Fit After 50
A blog that celebrates healthy aging
and other aspects of mind-body wellness.
and other aspects of mind-body wellness.
We have your back when it comes to safety protocols![]() (Updated 12/19/20) The deadly coronavirus, at this writing, has claimed more than 314,000 lives in the United States, with Americans over the age of 65 accounting for about 73 percent of deaths from complications of Covid-19. It's staggering in any context -- but maybe more sobering for seniors who consider health and fitness a priority. Gyms, studios and health clubs have been under more scrutiny than a lot of businesses -- and perhaps unfairly identified as high-risk -- at a time when exercise helps relieve anxiety and stress. In Montgomery County, gyms, studios and health clubs have taken safe practices seriously in the hope that members will not only maintain their affiliation, but return for work outs and classes. Montgomery County just reinstated restrictions to try and get the 2020 winter surge of coronavirus infections under control as vaccines are being rolled out and slowly distributed. Restaurants and retail businesses have been further restricted in capacity; there is no indoor dining allowed at this time. In his updated Executive Order, County Executive Marc Elrich said that gyms and health clubs, along with yoga and Pilates studios, can remain open as capacity is no more than 25 percent, masks are worn at all times indoors and physical distancing is strictly enforced. Those of us in the fitness industry are grateful that we can stay in business -- but members of gyms and health clubs are even more grateful that they can still work out in person rather than at home. I've heard Rock Creek Sports Club (RCSC) members use terms like, "life saver" or "..my lifeline" in expressing how much it means to them to be able to visit their gym. A December 11th press conference held by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo illustrates the point that gyms and health clubs are not a main source of infections. Consider that New York has been a hot spot for the virus all along, but was also one of the first places to flatten the curve due to Cuomo's leadership and early restrictions. Tracking data from New York showed that gyms were at 0.06 percent as a source of exposure to the virus, while private households accounted for 74 percent of the spread. Based on this data, you might be safer at your gym than gathering with family or friends at home. When gyms and health clubs shut down for four months this year in the metropolitan D.C. area, many of us waded through live streamed or recorded workouts. In my case, I taught classes online in my dark basement. Staring at a screen - with no input or interaction with others - is not at all what I signed up for when I trained to become a yoga and Pilates instructor. Add to that the fact that I'm an extreme extrovert; online classes were a slow form of social torture. Believe me, I understood the need for the shutdown and the caution to avoid an increase in community infection rates. But when the day came for gyms and health clubs to reopen, I rejoiced, along with a lot of other fitness instructors. Now that we're almost six months into re-opening, facilities are operating under pandemic precautions. And there is good news in our immediate community. I teach at five different locations. Each gym and studio is practicing extreme measures to keep members and staff safe. It's working. There have been no citations, fines or shut downs of any gyms, studios or health clubs due to noncompliance in Montgomery, as Dale Tibbitts, special assistant to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, confirmed recently. Out of all 20 YMCAs in the metro Washington, D.C. area, there have been no outbreaks. According to Pamela Curran, Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, one or two members reported to the Y that they had tested positive but there was no link to contracting the virus at YMCA locations. Each member spent an hour at facilities. She said the YMCA immediately sectioned off the areas used and conducted intense sanitizing. So far, there have been no outbreaks caused by community transmission at any of the 20 area YMCAs. "We re-opened later than we could have so we could make sure we had 100 percent of the foundation we needed for safety protocols," Curran said. "The science and prevention technology is changing all the time, so we're constantly working to keep everybody safe." She said the YMCA had invested over $300,000 this spring on infrared cleaning equipment alone. That is in addition to large quantities of disinfectant, signage throughout the facilities, thermometers and sanitizing wipes. The YMCA is currently looking at additional equipment to purchase for air filtration once classes are moved from an outdoor format, at most of the facilities, to small indoor classes this fall. At RCSC (one of my employers), there have also been no infections or outbreaks traced to the gym. Like the YMCAs, RCSC has invested heavily in new air-cleaning equipment and pandemic safety protocols. In addition to signage, mask-wearing, deep cleaning and spacing of equipment, RCSC purchased machines that filter pathogens from the air around workout spaces. And twice a day, the club goes through a top-to-bottom sanitization. The club closes for an hour at 1 pm each day for intense cleaning, and then the facility is cleaned again at closing. In between, all equipment is constantly wiped down with sanitizers. For members who are wary of coming to the club physically, RCSC is still offering a variety of virtual classes. Members at all locations where I teach have cheerfully complied with the new measures. We were told at YMCA staff training that there is a zero-tolerance policy for failure to follow the protocols. If a member refuses to wear a mask, or wear it properly, they must leave. Or if a member's temperature is 100.4 or higher, they are not allowed to enter the facility. Instructors are required to have their temperature