Earning the Brains & Balance Past 60 Certificate Part 1: Forever Young: Secrets of the Older Mind

On Saturday, October 18th I attended an Exercise Etc. seminar titled:

Brains & Balance Past 60.

This is at least the fourth seminar of theirs I have attended. Since the NSCA requires 60 hours of continuing education every 3 years, I am always looking for seminars with topics I find interesting.

The B & B P 60 seminar was taught by Guy Andrews, the founder of Exercise Etc. Guy did a great job not only educating the group (of around 35) but managed to entertain us at the same time.

We had the opportunity to spend around six of the eight hours trying out the various drills he uses when working with seniors down in Florida. He said that this program has really taken off with all the seniors living down in Florida. With our aging population there is a huge need for this type of program.


The seminar was broken up into four 2 hour sessions.

The first session was titled:

Forever Young: Secrets of the Older Mind.

The focus of the first 2 hours was on how we are changing the way we think that the brain ages, and what can be done to change the way the brain is aging. I sum up the two most important points a this:

1. Cognitive decline is no longer believed to be inevitable.
2. Proactive Training can minimize the risk of falling.

Most of this advice applies to preventing or improving the mind due to Vascular Dementia and not Alzheimers' because they probably have two different causes.

How do we proactively go about working on this? 

"Train the Brain"

The brain is like our muscles in the fact that it responds to training by becoming better at functioning. This is called Neuroplasticity. (Increases in neural pathways due to changes in behavior, increases in stimulation, or adaptations to the environment)

Active people work on this every day even if they don't realize it. The older you become, the less active, the less demand on your brain. In the long term this inactivity can really cost you. DEMENTIA. 

There are many programs out there that you can use. Lumosity is one of the most famous ones.
Programs like this will help strengthen your brain.

The part of the brain most effected by this type of training is the Cerebrum. This is the part of the brain responsible for thinking and voluntary movements. It is also involved in developing and retrieving memories.We have all heard when someone is smart they are very cerebral.

Another part of the brain called the Hippocampus works with the Cerebrum when it comes to long and short term memory.

However that is only one part of the best way to improve brain function. Physical activities that require balance, strength, and concentration can improve brain function even more. The Cerebellum is where coordination, posture, fine motor skills and balance are controlled.

Combining challenging the Cerebrum, Hippocampus and Cerebellum at the same time will give the best results. The goal is to strengthen the way the different parts of the brain work together. 

Specific examples of this will be given in the next 3 post on my blog.

Up until recently it was thought that the brain stopped growing after the age of 30. There is a growing body of research that points out that the brain keeps developing will int middle age and beyond with the correct types of stimulation.  Without the correct types of stimulation the older brain can:

1.  Have difficulty multi-tasking (Men even more than Women)
2.  Concentrating
3.  Making decisions.

Where is the proof the "Train the Brain programs work?

According to the Journal of American Geriatrics Society January13, 2014 All 3 can be improved with physical training and mental stimulation. 

Even more exciting: 3000 adults (average age 72) who participated in 12 weekly (60-minute train-the-brain sessions) performed better than untrained counterparts 5 years later. 

Senior Exercise Recommendations: 

Increase Blood Flow = Improved Cognition

The brain is 2% of the adult body weight but received 15% of the blood and consumes 20% of the oxygen.

*  Like anyone else Seniors should get their physicians approval before starting their "Train the Brain" program.

*  High intensity exercise is associated with lower rates of depression and cognitive decline and better health.  Exercise should be done to the point of breathlessness. 

How much and how often?

Cardio Training:

4 - 6 times per week

30 - 60 minutes per session

Balance Training:

At least 3 times per week: Daily is even better

Strength Training:

At least twice per week. Complex movements (using more than one joint at a time) while standing are the most effective.

Drills and Games:

Can be done separately or at the same time as the above activities depending on the frill and/or game. 

Next time I will cover session 2: Balance, Stability and Fall Prevention

 

 



 

"I believe that life itself is an athletic event. Therefore, I believe that most older adults should train like athletes."

I don't like it when I see everyone sitting down as they try to build their strength. There are companies that market their machines specifically to the senior market.

Are older adults being taught how to train functionally? (and why I believe they should be)


It bothers me every time I see older adults being put on strength training machines when being taught how to exercise.  One of our local Senior organizations is constantly promoting their new machines. Both they and their teachers/trainers/coaches are selling themselves short.  I feel the main reason machines are used is it is easier to teach how to train that way. It is an example of taking the easier way out, or following the path of least resistance. IMO, easier is usually the opposite of better.

During my first job in the fitness field (at Wetterau Incorporated Employee Fitness Center) from 1989 until 1993, I taught members who to use the Universal machines we had in the weight room. We had some free weights in the room, but about the only thing they were used for bench pressing and arm curls. This was actually a good thing since I had no idea how to teach anyone how to squat, lunge, hip hinge or deadlift. It wasn't until 1996 when I began studying for my NSCA Personal Trainer Certification that I began to learn how these movements should be taught.  

The clients I have worked with Parkinson's Disease train while standing on their feet. What is your excuse?

Can you imagine older adults doing this for strength. I can. They just have to be able to tailor the exercises to their current abilities.

If you want to get better balance, you should learn to train on your feet. The older we get, the more important training your balance becomes. Therefore; the older we get, the more important it becomes to train while on our feet.

This will help improve balance.

I realize not everyone is going to be able to do all their training while standing. Machines can have their place in training. (It is common knowledge that you can get stronger and/or bigger muscles training on them. All you have to do is look at body builders. A lot of them tend to rely on machines to perform their strength training)  The question is how functional this increase in strength is. How much work do all the supporting muscles get when you don't have to rely on them while seated? How much control of movements do you learn when a machine is in control of the path that your body is moving in? How different muscle groups learn to coordinate their movements is very important to strength and balance training. Keep in mind the phrase: USE IT, OR LOSE IT. This applies to the coordination I am writing about.

How did I develop this attitude when it comes to how I train my clients? One name sticks out.

Vern Gambetta

This quote is mine: "I believe that life itself is an athletic event. Therefore I believe most people should train like athletes."

Once exposed to Vern Gambetta's training ideas I decided when he talks, I better listen.
One of my favorite sayings is: "Pick your mentors wisely." I feel that I did a great job making Vern my favorite mentor. I learned more about how athletes should train from Vern than anyone else.

In addition to being a great coach, he is very good at expressing his thoughts.

His post on the simplicity in coaching sums up my training philosophy nicely. Even though his post share his ideas on training athletes they still apply to older adults. I use these points when training  every one of my clients.

From his blog post:

"The following are some systematic athletic development concepts on which I base my training. They are very simple and straightforward and they can be made as complex as necessary.

Dynamic postural alignment and dynamic balance are the foundation for all training

Train movements not muscles

Train fundamental movement skills before sport specific skills

Train postural strength before extremity strength

Train body weight before external resistance

Train joint integrity before joint mobility

Train strength before strength endurance and power before power endurance

Train speed before speed endurance

Train to build work capacity appropriate for your sport or event

Train sport appropriate - You are what you train to be"

Thank you Vern for being such a great mentor to me.