Motivating the Well Elderly to Exercise

Abstract

Most older adults hope to remain independent until death, but their inactivity, poor nutrition, and disabling diseases contribute to the loss of functions that are necessary for independence. Although exercise has been shown to improve a person's functioning and decrease health care costs, two thirds of persons over age 65 do not exercise regularly. The purpose of this article is to describe intervention strategies and evaluate their usefulness in motivating adherence to an exercise program designed specifically for well-elderly community dwellers. Attendance records were reviewed and informal discussions were held to determine the usefulness of the selected intervention strategies. Fifty-seven percent of the group's members attended at least one half of the 52 sessions indicating that our strategies were effective. Information about the exercise strategies that we used can help community health providers to promote health by designing exercise programs that will entice the elderly to attend on a regular basis.

Applying theory of planned behavior to predict exercise maintenance in sarcopenic elderly

“…Some of the elderly individuals had the perception that exercise was not suitable for them anymore and the daily activity that they were doing was enough to be considered exercise 23. A general misconception of modern culture is to accept that old age is a time for relaxation and that physical activity and exercise are unnecessary or even harmful 24.…”

Health benefits of serious involvement in leisure activities among older Korean adults

“…Prior research has provided evidence that leisure activity involvement is associated with a reduced risk of disease and chronic illnesses (Grove & Spier, 1999), improved physical strength and functions (Skelton, Young, Greig, & Malbut, 1995), and increased muscle strength and joint flexibility (Hellman, 1997; Plonczynski, 2000). In addition, researchers have found that through leisure activity, older adults reported that they experienced positive psychological and mental health aspects, such as happiness, enjoyment, and positive emotions and feelings (Buettner & Fitzsimmons, 2002; Heo & Lee, 2010).…”

The Influences of Personality and Motivation on Exercise Participation and Quality of Life

“…Other studies focus on adult involvement in exercise and suggest that adults participate in exercise for the following motivations: personal challenge, a sense of achievement, weight loss, physical fitness, enjoyment, affiliation, and overall health improvement (Kilpatrick et al, 2005;Mathes & Battista, 1985;Summers, Machin, & Sargent, 1983). Exercise plays an important role in helping older adults maintain functional performance (Grove & Spier, 1999;Resnick, 2000). The benefits of regular exercise for older adults include improved cardiopulmonary function, lower blood pressure, increased bone mineral content, increased muscle strength and joint flexibility, and a heightened level of energy (Hellman, 1997;Plonczynski, 2000).…”