Shepard's Crook Nursing Agency offers exercise classes at The Canyons Retirement Community in Amarillo and Meredith House in Pampa.

On Friday mornings in Amarillo at the Canyons Retirement Community and on Thursday mornings at the Meredith House in Pampa you will find a lot of blue Shepard's Fitness Shirts.  The reason for this is that Shepard's Crook Nursing Agency employees hold an exercising/mobility class for the residents.  These classes are geared towards strengthening and balance.

According to the NIH Senior Health web site


The Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults

The notion that exercise is good for you has been around for quite a while, but until recently older adults have been left out of the picture. Today, new information is emerging from research: people of all ages and physical conditions benefit from exercise and physical activity.

Scientific studies show that staying physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and disabilities. Scientists find that even moderate exercise and physical activity can improve the health of people who are frail or who have diseases that accompany aging.

Exercise and physical activity are among the healthiest things you can do for yourself, but some older adults are reluctant to exercise. Some are afraid that exercise will be too strenuous or that physical activity will harm them. Yet, studies show that exercise is safe for people of all age groups and that older adults hurt their health far more by not exercising than by exercising.

An inactive lifestyle can cause older people to lose ground in four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. But research suggests that exercise and physical activity can help older people maintain or partly restore these four areas.

Growing older doesn't mean people have to lose their strength or their ability to do everyday tasks. Exercise can help older adults feel better and enjoy life more, even those who think they're too old or too out of shape.

Increasing strength and endurance make it easier to climb stairs and carry groceries. Improving balance helps prevent falls. Being more flexible may speed recovery from injuries. If you make exercise a regular part of your daily routine, it will have a positive impact on your quality of life as you get older.

Quiz
1. Older people who are frail or who have age-related conditions have little to gain from exercise and from staying physically active.
FALSE is the correct answer. You can help prevent or delay some diseases and disabilities that occur more frequently with age by staying physically active and exercising regularly.

2. Older adults hurt their health far more by not exercising than by exercising.
TRUE is the correct answer. Older adults who become inactive lose ground in four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.

3. In order to gain any health benefits from exercise, you must work out very strenuously.
FALSE is the correct answer. Studies show that even moderate exercise done regularly can yield important health benefits for people of all age groups.

4. Many older adults are reluctant to start exercising, even though it's one of the healthiest things they can do.
TRUE is the correct answer. Exercise and physical activity don't take special equipment, fancy clothes, or the ability to jog long distances. No matter what your condition, there is some type of exercise or activity you can do that will benefit you.

Safety First
If you are at high risk for any chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, or if you smoke or are obese, you should check first with your doctor before becoming more physically active.

In general, men over 40 and women over 50 should check with their doctor before doing vigorous activity. Most older adults, regardless of age or condition, will do just fine in increasing their physical activity to a moderate level.

Consult your doctor if you have any new, undiagnosed symptom chest pain irregular, rapid, or fluttery heart beat severe shortness of breath

Consult your doctor if you have
ongoing, significant, and undiagnosed weight loss
infections, like pneumonia, accompanied by fever which can cause rapid heart beat and dehydration an acute blood clot
a hernia that is causing symptoms such as pain and discomfort

Consult your doctor if you have foot or ankle sores that won't heal persistent pain or problems walking after a fall -- you might have a fracture and not know it
eye conditions such as bleeding in the retina or a detached retina. Also consult your doctor after a cataract removal or lens implant, or after laser treatment or other eye surgery.

Consult your doctor if you have a weakening in the wall of the heart's major outgoing blood vessel called an abdominal aortic aneurysm
a narrowing of one of the heart's valves called critical aortic stenosis
joint swelling. If you have had hip repair or replacement

Check with your doctor before doing lower-body exercises.
don't cross your legs. Don't bend your hips farther than a 90-degree angle. Avoid locking the joints in your legs into a strained position.

Quiz
1. Men over 40 and women over 50 should check with their doctor before doing vigorous activity.
TRUE is the correct answer. In general, men over 40 and women over 50 should check with their doctor before doing vigorous activity. Most older adults, regardless of age or condition, will do just fine in increasing their physical activity to a moderate level.

2. Once your hips are repaired or replaced, you can do any exercise that doesn't hurt.
FALSE is the correct answer. If you have had hip replacement, check with your doctor before doing lower body exercises and don't cross your legs or bend your hips past a 90-degree angle.

3. A fluttery heartbeat and shortness of breath are normal reactions to vigorous activity.
FALSE is the correct answer. A fluttery heartbeat and shortness of breath are two symptoms that indicate you should check with your doctor before exercising. People who have been inactive a long time or have these symptoms should not start out with vigorous activities. They should work up to these activities gradually.

4. You should check with your physician before beginning an exercise program if you have had eye surgery.
TRUE is the correct answer. Check with your physician before beginning an exercise program if you have had a cataract removal or lens implant, or after laser treatment or other eye surgery. You should also check if you have other eye conditions like bleeding in the retina or a detached retina.

Examples of Exercises Click Here NIH Senior Health web site

For more Information on Shepard's Exercise Classes Contact Us