I received a query from a reader interested in choosing from a range of exercise options tailored for those in, or entering their senior years. We talk about so many exercise options that it is only fair to wonder if any restrictions may exist for those wishing to partake.

We face different goals at various phases in our lives, not to mention a different set of likes and dislikes usually accompanying each phase. For the sake of clarity, we might consider ‘senior’ in this case to include anybody aged 65 or older.

You might no longer be interested in participating in a hip hop dance class, perhaps for some reasons more obvious than others. However, it is not just about ever-evolving musical tastes. There are physiological reasons why certain types of activities may present a risk to your health, while others might serve exclusively to enhance it.

It should be considered that after a certain age, changes in hormone levels tend to lead to a decline in muscle mass and bone density. You would do well to include a re-medy for these alongside any existing goals you may have.

You might also like to consider that balance tends to decline too, so any activity that aspires to fix these three considerations will represent an ideal choice.

Declining muscle mass tends to be accompanied by an increase in stored body fat due to changes in basal metabolic rate. Exercises or activities that place some sort of overload on your muscular system will help to preserve muscle mass and the functional strength required to complete the every day tasks you enjoy doing.

Luckily, most of the exercises and activities we perform to preserve or increase muscle mass also tend to represent an overload for the skeletal system too, preserving bone density, or at least slowing down its decline. The skeletal system also consists of the joints. A lifetime of use may take its toll on certain joint structures and could manifest as damage to key structures and inflammation. To care for our joints, we must pay constant attention to movement technique, keeping tension smooth and continuous rather than sudden and jerky, and avoiding excessive impacting forces.

Impacting forces occur on the joints when we run or jump and land. Ideally, wherever impact is involved in an activity, it is eliminated entirely at first and eased in slowly and incrementally with time, allowing the body plenty of time to adapt to it.

Yoga is excellent for strengthening the muscles and increasing flexibility around the joints that tends to decline with age

This principle can be applied to virtually every exercise scenario where you are starting from scratch. The progressive incremental steps for senior participants should be smaller and even more gradual, as the body tends to reduce its capacity to recover as fast from imposed stressed as it did in the past.

So let us get to the practical suggestions. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to observe all of these physiological considerations is to exercise in the easily controlled environment of the gym.

In the gym you can control which exercises you do and how, as well as the resistance and number of repetitions performed. It is this type of almost total control that allows you to progressively increase your training load safely and effectively.

You can include resistance training machines or free weights which will target individual muscle groups and, depending on whether you are standing or sitting, can also hone your balance skills. You could opt for a gym membership which would normally include a personalised programme from an instructor and some ongoing support, or else hire a personal trainer for total individualisation of your routine and constant support. If you do not fancy going it alone, group fitness may be the next best alternative.

You will need to make sure you have clearance from your doctor and do not have any conditions that exclude you from participating. Some sensible options to begin with might include come types of dance classes that do not involve excessive or uncontrolled movement or impact. Water aerobics is one of the best impact and stress-free ways to exercise and is often delivered in group fitness format. Not only are impacting forces to the joints completely eliminated, the joints are actually subject to less strain than normal due to the weightless environment of the water.

Yoga also inflicts minimal strain on the joints and does not involve sudden or uncontrolled movements. On the contrary, it is all about movement awareness and is usually performed at a graceful and deliberate speed. This ancient art is excellent for strengthening the muscles and increasing flexibility around the joints that tends to decline with age.

Some fitness centres offer group fitness classes specifically for senior participants, so it is worth shopping around and seeing what the larger clubs and facilities have to offer. Whichever route you choose, there are some additional points to keep in mind.

You will need longer warm-ups than younger participants, consisting of smaller incremental steps to get your body into the swing of the workout gradually. Avoid sudden changes in activity levels, and focus on smooth increases and decreases in heart rate.

Finally, the workout itself should be shorter overall and not too intense. All this ultimately means smaller applications of overloading stress, giving the body less traumatic episodes to have to recover from. As with so many other areas of interest, you are going to be better off with quality over quantity.

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt