Functional Fitness is a type of exercise that helps individuals perform everyday activities more easily.
It involves practicing or repeating what are called the 7 essential moves, also known as primal movements.
These are the basic movement patterns that a fully functioning person uses in their everyday life.
When the body can no longer perform these movements, it becomes frail, losing the ability to care for itself or live independently.
For seniors, incorporating a functional fitness program can mean the difference between maintaining their independence…or not!
The movements are: squat, push, pull, twist, lunge, hinge, and walk.
Our bodies must keep moving to have the strength we need to live a fully functional life.
Still not convinced you need to move more?
Take a look at the other benefits you get from functional fitness.
- Improves overall strength: Functional fitness exercises strengthen the muscles that are used in everyday activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, getting up and down from a chair or floor, playing with grandkids, carrying groceries, gardening, and completing other everyday household chores. Seniors who maintain their strength tend to be more active. And more activity helps to keep the muscles strong. Win-win!
- Improves balance: Having strong muscles, especially in the legs and back, helps to improve balance and reduce fall risk. And since falling is the leading cause of injuries and injury deaths in seniors, decreasing your fall risk is important.
- Improves posture: As an added benefit, functional fitness movements help to improve postural alignment. Better postural alignment is another way to decrease your fall risk.
- Increases flexibility: A well-designed functional fitness program will have you moving all 350 joints and 650 muscles. The regular movement of the joints and muscles helps to increase flexibility. Better flexibility not only helps to prevent injuries, but it also promotes better postural alignment.
- Enhances coordination: Functional fitness exercises help to improve coordination, so it’s easier to perform complex movements. And better coordination directly correlates to reducing your risk of falling. Plus, research has shown that doing a functional fitness program regularly helps decrease the risk of all types of dementia.
- Reduces pain: What most seniors don’t realize is that functional fitness exercises (or any exercise) can help reduce pain caused by arthritis and other chronic conditions. When joints move regularly and more freely, especially with proper alignment, they’re not as stiff and painful. And less joint stiffness will translate to having more energy.
- Improves mood: Functional fitness exercises can help to improve mood and reduce stress. Especially when done outdoors in nature.
How Can You Get Started with a Functional Fitness Program?
You can check out your neighborhood senior center or YMCA. They usually offer some sort of fitness program for seniors.
Or you could check out Agile 4 Life Fitness and do your programs in the comfort of your own home over Zoom. That way, you can bypass the hassles that come with training in public – excessive grunting, weights slamming, loud music, smelly rooms, and rude members.
At Agile 4 Life Fitness, we specialize in Functional Fitness for seniors. Our programs are expertly designed by seniors for seniors. We understand how to help seniors stay active so they can enjoy their retirement instead of feeling like their best years have passed them by.
We offer classes for every fitness level: Gentle and Intermediate Yoga, Restart Smart for those who are just starting out, Lengthen to Strengthen for flexibility, Circuit Class for those who want to work up a sweat, or join one of our Small Group Personal Trainings if you feel like you need more individual attention.
Think You’re Too Old?
Absolutely not! The average age of an Agile 4 Life member is 70-plus.
But you’d never know it because these amazing seniors are living full and active lives. They travel, garden, ski, ride bikes, hike, volunteer, go rafting, do 5K races, and play on the floor with their grandchildren. Even my 98-year-old father does two 30-minute Zoom workouts every week.
I hope I’ve convinced you to try a functional fitness program. If you want more life, get strong.
Sign up today by going to: agile4lifefitness.punchpass.com
