I believe that we need to create a new attitude toward aging

in the United States. We do not do senior citizens a favor by

attempting to make life easier for them. Many of the health

and mobility problems experienced as we age are caused

from immobility and in our society we make it easy to be

immobile. The idea of taking it easy as we get older should

be discarded and replaced with a new outlook.

I spoke recently with a 30-year-old acquaintance and told

her that I taught resistance training classes for senior

citizens. She said, “Oh, that’s wonderful. You can have them

play games and pretend to be animals.” When I replied that

we did squats and shoulder presses just like she does at

the gym, her eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Why does our society assume that when we become

“senior citizens” we should be treated like children? Her

attitude is what’s wrong with the general public’s beliefs

about aging.

At a meeting recently I heard a representative of AARP

describe in glowing terms how AARP is helping seniors by

giving them items to make their lives easier—equipment

like grab bars in the bathtub. I am not saying that this is a

bad idea. Grab bars in the bathtub are an excellent idea.

Probably all bathtubs should have them because seniors

have no monopoly on slipping in the tub.

But I have a problem dealing with the concept that we

should make life easier for senior citizens as they age. And I

am preaching to anyone who will listen that we need to

rethink our attitude toward aging.

In their book, Biomarkers, William J. Evans and Irwin

Rosenberg say, “…when you arrive at age 55 or 60, it is not

time to put your feet up and take it easy for the rest of your

life. In truth, at no time during your lifetime is putting your feet

up and resting for extended periods of time a good idea.”

Dr. Walter M. Bortz II, who studied the deleterious effects of

bed rest, came to the conclusion that “…at least a portion of

the changes that are commonly attributed to aging are, in

reality, caused by immobility. As such, they’re subject to

correction by mobility—meaning activity and exercise.”

Not being able to take care of themselves is one of the

biggest fears of the elderly. I heard recently from a friend that

his 87-year-old mother had fallen while she was in her yard

alone. She was unable to get up and had to lie there for

several hours until someone came along to help her.

What if we didn’t encourage seniors to move to homes with

no stairs? What if there were more physical events

designed specifically for older people? What if there were

more strengthening classes available to help seniors

regain and retain strength and independence?

What if seniors in assisted living homes weren’t treated like

children and told to sit in chairs and exercise by placing their

hands on their heads and then on their shoulders and back

again? What if they were asked to exercise as do younger

people—by lifting weights for upper body and doing squats

for lower body strength?

What if—instead of building chairs that lift seniors to a

standing position— they learn to exercise so their leg

muscles are strong enough to lift them onto their feet?

Why not work on keeping seniors strong as they age--so

they will remain independent and not need the aids that are

so accepted in our society? Why don’t we attempt to change

the mind set that has produced this problem?

The answer for most of us is that we don’t know any better.

We are not aware that we can choose to remain

independent as we age because we have been told all our

lives that we should take it easy as we grow older.

To illustrate how deeply embedded is the idea that we

should slow down as we get older, here are a few quotes

from a book published a few years ago about preparing for

being unable to live independently as you age.

”...Eliminate the need for strenuous physical exertion where

possible, especially the need to climb stairs…”

“…A dining table in the kitchen saves walking and reduces

fatigue.…”

“…meal preparation… can also be tiring…. Guarding

against overexertion requires attention to the following

guidelines:

“…Reduce physical exertion: Keep bending, lifting, and

reaching to a minimum. Replace heavy iron cookware with

lighter weight …pots and pans.”

This mind set enables seniors to progressively become

weaker as the muscles in their arms and legs atrophy. Why

not encourage seniors to climb stairs as long as they are

able? Why not suggest that lifting heavy pans can help keep

your arm muscles strong? Why not stress that being active

actually causes you to have more energy—not the

opposite?

The truth is that the more you exercise, the more energy you

will have. Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s the

way our bodies were designed. I see it every day in the

senior strength classes I teach. Every student I have ever

had states that they have more energy when they work out

regularly.

Of course, some seniors have diseases such as

Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, and that is a different

story. They are truly not able to remain independent.

However, they should exercise as much as they are able.

Exercise can help delay the onset and progression of many

diseases.

My mother is 96 years old and still lives alone in her own

home. She’s an amazing lady who gets around without a

cane or walker. When I visit her, I find myself wanting to wait

on her, to go get items that she needs, and in general, to

take care of her so that she never needs to get up from her

chair.

This makes no sense at all. We need to give up

“enabling” seniors to become more and more dependent.

Tufts University in Boston has done much research into the

aging process. They have proven that even 90-year-olds can

become stronger just by doing resistance training. Muscles

do not forget how to be strong, they atrophy because they

are not used.

Over and over in my classes I watch people in their

seventies and eighties become stronger. I watch them

become more independent and self-sufficient. I see their

self-esteem increase as they begin to realize that they are

not doomed to a continuous spiral of becoming weaker and

weaker with every passing day.

Class participants tell me that they can get in and out of the

car easier, that going up stairs is easier, that the arthritis is

their knees is gone, that the creaky shoulder is without pain.

And most of all they tell me that they feel better and have

more energy. They work at exercising. They come to class

barely able to lift three-pound weights. In only a few weeks,

they move up to five pounds. Then they laugh at how three

pounds used to feel heavy. They move up to eight pound

weights for some of the exercises. They feel better about

themselves. I love hearing their stories about how strength

training has changed their lives.

Encourage your loved ones to remain independent, to get

up and move around their homes, to take care of

themselves. If you have a parent living with you, encourage

him or her to be self-sufficient. Don’t try to alter the living

space so they hardly need to move. Make sure they

understand that they need to be active.

If you are a health care provider, encourage your patients or

residents to do things for themselves, to walk, to participate

in exercise classes, to do anything that will cause them to

move and stretch. Investigate how strength exercise might

be included in the lives of those for whom you are

responsible.

If you are a senior, get moving and get lifting. Climb up and

down stairs, carry bags of groceries, work in the

garden—make your body work. Get involved in a exercise

program or set up one of your own. Include walking,

stretching and strength training for a complete program. If

you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them.

Let’s all work to change our attitude toward aging. No longer

let us sit and rock while our muscles atrophy. We can work

together to help all of us learn how keep strong and

independent for as long as we live.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist

in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of "Over 40 &

Gettin' Stronger" which contains an easy to learn strength

workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at

home. She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for

older adults Her web site is http://www.StrongOver40.com. She

can be reached at fitness9@mindspring.com.