Group exercise improves physical and mental health in older adults – Neuroscience News

Summary: Older adults who participated in group exercise programs showed improvements in sleep quality, muscle strength and flexibility, balance and coordination. They also reported improvements in self-confidence.

Source: University of Missouri

Stephen Ball has dedicated his career to improving the health of older Missourians through exercise. In 2005, he started the University of Missouri’s “Stay Strong Stay Healthy” bodybuilding program, which has impacted more than 20,000 seniors since its inception.

For years, Ball has heard anecdotally about the physical and mental health benefits for older adults of the eight-week bodybuilding program — now he has scientific proof.

According to a recent study, adults over the age of 60 who participated in the group exercise program improved their muscle strength and flexibility, balance and coordination, quality of sleep, and overall self-confidence to increase their physical activity, while reducing the risk of falls and the costly medical bills that can follow.

“This program embodies what MU is all about as a land-grant university,” said Ball, a professor at the MU School of Health Professions and a Missouri State fitness specialist with MU Extension.

“We give undergraduate students valuable hands-on experience in teaching practice, conduct life-changing research in the lab, and then with our partnerships through MU Extension, we travel to rural communities and implement the research to improve the health of everyday Missourians.

In the study, Ball collaborated with the Missouri Orthopedic Institute to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Stay Strong Stay Healthy” strength training program in a group of adults over the age of 60. Participants in the hour-long instructor-led classes, held twice a week for eight weeks, learn how to safely perform strength exercises, including squats and bicep curls.

By completing various baseline tests for strength, balance and flexibility before and after the program, the study found that participants not only improved their physical health outcomes, but also their confidence in their ability to perform. exercise, which increased their physical activity in their daily lives and reduced the risk of falls, which is a major concern for aging adults.

“We’re helping older people maintain their independence as they age and reduce their risk of falling, which has huge financial implications as well as health implications,” Ball said.

“We keep hearing from participants that in addition to feeling stronger, healthier and more active, another major reason they enjoy group classes is the social aspect of making friends with other their age and to engage with community members in a stress-free environment.”

Ball earned a William T. Kemper Fellowship from MU in 2012 for his undergraduate teaching and outreach work. With more than a dozen peer-reviewed studies highlighting the effectiveness of the “Stay Strong Stay Healthy” program since 2005, Ball said the strength training program has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. Missouri Elders as an evidence-based program that can be implemented statewide.

The program is now implemented by MU Extension faculty in Missouri and by MU-trained facilitators in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kansas, North Carolina and Nevada.

By developing even more peer-reviewed, evidence-based research on the program’s physical and mental health benefits, Ball’s body of literature could soon help the program gain recognition across the board. nationally as an evidence-based falls prevention program.

“I’ve heard from participants that the program has saved their lives, and it’s been very rewarding to serve our community members and improve their health,” Ball said.

“We have undergraduates at MU who help teach classes, we have graduate students who help with research, and our regional MU extension faculty implements the program statewide serving all 114 counties. of Missouri, so it’s a true team effort fulfilling the three missions of a land-grant university.

About this exercise and health research news

Author: Press office
Source: University of Missouri
Contact: Press Office – University of Missouri
Image: Image is in public domain

Original research: Access closed.
“Efficacy of an 8-Week Resistance Training Program in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by Breanne S. Baker et al. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity

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Summary

Effectiveness of an 8-week resistance training program in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial

Older adults face age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and function. Although longer-term exercise interventions generally produce greater changes, shorter-term interventions may trigger positive effects, allowing participants to begin engaging in more activity.

This study aimed to determine if 8 weeks of a resistance training program (Stay Strong, Stay Healthy [SSSH]) improved dynamic muscle strength, balance, flexibility and sleep. Inactive adults aged ≥60 years were randomized to SSSH (not= 15), on (ON; not= 17), or control (CON; not= 14) groups. The SSSH and WALK groups met twice a week for 60 min.

Participants completed before/after questionnaires on general health, activity and sleep; DXA scans; and functional tasks. One-way multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine interactions and decomposed using repeated measures analysis of variance.

SSSH improved sit-to-stand performance, back-scratch distance, and sleep quality and reported more ancillary physical activity than WALK or CON (p< .05). Resistance training interventions in sedentary older adults can improve physical function and encourage additional activity in 8 weeks.