And club owners find they have the flexibility to fill the workout rooms during the midday hours when health clubs are traditionally dead. All the excitement over senior fitness bodes best, of course, for seniors themselves, especially for those 70 and older. According to physiologists, strength and flexibility can mean the difference between independently handling everyday activities like changing a light bulb and sitting on the sofa, scared. Seniors have lost the most muscle strength and fitness, and that's largely because of inactivity. Women can put off osteoporosis.
Exercise helps control blood pressure and cholesterol.
It's also a big factor in combating depression. But for the previously sedentary, the chest presses and leg extensions can be critical in getting strong enough to do cardio at all. And training doesn't have to be done on weight machines. For the very frail, weight training can be as simple as raising a leg to learn balance. Just a few years back, the idea that gray-haired folks could build up lost bone and muscle strength by pumping iron was unheard of.