taken at the door, after taking their temperature at home and submitting an online screening questionnaire before each shift. At all five venues where I teach, these businesses and organizations are going above and beyond the Montgomery County requirements for safe operation of Phase II of re-opening. Precautions and encouraging gym members to return are happening at the national scale as well. A few gyms have learned a painful lesson. There were 17 cases linked to two gyms in Oahu, Hawaii last July. That same month, a gym in San Diego County, California was shut down after an outbreak when the gym had been operating in defiance of county health orders. There is a lot at stake in terms of human health and the economy if gyms and health clubs are noncompliant. Since the pandemic upended our lives, there have been countless cancellations and suspensions of memberships. The U.S. fitness clubs lost $13.9 billion in revenue through September 1, 2020. It is anticipated that many businesses will have to close permanently before the pandemic is over. In my area alone, three yoga studios have closed since the summer. Members who have maintained their memberships have eased back into an onsite fitness routine, relieved to take in-person classes again or work out in a less-crowded gym. Privately owned companies like the RCSC have had to work hard to gain the confidence of their members. To assure members, those who work out at RCSC can look on the club website any time and see a counter in the middle of the home page. It shows how many people are in the gym, compared to what the stated maximum capacity is. So it's easy to identify a slow and quiet time to go in and work out. Before the pandemic, there were 20,000 members of the YMCAs; a number of members have suspended their memberships or have decided to wait until there is a vaccine to return to the facilities. It's understandable. However a large number of people have ventured back in to swim, work out or take group classes. In a Facebook post, RCSC personal trainer and operations manager Sharon Sellers encouraged fitness buffs to hold on to their gym memberships. "Please consider continuing your membership," she wrote. "If you're waiting around for that vaccine before venturing in, you won't be back until next summer. The landlord of your gym is not going to wait that long, and the landlords/mortgages of the employees will also not wait." As one of many instructors who clean equipment, and even spray floors and all touchable surfaces with a strong disinfectant after each class, I realize that I am putting myself at a bit of a risk by teaching in-person again. For me, the psychological benefits of seeing beloved members again (from a distance) is worth any possible risk. And from my perspective, I feel confident that gyms and health clubs where I work are doing all the right things to keep members safe.
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9/14/2020 1 Comment I've fallen and I can get up![]() Check out the benefits of yoga for safe and healthy aging In a way, it’s fitting that September is both National Yoga Month and National Falls Prevention Month. I often talk to my yoga classes that are primarily filled with those 65+ about the benefits of yoga for preventing a fall – or minimizing the impact of a fall. The nonprofit Age Safe America notes that falls are now the leading cause of death due to injury for older Americans. Falls account for 40 percent of all nursing home admissions and are the leading cause of injury related emergency room trips for older adults. Falls are the major cause of hip fractures, and responsible for more than half of fatal head injuries. And too often, older adults are unable to resume independent living due to an injury from a fall. So much of yoga practice is about balance, improving overall balance in the body and also in the mind – the yin and yang of things. Similarly, one of the Pilates principles is using control to move the body, isolating certain movements within sections of the body so that we’re able to control movement from the correct skeletal and muscular groups. Improving balance will increase the chances that you will be able to right yourself and avoid a dangerous fall. Strengthening the core area of the body and the back muscles will also give you a greater ability to pull yourself back from a fall. Of course, it’s not an absolute guarantee that a yoga or Pilates practice will help prevent a fall. But if you do fall, perhaps the fall can be buffered by more balance and control of the body. The stronger and more flexible you are, the quicker you will be able to get up and back on your feet after a fall. Susan Mondi Bowen, founder of Thrive Yoga in Rockville, MD, lives this reality every day. She has practiced and taught yoga for about 20 years. A chronic foot issue challenges her balance. "I have to regain my balance daily due to bone spurs in my feet," she said. "I engage and lift up immediately and drishti (a gazing point that develops concentration) just happens naturally due to meditation." One study published by the British Geriatric Society in 2015 concluded that yoga interventions resulted in small improvements in balance and medium improvements in physical mobility in people aged 60+ years. The results of this meta-analysis were slightly higher for yoga as a way to improve mobility in older people. However, consider that mobility is a key factor in maintaining a higher quality of life as we age. Another 2018 research project in India studied 50 adults aged 60 years and older. They were invited to attend a 1-hour yoga class, twice weekly for three months. At the end of three months, participants had improved ability to rise from a chair, weight loss, increased step length and a reduced fear of falling. The sequence of poses used in that study is:
