Wellness.MA
Wellness.Massachusetts

Changing Adult Activity Patterns

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D.

With all the research data on the health and fitness benefits of regular physical activity, why do most American adults remain sedentary? Primarily because it is difficult to change adult lifestyle patterns. If this were not the case, the recent Surgeon General’s Report On Physical Activity and Health would have called for more than 30 minutes of movement, most days of the week as a fitness recommendation.

The 1990s have produced a wealth of information on the importance of strength training for older adults (Biomarkers, Living Longer Stronger, Strong Women Stay Young, Lifefit, Strength Training Past 50), but we see very few fitness facilities with a significant   percentage of senior exercisers. What is the problem? In our opinion, it is partly lack of education and partly lack of motivation, partly the challenge of change and partly the fear of failure.

Fortunately, these are not insurmountable barriers, as we have discovered over the past few years of adult emphasis programming. During that time we have seen our fitness center participants more than double in number, and the median age move towards 50 years. What follows is the basic approach we have taken for changing adult activity patterns.

Education

We use a variety of media to present exercise information to our surrounding communities, including television, radio and lectures. However, our most effective method of communication has been the newspaper. In our weekly Keeping Fit newspaper column we periodically present the benefits and principles of sensible strength and endurance exercise, which prompts hundreds of sedentary adults to attend our quarterly fitness orientation sessions.

Each season of the year, just prior to our new Keeping Fit session, we hold an orientation session for adults who want to start a supervised exercise program. The evening event features a slide presentation about our Keeping Fit program, followed by a question and answer period. Our instructors then give the attendees a tour of the exercise facilities and an opportunity to join the upcoming Keeping Fit program.

Motivation

We have found the best exercise motivators to be careful instruction and close supervision. To provide an attentive training environment we hold our Keeping Fit classes in a separate exercise room. We limit each class to six participants with two instructors, for a favorable student-teacher  ratio.

Another means for motivating our new members are large attendance sheets posted in the exercise room. Self-recording is an excellent way to encourage exercise compliance, and most of the participants check-off their attendance as soon as they enter the training room.

Part of new member motivation is overcoming the challenge of change. Realizing that almost all of the program participants have been sedentary for many years, our instructors begin with a few basic Nautilus machines and progress gradually as the clients gain training competence and  confidence. We have found that a concise explanation and precise demonstration of each exercise is the key to making new clients feel comfortable about strength training. That is, when you make strength exercise simple to understand and perform, most beginners are willing to try it themselves.

Another pressing concern for the inactive adult is the fear of failure. New exercisers do not want to appear awkward, be regarded as weaklings, or fall short of the goals you suggest for them. Consequently, our instructors are careful to begin new clients at the appropriate training level, provide plenty of positive reinforcement, and give specific feedback on personal progress.

Part of the exercise motivation are fitness assessments performed before and after the eight-week training program. However, experience has convinced us not to go overboard in this area. We typically do just two physical assessments, body composition and blood pressure, that are most meaningful to the participants. These assessments are usually completed within 10 minutes which makes the evaluation process easy on the participants. We generally do not formally test muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance, as improvements in these parameters are obvious to everyone week by week throughout the program.

Summary

We average over 400 new Keeping Fit participants each year, with approximately 80 percent of these joining the YMCA after completion of the program. As a result, a large percentage of our members are previously sedentary, middle-aged adults who have permanently changed their activity patterns. This has not happened spontaneously, but through a planned program designed specifically for these formerly inactive individuals. The key motivational components have been the small classes, close supervision, and private exercise room, which reduce the participants’ fear of failure and facilitate gradual change to a physically active lifestyle. In addition to enhancing the health and fitness of our adult community, the Keeping Fit program increases our YMCA membership base and provides a solid foundation for our entire fitness operation.

For more information on implementing a similar Keeping Fit program in your facility (including articles on training benefits, exercise guidelines, research results, facility management, teaching techniques, and program flyers), please send your request and business card to: Rita Nordhuus, Nautilus International, 709 Powerhouse Rd., Independence, VA 24348.

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., C.S.C.S, is Fitness Research Director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA. He is strength training consultant for numerous national organizations, such as the American Council on Exercise, the American Senior Fitness Association, and the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, and editorial advisor for many publications, including Prevention, Shape, and Club Industry magazines.

He is also author of 20 fitness books including the new releases, No More Cellulite, Building Strength and Stamina, Strength Training Past 50, Strength Training for Seniors, Complete Conditioning for Golf, and Strength and Power for Young Athletes.

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