Regular exercise and meeting fitness goals can continue even if your mobility is limited. Learn about some personal training strategies and exercises that your clients with limited mobility can use to improve their quality of life and meet their exercise goals.
Unlike cardio, which requires some recovery time between sessions, the frequency of mobility exercises can immediately impact flexibility.
Exercise is a powerful pick-me-up for all, but even more so for individuals with limited mobility. Regular physical activity helps combat the fatigue and weakness that often results from a sedentary lifestyle.
To avoid injuries and further deterioration of their condition, those with limited movement must build up their strength slowly. Begin with bodyweight exercises and gradually progress to incorporating equipment, like a seated stepper or recumbent bike.
Personal trainers working with clients with limited mobility must prioritize safety. This includes understanding the limitations of their clients' abilities, knowing what exercises they can and cannot do, and avoiding any movements that may be too difficult for them to complete. This also means ensuring your client's training routines are properly adapted to their needs.
Before starting a new exercise routine, always check with your healthcare provider. They can give you medical clearance and help you find ways to modify your workouts if necessary. From there you can get with a coach to develop personal training strategies that are just right for you.
Mobility drills are a great way to help your clients with limited movement stay active. They can also improve their balance, increase muscle strength, and prevent injuries.
Some seniors may believe it's too late to start an exercise program. However, getting active as early as possible is important to improve your health and maintain independence. If you're having trouble staying motivated, try enlisting the support of a friend or family member. Many say that having an exercise buddy helps them stick to their workouts.
Senior-focused personal trainers like Alexandra Chipurnoi are experts in the physiology of older bodies and can create exercise plans considering any injuries, medical ailments, or restrictions. To assist seniors in making better decisions in their everyday life, they can also provide dietary advice and counseling. Enroll in a fitness class with a friend or go for a daily walk together.
Exercise is a great way for seniors to maintain their strength and improve balance, but sticking with an exercise routine can be challenging and the need for personal training strategies is important. Seniors with limited mobility may be more likely to give up on exercise if it's too difficult or expensive. However, they can still meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for physical activity.
Encourage your clients to make fitness a habit by scheduling workouts into their day, making them fun with music and buddy support, and celebrating short-term victories like reduced stress levels or mood improvements. However, carefully monitor their pain and fatigue to ensure they aren't pushing themselves too hard. If they experience pain, stop exercising immediately and advise them to rest.
Warming up helps your muscles, tendons and joints prepare for exercise by increasing muscle temperature. It also increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Spending at least 10 minutes warming up for a workout is important.
While you can stretch to warm up, it's better to do dynamic movements that get the body moving rather than static stretching. A proper warm-up includes low-intensity exercises that gradually increase in intensity. For example, if you're going for a jog, start slowly and work up to your normal running pace. This type of warm-up can also include walking up and down hills or using inclines. Then, follow up with a cool-down session to help your muscles return to a resting state.
Many seniors find that as they age, their mobility decreases significantly. This can lead to many issues, including difficulty walking and climbing stairs. It can also lead to a higher risk of falls, which are extremely common among older adults and the leading cause of fractures for those over 70.
Fortunately, personal trainers can use various exercise tools to help their clients maintain mobility and strength. For example, resistance bands are easy to use and can be performed anywhere (even from the comfort of one's home).
Training elders with mobility concerns requires a unique strategy. Monitoring the client's perceived exertion rate is essential to keep them from becoming uncomfortable during their workout. Checking the client's heart rate, breath, and sweat is a good way to determine their level of intensity. Together these items makeup personal training strategies that can be a game-changer for your health.
