Exercise for All Older Adults: NIA Guide Shows and Tells

This newly updated exercise guide from National Institute on Aging (NIA) shows older adults with or without disabilities or chronic health conditions how to be physically active.

"A central goal of aging research is the identification of what can be done to promote healthy aging," says NIA Director Dr. Richard J. Hodes. "One of the best-established interventions capable of improving health at all ages, including older ages, is exercise. It is therefore critically important that NIA communicate this fact to the public and provide information on how to go about it."
To read about this guide, go to http://www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/SOAR/v2n2/DiscoveryInnovation/exercise.htm.

Get Fit: Create a Happier, Healthier You
Disability Scoop eMail News, August 5, 2009, Michelle Diament

Excerpt: Obesity is a major problem in the United States, with 32 percent of adults tipping the scales. But if you have a disability, the odds are even worse. Research shows that people with disabilities are four to six times more likely to be obese. Yikes!

But whether weight is a struggle or not, people with disabilities have extra incentives to shape up. Exercise can ease behavior problems by releasing excess energy. And, as people with disabilities live longer than ever, making healthy choices will inevitably create better living options long-term.

"Being healthy and having a disability is not an oxymoron," says Amy Rauworth, a personal trainer who serves as associate director of the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability.

To read this article, go to http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/08/04/fitness/4400/.