Functional Fitness at 50 and Older

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Functional Fitness at 50and Older

• Presented by
• Maureen Hagan
• BScPT, BA PE
• ACE, Can-Fit-Pro Certified
• 2006 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year
• 1998 IDEA Program Director of the Year

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Session Objectives

• Learn how to build a functionally strong body for
  the golden years of living
• Evaluate the unique benefits associated with
  functional fitness exercise,
• Review training principals specific to developing
  functional neuro-muscular fitness that will
  enhance physical performance, quality of
  independent living and help minimize risk for
  falling.
• Discuss specific exercises and learn how to
  develop and implement a one-on-one or small group
  functional fitness program incorporating a
  variety of equipment options.

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Benefits Associated withFunctional Exercise

• General benefits are many and include (but not
  limited to)
• Increases bone density and strength,
• Enhances mobility,
• Increases stamina,
• Enhances quality of sleep,
• Reduces joint stiffness and pain,
• Increases lean muscle mass,
• Enhances metabolism body composition,
• Decreases risk for aging related injuries and
  diseases
• Increases opportunities to meet and socialize
  with people and function independently.

• Specific benefits associated with functional
  exercise include (but limited to)
• Improves posture and muscular balance,
• Improves body control and coordination,
• Improves ability to move more effectively and
  efficiently,
• Help prevent risk of overuse injury and falls,
• Improves Activities of Daily Living (ADLs),
• Reduces fear of falling commonly associated with
  declining visual, vestibular and somatosensory
  systems,
• Increases confidence and quality of life.

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Functional Fitnessa Balancing Act

• Defined as
• Integrated, usable strength, both mobile and
  stable in nature involving the agonist,
  antagonist, synergist, stabilizer and neutralizer
  muscles.
• Strength is not just about muscle. It is about
  facilitating neuromuscular coordination
  integrated within whole body strength maneuvers
  to target gross movement patterns and specific
  skill sets to better serve the clients specific
  goals.
• Functional strength is real strength, the ability
  to maintain stability at any given joint at any
  given time and the ability to maintain ones base
  of support in any given static or dynamic
  posture.

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Functional Fitnessa Balancing Act

• Strength and Stability
• Strength (Resistance) training increases
• Lean (skeletal) muscle mass and physical
  capacity metabolism, body composition, aerobic
  capacity, bone density etc.
• Muscular strength and endurance,
• Mobility coordination, proprioception, skill
  execution .

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Functional Fitnessa Balancing Act

• Strength and Stability
• Stability training increases
• Balance static and dynamic.
• Strength of core/postural muscles,
• Spinal alignment and integrity,
• Strength training alone has only a moderate
  effect of improving balance. The ability to
  maintain balance involves a complex set of
  process that require successful integration of
  multiple components including the sensory system
  (visual, vestibular and somatosensory) which are
  not typically influenced by strength training.

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Why Train Strength Balance in Tandem?

• Static Balance ability to control
  posture/position over its base of support while
  standing stationary.
• Dynamic Balance ability to react to changes in
  balance and to anticipate changes as the body
  moves including maintaining balance while walking
  and stepping.
• Visual system provides information about a
  persons position and movement through the
  environment.
• Vestibular system located in the inner ears
  provides information about head movement and body
  position in space.
• Somatosensory system monitors the bodys
  position and contact with other objects
  (including the floor) using muscle receptors that
  detect limb and body movement and skin receptors
  that relay information about touch and vibration.
• Based on the input from these three systems, the
  brain sends signals to muscles that make the
  necessary corrections to maintain balance if
  impaired, the bodys ability to maintain balance
  diminishes and the risk and fear of falling
  increases.

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Functional Fitness is training the body to
perform as a whole, integrated unit

• Develop adequate strength, stabilization and
  flexibility in key postural muscle groups,
• Stabilize the core (spine, pelvis and shoulder
  girdle),
• Maintain posture and awareness of alignment in a
  variety of static positions, as well as during
  dynamic movement,
• Achieve optimal static and dynamic balance,
• Enhance a persons ability to perform ADLs, as
  well as maintain or improve health,
  create/maintain independence, avoid
  falling/injuries and motivate clients to perform
  at their best

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Functional Fitness Formula

• Independence in
• performing ADLs, ?
• Strength-endurance
• balance,
• stability, power ?
• ROM (mobility
• flexibility ?
• Foundation- postural
• alignment, gait,
• mind-body ?

