At-home fitness programs benefit older adults, study says
Maintaining a regular exercise routine can be challenging for older adults — especially those with physical limitations due to injury or chronic illness.
But home-based DVD exercise programs may be the answer to this problem, a new study found.
-
Sell Your Test Strips for Cash
Sell Your Test Strips With Confidence. We Offer Top Prices, Free Shipping, Fast Payments.
www.assistdiabetics.com
See It Now -
We Buy Your Unused Test Strips
Do You Have Unused Diabetes Test Strips? Get Cash Fast For Your Test Strips. Earn Money Today.
www.assistdiabetics.com/sell/test/strips
See It Now
New video focuses on health interventions
Researchers from the University of Illinois studied the health and fitness habits of 307 older adults from different cities and towns in the area. Half of the participants used a home-based fitness video, and the other half watched a video about healthy aging.
The fitness video, called FlexToBa, was created to help seniors improve toning, flexibility and balance, which are three areas that are often associated with the feasibility of independent living as adults age. The video aims to help viewers progress to exercise three times a week over six months. Fitness challenges help seniors improve their skills while beginner modifications are offered for those that need them.
Are DVDs as effective as other programs?
The main goal of the study was to determine whether or not home-based programs are as effective as community-based fitness classes.
The authors note that the time and effort required to work out can be a major deterrent for older people.
"Physical activity is one of those behaviors that people find very easy to see as inconvenient and they will come up with any excuse not to do it," said Edward McAuley, University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor.
Results
But the results of the study were encouraging, as the participants who stuck with the FlexToBa program showed "clinically important" improvements when it came to tests of physical function. And unlike the control group, the fitness group showed increase in upper body strength and balance.
"This has important implications for an increasingly elderly population who are at risk for subsequent declines in function and increased disability," McAuley said. "We now know that this type of program can help to prevent that decline, and possibly reverse it."
The study appears in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.
Source: Medical News Net
Get a Free Diabetes Meal Plan
Get a free 7-Day Diabetes Meal Plan from Constance Brown-Riggs who is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and who is also a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Just enter in your email below to download your free Diabetes Meal Plan.
More Articles
More Articles
For decades people with type-1 and advanced type-2 diabetes relied on painful and often flawed insulin injections to regulate blood sugar...
Scientists have discovered that a single gene forms a common link between type 2 diabetes and...
Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...
Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...
Could a person's risk for type 2 diabetes be written in their genes?
According to a study recently published in ...
Women who frequently shift around their sleeping hours could have worse metabolic health outcomes than their peers who stick with a...
The presence of the hormone leptin may hinder prenatal development, which could explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, according to...
An analysis of fossilized Native American feces shows that our ancestors ate up to sixteen times the fiber that we do today, but our...
Managing diabetes is hugely challenging for people of any age, but a new study suggests that young people may suffer all the more....
Disruptions to the gut’s ecosystem could be a future symptom facing young children who take antibiotics, which makes them more susceptible...
Breastfeeding a newborn holds many benefits for mommy and baby; it reduces the baby's risk for colds and viruses, it helps his bones (and yours)...
Fans of the Dexcom G5 Mobile have something to smile about.
At yesterday's hearing with the U.S. Food and Drug...
If you start your day with a cup of tea and end it with a glass of red wine, your blood sugar may thank you.
At least that...
As medical experts continue to debate whether or not "healthy obesity" can even exist, one new study suggests that risk for heart disease...
For years, type 1 diabetics have been anxiously waiting for that medical marvel that can stop the constant injections: the artificial...