Here’s another list of five simple yoga poses that can help prevent falls. National Falls Prevention Awareness Day is September 22nd. So do yourself a favor during National Yoga Month. Take a yoga class on September 22nd or at some time this month. Here’s to wishing you strong balance and body awareness. Namaste', Caren ![]() Despite millions of dollars spent each year selling products and services that promise to slow the aging process, whether it's the latest skin cream, plastic surgery or nutritional supplements, we know there is no absolute fountain of youth. However, a study published in the journal Neurology has generated new evidence on the connection between exercise and slowing the aging process. The study worked with 6,000 aging adults and used DNA samples to measure the length of telomeres in active participants. Telomeres are protein caps that protect chromosomes in the body. Telomeres shrink with age and those with shorter telomeres contract diseases and die sooner than others. The research shows that older adults who exercise regularly can slow biological aging by as much as 10 years and increase brain mass which helps with cognitive ability. So science has verified what fitness buffs have suspected all along. And with older adults, the type of exercise may be key in reversing age-related maladies such as back pain, loss of balance or stiffness. Generally doctors will recommend low-impact exercise that reduces stress on joints and bones while strengthening muscle mass and increasing bone density. Some of the best forms of low-impact exercise are swimming, cycling, walking, yoga and Pilates. Often senior citizens are stooped over from osteoporosis to the extent that they are unable to stand up and see straight ahead. Many adults begin to form a dowager's hump on the upper back as early as in the late 60s or 70s. Yoga and Pilates have a few of the same movements and are both excellent ways to head off stooped posture. Both provide tremendous benefits for conditioning as we age and emphasize strengthening the core muscles. A case that went viral on social media last year highlighted a dramatic reversal for then-85-year-old Anna Pesce (pictured as before and after). Pesce was severely hunched over and suffered from back pain. A tipping point was falling forward while visiting her family in South Carolina. She sought out a yoga instructor and worked intensely for a year to correct her posture. A year later, she was standing straight again. Now she practices yoga daily and has a new lease on life. If that's not enough to send you running to a yoga studio, consider 105-year-old Eileen Ash from Norwich, England. Ash attributes her longevity to healthy eating, a regular yoga practice and drinking two glasses of wine every day. Yoga and Pilates have long been acknowledged for building core body strength. Joseph Pilates himself suffered from rickets and other illnesses before developing his technique for fitness and seeing his own dramatic physical transformation as a result. He considered the core muscle group to be the powerhouse of the human body. According to Mark Stephens, author of several tomes focused on teaching yoga, the practice is important for improving balance for seniors. He dedicates an entire chapter of Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes to working with aging yogis. The core muscle group is roughly located from the bottom of the rib cage to an imaginary line across the hip joints on the front of the body and to the base of the buttocks in the back. Four layers of core muscles involve the transverse abdominis on the sides, the rectus abdominis muscles and the external and internal oblique muscles -- the latter being the area where the infamous "love handles" can be found. The most prominent core muscle is the rectus abdominis, which tends to try to do all the work in yoga or Pilates. Turning on the deeper layers of the core muscles is a goal in either practice. "Basically, you are only as strong as your core. But the biggie is that, as we age, we have more trouble balancing. It's core strength that supports better balance," says Susan Mondi, an 18-year yoga practitioner and owner of Thrive Yoga in Rockville, MD. "I always know when I recover quickly and prevent myself from falling, that it's due to yoga." A strong core is important as we age since it provides a center of gravity and keeps the body balanced and stable. In her Inferno Hot Pilates teacher training program, Gabriella Walters refers to it as the "internal corset." The core is what can help us right ourselves and prevent a fall that can break bones that take longer to heal as we age. "Muscles do not know their age," says 64-year-old Pilates instructor Christelle McDonald of Bethesda, MD. McDonald has been teaching Pilates for 15 years and has students in her classes in their late 80s and 90s who keep up with the rest of the class easily. She provides variations for those who need them in the movements as she teaches. She notes that joints, ligaments and tendons age but the eccentric contraction of the core muscles strengthens and supports the back. "The beauty of Pilates is that it teaches both ends of the spectrum," says McDonald. "It's for every age and that's what you see in a typical class." Some of the foundation poses used in both yoga and Pilates are the plank, the bow pose, camel, side twists and the locust pose. One essential difference between the two practices is that Pilates incorporates series of repetitions in a one-hour workout session. Both practices focus on breathing, concentration and controlled movement of the body. But yoga asanas or poses are held for several breaths and the practice is gentler and more focused on meditation than Pilates. Used in tandem, the two practices can complement one another and improve overall muscle strength, flexibility, posture, and balance. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise or fitness program.. 