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Functional Fitness Formula for ALL Ages

• Level 1 Isolate Educate Focus on muscle
  isolation training participants to selectively
  contract individual muscle groups increasing
  awareness and confidence and basic levels of
  muscle function, adequate strength and
  flexibility.
• Level 2 Add External Resistance with lever
  length, weights, resistance tubing or bands
  introducing minimal amounts of stabilization and
  core alignment introduced.
• Level 3 Add Functional Training Positions
  Progress from lying (prone and supine) to sitting
  or standing positions so that base of support is
  reduced and the stabilizer challenge is increased
  as stabilizers.
• Level 4 Combine Increased Function with
  Resistance from gravity, external weights, or
  bands and tubes is maximized and overload is
  increased on the core stabilizer muscles in
  functional positions.
• Level 5 Multiple Muscle Groups in Increased
  Resistance and Core Challenge integrated total
  body movement with external resistance and
  dynamic positions.
• Level 6 Add Balance, Increased Functional
  Challenge, Speed and Rotational Movements

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Functional Fitness Program Progression

• Progression One
• Low resistance exercises using gravity, light
  resistance ie tubing,
• Externally stabilized, performed from a seated or
  supine position,
• Performed with a slow and controlled cadence,
• May or may not involved joint movement.
• Progression Two
• Low to moderate resistance using machines or
  dumbbells,
• May or may not involve external stabilization,
• Involves either single or multi-joint movement,
• Performed at a moderate assimilated to
  life/functional need,
• Involves a great deal of balance.
• Progression Three
• Multiple joint movement,
• Involves internal stability factors,
• Higher level movement exercises,
• Performed a variable speeds,
• Mostly free weight exercises.

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Sample ProgramFunctional 50 Fitness

• Weight bearing/Closed Kinetic Chain activities
• LOWER BODY
• March forwards and backwards (with reciprocal
  arms) changing direction while walking, step
  ups, step downs, heel raises/toe raises
• Squats (from sitting to standing)- with
  tubing/bands looped under feet (pull up as you
  stand)? lunges? wall squats and lunges (with
  stability ball) ?integrate upper body ie-squat
  while lifting ball overhead, lift from squat and
  rotate side-side, walking lunges
• Single Leg Standing exercises for integrated
  balance and integrated upper body conditioning
  ie- standing con/ecc bicep curls, OH presses, mod
  rotator cuff, dia wood chop
• Hip Hinge ie- seated row, standing deadlift/row
• Side stepping? progress to traveling moves and
  sequences ie low impact fitness
• UPPER BODY
• Alt arm leg lifts ie- standing, seated, on
  hands knees, prone or side lying.
• Bridge? Plank? Side stand ?Down Dog
• Modified push-ups (Sloppy Push-Ups) for
  scapular stabilization and spinal extension? Up
  Dog
• CORE
• Alt arm leg lift on hands and knees, prone,
  supine (Deadbug)
• Abdominal cycle
• Abdominal rollover
• V-sit
• Sample 6 week progressive group program
  available recommended resources references

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Equipment Options

• Chair? Bench
• Body Resistance- at the wall, on the floor
  (supine, side-lying, prone)
• Stability Ball, small inflated balls
• Resistance Tubing/Bands- variety of colors
  (intensity levels),
• Dumbbells,
• Med/Plyo balls
• BOSU Trainer
• Towels, scarves
• Wobble boards, foam rollers, Fit Disc
• ProGliders (new) or paperplates
• Have you considered the magic of water fitness?

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AGE is no barrier

• Educate
• Importance and relationship to everyday life
  activities (ADLs),
• Benefits that relate to maintaining independent
  living,
• Proper exercise attire and footwear,
• Ways to reduce safety hazards in the home or
  other environments that may results in falls or
  other injuries,
• Alternative functional fitness experiences Yoga,
  Pilates, Tai Chi, Water Fitness etc.
• Motivate
• Group or partner training
• Short term programs/term memberships
• Music
• Props chair/counter/cane/wall for support,
  scarves, paper plates, balloon, string, beach
  ball etc
• Communicate
• Ways to conduct training at home or away
  independently
• Options for accommodating all levels of ability
• Sensitive to marketing and advertising methods
  (testimonial, newspaper, advertisements, internet)

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Recommended Resources

• Hagan, Maureen, FIT-iology- the Study of Fitness
  In Action, Volumes I, II III, Volumes
  Publishing
• Rose, Debra J., Fall Proof- A Comprehensive
  Balance and Mobility Training Program , Human
  Kinetics 2003
• Van Norman, Kay A., Exercise Programming for
  Older Adults, Human Kinetics Publisher, 1998
• The Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals
  Older Adult Fitness Specialist Certification
  Manual, Canada 2003
• ACE Exercise for Older Adults Guide for Fitness
  Professionals
• The Journal on Active AgingInternational Council
  on Active Aging (ICAA)

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Your Speaker

• IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year 2006
• IDEA International Program Director of the
  Year1998
• Vice President- Operations, GoodLife Fitness
  Clubs, Canada
• Director of Education-Can-Fit-Pro (Canadian
  Fitness Professionals)
• Licensed Physiotherapist
• adidas sponsored athlete
• Author of FIT-iology-the study of fitness in
  action,
• Volumes I II
• Professional Speaker with Canadian Association of
  Professional Speakers
• Website www.mohagan.com
• Email mo_at_goodlifefitness.com