Chapter Summary
Starting with one or two types of exercises or physical activities and a schedule that you really can manage, then adding more as you adjust, is one way of ensuring that you will keep exercising. You are also more likely to keep exercising if you feel you can do your exercises correctly and safely, feel that they fit into your schedule, and don’t feel that they result in negative experiences, such as financial burdens or lost time.
Just knowing that physical activity can improve your health and abilities can be enough to keep you exercising, but you might need extra motivation sometimes. For those times, try exercising with a friend, listening to music, charting your progress, marking your calendar for exercise sessions, giving yourself exercise “assignments” ahead of time, and rewarding yourself when you achieve your goals.
Overall, your fitness should improve. If it doesn’t, review the instructions on how to progress in Chapter 4.
If you stick with your exercises for more than a month, it’s a good sign that you are on your way to making it a permanent habit. If you would like acknowledgment of your efforts, fill out the form at the end of this book, and we will send you a National Institute on Aging certificate.
Finding A Qualified Fitness Professional
Most older people can exercise just fine on their own, without advice from a fitness instructor. Some have special needs and may want to consult a professional. If you decide to seek advice, how can you tell whom to trust? Anyone can call himself or herself a fitness professional, and many people do — but that doesn’t always mean they have the training to help older people exercise safely and effectively.
Instructors who aren’t trained to work with older adults, specifically, might not be aware of their needs. For example, they might not know that certain conditions or medications can change older people’s heart rates or that people with osteoporosis risk spine fractures if they do some types of forward-bending exercises incorrectly.
