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Fitness Should Be New Year Goal for Senior Citizens
‘Easy Does It!’ Exercise Creator Craig Marcacci says
elderly can do it
Jan. 1, 2006 -- It’s an annual routine…making
resolutions about diet, exercise, attitude and fitness, only to let them
slip away and be forgotten, usually within a month or so. But physical
fitness trainer Craig Marcacci, developer of the innovative ‘Easy Does
It!’ exercise program for seniors, says that doesn’t have to be the
case.
“The problem with many who resolve to become fit is
that they choose a program that is beyond their capabilities,” Marcacci
explains. “What they should do is choose a regimen of stretching,
strength training and heart strengthening exercises that deliver maximum
benefits and are doable.”
Marcacci, whose web site it
www.CMFitness.com, says the
‘Easy Does It!’ exercise program is based on the philosophy that even
older or out-of-shape elderly persons can enjoy the benefits of good
health, if the exercise is designed to encourage participants by
defining clear and identifiable benefits.
He also believes that family caregivers who are
concerned about an aging family member’s lack of exercise should take an
active role by helping choose a program that is easily followed by the
elderly family member and can be done either in a group or individually
by the family member in their own home.
“Too many seniors’ fitness programs are designed
for elderly persons who are already in shape,” says Marcacci, who
stresses stretching and easy-to-do strength-building exercises, as well
as safe exercises to contribute to a healthy heart.
“The benefits become apparent quickly,” he notes.
Among those he lists:
Improved Spirits—“There is no doubt that when our
body feels good, we feel better,” Marcacci explains.
Increased Energy:
“The mind-body connection cannot be overlooked,”
Marcacci says. “While aging might remove the ability to do many of the
things that seniors did when they were young, exercise can relieve
fatigue.”
Reduced Pain:
“For many older people, pain is a regular part of
their lives,” explains Marcacci. “But, a healthy body can help reduce
those instances of pain.”
Improved Confidence:
“It’s no secret…if you feel better, you approach
life with a new assurance,” Marcacci says. “Add to that the pride in
resolving to start an exercise program and then doing what you said you
were going to do, and the ingredients are in place for a new approach
that will result in successful aging.”
Improved Posture:
“A strong body resists many of the physical
declines associated with aging,” says Marcacci. “If there is no bone
disease, the ‘slumping’ senior can straighten up with exercise.”
Improved Physical Appearance:
“This is the beauty of a program like ‘Easy Does
It!’,” Marcacci says. “The synergy of different, specially designed
exercises to benefit the total person and total health needs, becomes
apparent in a revived, stronger senior.”
Increased Flexibility:
“Stretching, keeping muscles loose—it makes the
body work better,” Marcacci says.
Improved Mental Health:
“When a seniors’ body feels better, it can remove
anxieties associated with the mental health of the elderly,” Marcacci
continues. “It can deter depression, fears, loneliness—all symptoms of
poor mental health.”
Increased Physical Strength:
“As we age, our strength often decreases,” says
Marcacci. “It’s not necessary that a senior look like a body builder,
but it is documented that improved physical strength will enhance
quality of life for the elderly.”
”For family caregivers who want the best health for
their elderly family member, an easy-to-do program of exercise such as
‘Easy Does It!’ scan be a Godsend by making their job easier,,” says
Marcacci. “For the elderly, it can contribute to a healthy life-style
that is within their grasp thanks to our incorporation of a series of
exercises that, while within their capabilities, is designed to
contribute to their health.”
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