When you think of gyms, do you have an image of young people using them? However, the use of sports gyms by the elderly and seniors in their 60s and 70s is attracting attention.
This time, we will explain in detail the benefits of going to the gym for the elderly and seniors. We also introduce recommended training menus for the elderly and how to choose a gym that is easy for the elderly to go to, so please take a look at the end.
table of contents
- What are the benefits of going to the gym for the elderly and seniors?
- Recommended training menu for the elderly and seniors
- Points of sports gyms that are easy for the elderly and seniors to attend
- How to use the gym wisely
- summary
What are the benefits of going to the gym for the elderly and seniors?
Many people may think that sports gyms are for young people who are confident in their physical strength and those who want to build a full-fledged body through strength training.
However, in fact, the gym is also a place I would like to recommend to seniors in their 60s and 70s. First, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of going to the gym for the elderly.
Advantage 1: Prolonging healthy life expectancy and preventing nursing care
By incorporating moderate exercise into your daily life, you can expect to prevent various diseases. This will lead to a longer “healthy life expectancy” and lead a life that does not require nursing care.
Healthy life expectancy is defined as the period during which one can live independently and in good health. The average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy of Japanese people are as follows.
| male | woman | |
| Average life *1 | 81.47 years old | 87.57 years old |
| Healthy life expectancy *2 | 72.68 years old | 75.38 years old |
*1: From 2nd year of Reiwa Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare “Abridged life table
for 2019 “
Looking at the table above, there is a difference of about 9 years for men and about 12 years for women in average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
This difference can be thought of as “the period during which long-term care is required.” Extending this “healthy life expectancy” is extremely important in order to live a healthy life.
The three major factors that shorten healthy life expectancy are dementia, cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke), and joint disease.
In order to prevent these illnesses and diseases and maintain a healthy body, “balanced diet”, “sufficient sleep” and “moderate exercise” are important.
Above all, “moderate exercise” can be expected to have effects such as improving blood pressure, blood sugar levels, muscle function, and preventing dementia and stroke.
However, even if you know the importance of exercise, many people may not be able to continue on their own. In addition, accidents and injuries during exercise are one of the anxiety factors for the elderly.
That’s why it’s attracting attention to go to the gym and continue exercising without difficulty while receiving the support of experts.
■ Advantage ② Leads to reduction of medical expenses
If you can lead a healthy life by exercising, it will also lead to a reduction in medical costs.
In fact, efforts by local governments and academic institutions have reported the following effects of reducing medical costs through exercise.
<Case of Inabe City, Mie Prefecture>
From June 8, 2012 to February 28, 2013, in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture, the “Genki-zukuri System” was implemented as an activity to prevent long-term care and promote health.
In the “Health Promotion System,” we carried out community activities that incorporated exercise experience programs.
According to the activity report, 16.2% of the participants answered that they “reduced the number of visits to medical institutions” , and in fact , the annual medical expenses per person were “reduced by 78,246 yen”.
Many of the participants in the “Health Promotion System” are in their 60s to 80s, and some said that they “became healthier” and “became more physically fit” through this initiative.
<Case of Tohoku University Graduate School>
At Tohoku University Graduate School, we conducted a 9-year survey of medical use among 52,029 National Health Insurance subscribers aged 40 to 79 who live in the jurisdiction of the Osaki Public Health Center in Miyagi Prefecture.
As a result, the following survey report has been issued regarding daily walking time and medical expenses.
| Daily walking time | sex | 1 hour or more | 30 minutes to less than 1 hour | less than 30 minutes | |
| Total medical expenses per person per month (yen) | Man | Man | 25,230 yen | 29,026 yen | 30,177 yen |
| rate of up | — | 15.0% | 19.6% | ||
| woman | Amount of money | 18,889 yen | 20,476 yen | 21.693 yen | |
| rate of up | — | 8.4% | 14.8% |
*Increase rate refers to the rate of increase in total medical expenses from those who exercised for 1 hour or more.
Quote: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 2nd year of Reiwa “Abridged life table for 2019” Tohoku University Graduate School “Prospective cohort study on lifestyle-related diseases and medical costs” From these results, lack of exercise is related to rising
medical costs. It is suggested that there is
In other words, in order to reduce medical expenses, we can see that it is important to incorporate moderate exercise on a daily basis.
■ Merit ④ Become a place for community building
After retirement, some people not only have too much time on their hands, but also fall into “social isolation” where they have less interaction with others.
In particular, people who have devoted themselves to their work during their active career tend to have less human relationships at work and outside of work. Therefore, it is possible that you will lose the community you belong to when you retire.
By going to the gym, you can make familiar “gym friends” and create a new community.
If it is a gym that is attended by a wide range of age groups as well as friends of a similar age, you will be able to interact with generations that you do not usually have the opportunity to interact with, and new interests may spread.
By going to the gym regularly and communicating with your friends, you should be able to create tension in your life and be able to spend your days lively.
Recommended training menu for the elderly and seniors
When elderly people in their 60s and 70s attend sports gyms, they are concerned about accidents and injuries during exercise.
