Physical wellness
Techniques to encourage progress by Kelly A. Stranburg, MEd
During this millennium of wellness, we strive daily to guide older adults down the best path towards greater health and an improved quality of life. We implement programs within each of the dimensions of wellness with the ultimate goal of meeting the personal needs and interests of our residents while keeping them engaged in life and functioning at their highest practicable level.
Encouraging residents to participate in a variety of exercise classes is a positive avenue for helping them achieve this goal. Focusing on strength, balance, mobility and flexibility can lead to improvement or maintenance of independence. Without guidance and encouragement, residents will not improve these physical components and thus not be able to perform simple activities of daily living over time.
Physical wellness
Add chairs to your list of valuable equipment by Cammy Dennis
Aging actively is critical to maintaining function, independence and quality of life. As instructors and program facilitators, our challenge is to provide a workout that offers the appropriate exercise prescription for a group of people that usually ranges drastically in physical capabilities.
The chair is a wonderful way to meet this challenge. It is a versatile tool that can be incorporated into exercise classes in many ways, just as you incorporate different types of free weights and exercise balls.