5/13/2017 5 Comments Anything but sedentary![]() A couple of years ago, I went to see a specialist my doctor had suggested I visit. The physician I was referred to walked in, greeted me and noticed that I was wearing a Fitbit on my left wrist. She joked about ditching her Fitbit after never reaching the recommended 10,000 steps a day. "Let's face it. We're all sedentary so why bother?" she said. Later as we talked, she commented on how many people Zumba classes send to the doctors' offices. Her skepticism about physical activity shocked me. She was a slender, healthy-looking woman but she was a health care provider who was dismissive of the notion of physical movement. Although I was supposed to return to her for a follow-up, I never went back to her office. By now, most of us have heard that "sitting is the new smoking." With a growing array of studies showing that a sedentary lifestyle or sitting for up to 24 hours a week can lead to an increase in mortality -- with greater odds of obesity, cardiovascular disease or cancer along the way -- it's hard to deny the value of regular physical movement. One Harvard University study of 92,000 women showed that the more time we spend sitting at a desk, driving or watching television, our risk of dying from heart disease, cancer or strokes escalates. And there is no question that excessive sitting can lead to poor posture, neck and back problems and a malady that I call "computer butt." Computer butt is that dreaded widening of the buttocks and upper thighs that results from sitting in a desk chair too long in front of the screen. For years research has shown that one in three Americans is obese, making us the fattest country in the world. And obese people sit more than two hours a day longer than those of a healthy body weight The minute we sit down, our body's calorie-burning ability drops to one calorie per minute and electrical activity in the leg muscles shuts off the moment we sit. Moreover, the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day is not enough to reverse the negative effects of sitting. These facts are enough to make you want to run around like your hair is on fire all day. It's no wonder that former First Lady Michelle Obama adopted physical movement and childhood obesity as her signature issues while her husband was in office. So when I retired from a 33-year career spent primarily seated at a desk, in meetings, on airplanes or commuting for more than two hours a day by car, I decided that I wanted to be anything but sedentary. I signed up for training to become a yoga and Pilates instructor. My passion for these two forms of activity has inspired me to want to teach classes, with a focus on healthy aging. One of my goals is to encourage others to keep practicing yoga or Pilates by modifying as needed to overcome physical constraints like lower back problems or healing from an injury or surgery. These are some of the limitations we sometimes encounter as we age regardless of how healthy a lifestyle we lead. In addition to my focus on yoga and Pilates, I took a seasonal part-time job that indulged my love of gardening and sustainable landscaping. This is where I may have really tipped the scales too far in the other direction. However, the results of this form of movement were interesting. I went to work for Stadler Nurseries, a respected family-owned company that has been in business for 84 years. As an aside, consider the number of economic downturns the Stadler family business has endured. A constant influx of regular customers also speaks volumes about the level of service they provide to their clientele. Clearly, these folks know what they're doing. From the moment I arrived each day at the Stadler's location in Laytonsville, Maryland, I was in constant motion. I worked with customers to help them find plants to add to their landscaping, took care of perennials and helped organize truck loads of plants. What's not to like about working outdoors in the spring and being up to your ears in beautiful plants every day? And here is what my Apple Watch activity readout told me every day that I worked at Stadler Nurseries. I reached a daily goal of standing for at least 12 hours out of every day that I worked there. I logged an average of almost six miles in eight hours, well over the goal of 10,000 steps a day. There's no question that this reversed my personal sedentary trend -- at times to the extent of back-breaking physical work. My pursuit of avoiding time sitting at a desk will continue although I am ending my time at the nursery. By mid-summer I'll be teaching Pilates and my yoga teacher training will continue throughout the year. I watch less than three hours of television a week. Even when I find myself sitting in order to write, I get up every 20 or 30 minutes to take a break. One way or another, I am off to a good start in changing a decades-long pattern of sitting. Here are a few tips I am sharing in the hope that you will sit less, live longer and avoid the dreaded computer butt.
. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise or fitness program.. 2/20/2017 4 Comments On healthy agingAs I prepare to leave public service after 26 years, I keep hearing, "But you're too young to retire."
True, in a respect. I am 60 years young and have never been finicky about telling anyone my age. The way I look at it, I am alive and well -- with an emphasis on "well." I have eaten a clean, plant-based and organic diet for almost 10 years. I take supplements like flax seed oil for heart health and Vitamin D. I practice yoga and Pilates, ride a bike, hike and do Zumba. As a result, I am rarely ill with even a common cold. Sadly, I lost both of my parents when they were in their 60s. Heart disease and cancer are rampant on both sides of my family. In terms of genetics, I have an uphill climb if I want to live a long and healthy life. So for decades, I have been vigilant and working at it every day to stay fit and healthy. Since I plan to work for another 10 years beyond my federal career, I need to stay healthy. There is an abundance of literature these days on healthy aging. I will share part of my own experience and what I believe are some common sense tips that will get you started on a path to healthy aging.
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise or fitness program.. |