In particular, it is not recommended for seniors who do not have exercise habits to suddenly run like the younger generation or challenge hard machine training.
So what kind of training menu is suitable for seniors?
From here, we will introduce recommended training menus for the elderly and seniors.
■ Personal training
Personal training is a service where a trainer provides one-on-one instruction.
In the case of the elderly and seniors, it is a fact that there is a high risk of injury to the legs and lower back if the training method is not correct, and blood pressure to rise too rapidly.
Therefore, it is important to perform appropriate training according to the condition of the body under the guidance of a dedicated trainer.
With personal training, you can receive a tailor-made program tailored to your individual situation. Therefore, even the elderly and seniors can continue to exercise without difficulty.
Fitness Club Co-Spa has a menu of personal training according to your purpose.
Personal training, which tends to be expensive, is attractive at the low price that makes it easy to start at Fitness Club Co-Spa.
■ Underwater walking and aqua exercise
Water walking, which involves walking in a pool, and aqua exercise, which consists of leisurely dancing and exercising in a pool, are also recommended as sports for the elderly.
Exercising in water is characterized by the buoyancy of the water, which puts less stress on the joints, making it easier for beginners and the elderly to work on.
The amount of load can be adjusted according to the resistance of the water, so you can work comfortably according to your physical condition.
■ Cultural schools such as Tai Chi and yoga
Check out the “culture school,” such as group tai chi and yoga.
Yoga can be expected to have effects such as “balancing the mind and body” and “preventing deterioration of muscle strength, endurance, and balance ability” through breathing techniques and various poses.
In addition, Tai Chi is an exercise that promotes blood circulation with slow movement of the whole body and relieves stress and stiffness of the body.
Yoga and Tai Chi are exercises that do not require special equipment, so one of the attractions is that they are easy to incorporate at home.
In addition, culture schools run in groups make it easier to make friends and gym friends, which will increase the enjoyment of going to the gym.
The fitness club Co-Su-Pa holds a culture school that is easy for elderly people to participate in.
In addition to yoga and Tai Chi, there are also schools such as hula dance that you can enjoy as a hobby.
Points of sports gyms that are easy for the elderly and seniors to attend
Even if you decide to go to a gym, there are various gyms, and some people may give up because they don’t know which one is right for them.
So, from here, let’s take a look at how to choose a gym that the elderly and seniors can go to with peace of mind.
■ A gym that is close to home and easy to commute to
If you want to expect the health benefits of exercise, it is important to continue going to the gym.
However, if you have to change trains and buses to go to the gym, some people may find it a hassle to go to the gym.
Also, when I go to a gym in a town I visit for the first time or in an area far from my home, I feel uneasy even just going because I have no familiarity with the area.
In order to go to the gym comfortably and enjoyably, it is important to choose a gym that is close to your home or living area.
■ Sports gym where you can receive personal training
If you have little exercise experience and feel uneasy about sports, check out a sports gym that offers “personal training” where you can receive appropriate training according to your age and physical condition.
When it comes to personal training, there are sports gyms that aim to build your body through full-scale strength training, as well as gyms that offer training for a wide range of age groups for a variety of purposes.
If you want to extend your healthy life expectancy and prevent nursing care, choose a gym that offers personal training for a wide range of age groups.
■Sports gym with professional staff
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of gyms that are open 24 hours a day, where you can easily exercise and train, and self-service gyms that do not have full-time staff.
However, for elderly people who are prone to unexpected accidents and injuries due to their own style of exercise, it is important to choose a gym where professional staff are stationed.
A sports gym with programs and facilities suitable for the elderly and seniors
In addition to personal training, we also recommend the sports gym, which offers a variety of programs that are easy for the elderly to work on, such as underwater walking, aqua exercises, yoga, and Tai Chi culture schools.
By trying various menus, you will be able to find an exercise that suits your physical condition and preferences.
You can check the programs of each gym on each company’s website, but if you find a gym that interests you, we recommend that you actually visit and try it out.
In addition to the contents of the program, check the ease of use of the facility, whether there is an elevator, whether the facility is barrier-free, etc., and choose a gym that is comfortable for the elderly.
How to use the gym wisely
When you go to a gym, you worry about the monthly fee.
Elderly people are more flexible with their time, so why not choose a low-cost plan, such as a daytime-only member or a short-time member, and use it wisely?
If you want personal training, it is common to have a different price than usual.
Choose the appropriate price plan according to the time and frequency you want to attend, the content of the training, etc.
summary
It is important to extend your healthy life expectancy in order to live a healthy life in your own way.
Incorporating a moderate amount of exercise into your daily life will prevent illnesses and diseases that affect your healthy life expectancy, and increase your chances of living a life that does not require nursing care.
However, in the case of elderly people, there is a considerable risk of injury or damage to the legs and lower back when exercising on their own. That’s why seniors in their 60s and 70s are recommended to use a sports gym where professional staff will support them.
Furthermore, if you go to the gym, in addition to nursing care prevention, you will also have hobbies after retirement and meet new communities.
How about using this article as a reference to consider using the gym? Please come and visit the fitness club Ko Spa once.
