Best Exercises for Obese, Older Adults

Being old and obese is no excuse for avoiding exercise. However, considerations must be made in terms of what kind of exercise is best for the older, obese person. I’m a certified personal trainer, and Wake Forest University has recently announced results of a study: Walking may be the best exercise for this special population.

I say “may” because a lot of research also shows that strength training is one of the best exercises for obese, older adults. But back to walking: This can improve the mobility of older, obese people as much as 20 percent, says the WFU five-year study.

Says Jack Rejeski, Thurman D. Kitchin Professor of Health and Exercise Science: “To improve mobility, physical activity has to be coupled with weight loss. This is one of the first large studies to show that weight loss improves the functional health of older people with cardiovascular disease.

The study subjects were 60 to 79 years old and followed for 18 months.

They were divided into three groups: 1) no activity but “education on successful aging,” 2) an exercise group, and 3) an exercise and weight loss group. It’s not surprising that the greatest results were in the third group. To measure improvement in mobility, the 400-meter walk was used because it’s a reliable tool for measuring mobility in older adults, especially with obesity.

Are you an older, obese adults who has not been exercising? Here are some rules that you absolutely must take seriously.

No. 1: Walk correctly. This doesn’t mean fast. It doesn’t mean for long duration. It means proper gait: swing the arms, relax the shoulders, breathe deeply, don’t slam the feet down, and don’t hunch or slouch. Proper form will not be possible if you hold onto a treadmill !

This happens all the time, and will serve to make your gait and mobility worse. Being old and obese is not a pass for harmful walking mechanics. Use a slower speed and swing the arms.

No. 2: The walking you did at Walmart does not count as your walking exercise, no matter how old or obese you are. At Walmart or Sears, you are not focusing on posture, breathing, relaxing the shoulders, stride or other elements related to exercise, not to mention the fact that walking at a store means stop and go, stop and go, and often includes slouching or slumping over to examine merchandise.

Set special time aside every day for your walks. If the obese, older person can only walk five minutes at a time, then make it five minutes … several times a day … aim for six times every single day, for a total of 30 minutes.

Older, obese people should include strength training. The best kinds of exercise for the obese, older adult begin with what nature intended your body to do: walk, and lift. The WFU study is reported in the Jan. 24 online Archives of Internal Medicine.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110124162625.htm