According to the Mayo Clinic, strength training can help preserve and enhance muscle mass at any age, and help to increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
qathet resident Marlene Hall is in her seventh decade of life and is going strong as a regular at Powell River Curling Club. But, Hall said when she heard about a free strength-training class offered by personal trainer and Olympian Gina Grain, she was eager to sign up.
"I don't think of myself as a senior, but I knew that I needed this [weight training] because my balance is getting poorer and I find myself weaker," said Hall. "She [Grain] really worked us hard, but it's been pretty good, and I've noticed a difference."
Hall is now participating in an eight-week course at Suncoast Integrated Health on Marine Avenue. She said she likes the class because it's specifically for people who are actively aging, and with only eight students, Grain is able to be attentive to everyone's needs and prevent injury.
"I like having the older age group; there's two men and six women, and we're all pretty equal," said Hall. "When I went to our open-league curl, people noticed a difference in the power of my legs."
Grain is a track-cycling Olympian and represented Canada at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She also holds a master's degree in exercise science, specializing in strength and conditioning. She moved to the qathet region last year but only started offering classes recently.
"I wanted to have a number of different groups, like a women's group and a seniors group and kids groups," said Grain. "There has been a lot of interest from the community."
Although group classes such as perimenopausal/menopausal workouts and functional strength are currently full, Grain plans to offer them again in the new year.
"After the age of 30 we're on this path to lose muscle and strength," said Grain. "We're not working on the farm and lifting a lot of heavy stuff [for the most part] as we age, and especially over the age of 60, it accelerates more with sarcopenia, [age-related loss of muscle mass] and age-related muscle strength loss."
Grain said losing that strength and balance can increase the chances of falling and that's why her class, like the one Hall is in, is focused on strength training and deep-balancing exercises.
"Studies have shown that strength-training is one of the number one methods to help create bone density, so you create bone by strength training," said Grain. "You can slow down osteoporosis and sometimes reverse osteoporosis; it's pretty incredible."
Grain said that although hiking, walking and running are still good and healthy activities to do, they are not enough.
"It's not enough stress to strengthen bones," said Grain. "We also need to remember that mobility, if you want to be mobile, is not just stretching. Mobility is a combination of strength, flexibility and what's called motor control."
To find out about active-aging strength training, go to the Suncoast Integrated Health website at suncoastintegratedhealth.com/classes.
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