The Right Exercise for the Right Age

The other day I was one of many presenters at the joint conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging in Washington – a group that drew about 4,000 people who work in the field of gerontology.

I’d been a presenter two years ago for their conference in California. My DVD, “Inhale, Exhale, Stretch and Move,” was about to be released, and as I ran it on the screen everyone in the room took off their shoes and followed along. They’d never seen my slow motion, continuous stretching to beautiful, classical music. They all agreed it was wonderful exercise for older people and I was happy to have made an impression.

When the call for presenters was put out for this year’s conference I noticed that “controversy would be welcome.” This is my chance, I thought. For years I’ve been trying to get the exercise scientists to change the sport conditioning exercise they impose on the older population and use more of the classical dance exercise style.

Now that I’m 80, I figured I had nothing to lose. Why not just come out and say, “Please stop having older people sit in chairs and lift weights. I know it’s in right now, but look what it’s doing to them! It’s stressing the lower backs.” And I held up photographs that had been taken in reputable exercise classes, showing men and women sitting on chairs, pulling stretch bands to show that, yes indeed, we can get back lost muscle strength, but clearly showing that the people didn’t have enough inner torso strength to do it without
rolling back on their lower spines to do it.

Older people do not need athletic muscle mass rejuvenation as much as they need flexible strength. They need total body exercise that works through the inner torso (stimulating the viscera in the process) and flows through the joints.

I know that well meaning gerontologists want to help older people maintain enough muscle strength in their arms to be able to carry bags of groceries up stairs and into their homes so they can lead independent lives, but maybe those same gerontologists should go to Iceland and the Scandinavian countries and watch the total body exercise their seniors get from their very popular social dancing sessions. You can be sure they pick up a bag of groceries on the way home and get them into their kitchens quite easily.

So, not only was it an honor to be a presenter at that conference, but what I thought would spark some controversy, didn’t. My point was well received, and I was applauded. I only reached one room full of people, but change takes time.