Strength training can replace the lost muscle, get the body's metabolism back up, and keep weight off permanently, says Westcott. Two sessions a week worked nearly as well as three, and Westcott later found that even one session offers 73 percent of the benefits of three times a week. He now works out three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes on various weight machines, followed by an hour on an elliptical cross-trainer for endurance. His weight has dropped from 190 pounds to 155 to 160. But the ongoing boom in strength training has driven up emergency room visits in this age group, too.
Most mishaps occur at home.
Making them stronger, he says, reduces bone loss and improves their ability to live an active life. Group sessions can help motivate older people who have been sedentary. Since 1994, Pennsylvania's Department of Aging has run PrimeTime, a program of exercise classes for older individuals. Sears and a friend who works out with her have vowed never to cancel except in an emergency. A Guide from the National Institute on Aging.