Too often people think of personal training programs only for people who want to lose weight or who want to train for a specific sport but it is really for all people of all age groups who appreciate a high life quality and vitality.

Do you know people who have a tough time getting up and moving after they sat down for a few minutes? Or people who say that they can’t do a certain task because their body doesn’t allow it like it used to back in the days when they were young? People say, oh ever since I got older, I feel this pain in my back. Or when you get older, things start to hurt more and won’t go away.

Fortunately, personal training and guided exercise has advanced where people in the wise age group, what I call them, are able to reverse knick knack pain and live a high quality life way into their 70’s and 80’s.

When things start to hurt, whether it is muscle related or joint related, rather than grabbing a pain pill and rather than brushing it off with “oh, I am getting old”, this is a good time to engage in a structured fitness and vitality program that addresses mobility, strength and balance. I work with a lot of people who are in the “wise age group” who came to me because they had muscle or joint related issues and now live a life where they have no or very little muscular or joint restrictions. I suggest to them an exercise routine where they meet with me only twice a week. The program is customized to their ability and their limitations and addresses three core skills: mobility, strength and balance. Many times it just takes a month or two and the limitations that they used to have, are gone. Suddenly, they can walk stairs again or they can sit on the floor with their grandchildren.

Demonstrate:
A quick physical test to test all 3 areas is the sitting rising test to help people evaluate their strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Sitting down on the floor and rising up from it is a simple yet effective measurement of musculoskeletal fitness. The results may reflect your ability to perform basic actions such as bending down to tie your shoelaces, reaching up for a book on a high shelf, washing your back and carrying groceries—tasks you need to be able to do every day to remain independent, especially as you grow older. This test is also a good indicator of how long you’re apt to live. But to be safe (especially if you’re frail), if you decide to try the test, do it in front of someone who is strong enough to steady or catch you if you start to fall. Do not take this test if you have had recent major surgery, have a hip or knee prosthesis, are an amputee, are severely handicapped or are in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Once people do this test, it gives me a good idea what to focus on next.