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- Exercise
How to progress aerobic intensity in a chair class by Phyllis Kenworthy and Linda Ralston
Elder individuals are drawn to chair fitness for many reasons. They know they don’t have the strength, stamina or quickness to participate in low-impact aerobics, yet they also know that those weaknesses, if not attended to, will contribute to dependency and loss of normal functions.
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Muscular conditioning for active-aging athletes by Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, CSCS
Do you remember when you were in elementary school, sitting for hours in the classroom and then running outside for recess? You didn’t warm up; you just ran as fast as you could playing tag and other stop-and-go games. If you’re reading this article, however, those days are long gone. And a warm-up period may be the most important aspect of your activity sessions today.
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Get ready for summer! A fitness program to prepare for vacations by Michael E. Rogers, PhD, Nicole L. Rogers, PhD and Phillip Page, MS, PT
Summer is vacation time for many older adults. Whether they plan to carry a backpack on the Appalachian Trail, walk on the cobblestone streets in Prague, drive a recreational vehicle across the country to visit grandchildren or stand on a ferry sailing along Alaska’s Inside Passage, a good level of physical fitness will help them enjoy a vacation full of new and exciting activities.
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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.
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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.
Exercise
Creating effective tennis programs for adults over 50 by Anne Davis, MA
Remember the tennis boom of the 1970s and ’80s, when it seemed like everyone was playing the sport? Well, tennis appears to be experiencing a new surge in growth. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, tennis is the only traditional participation sport in which participation grew from 2000 to 2005—a 10.3% increase. All other traditional sports declined in participation.
Are today’s Baby Boomers, who were part of the first tennis boom, contributing to this growth? A 2006 participation survey by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) shows that one in four frequent players is over age 50.2 (Frequent players are those who play tennis 21 or more times a year.) Why do these individuals play so much? Because tennis is fun, beneficial to health, and thanks to new technology, both easier to play and less stressful on the body. For these reasons, effective tennis programs can promote active aging, helping wellness-focused facilities and communities to attract and serve the age 50-plus adult.
