Fitness takes a broader perspective regarding middle-aged adults since they are more prone to chronic health conditions than the younger generation. While physical exercises have proved to work effectively in ensuring the prolonged good well-being of all people, not all adults adhere to aiding physical practices. In this paper, I will describe two major risk concerns that can be mitigated by exercising.
Arthritis is one of the health risks that cause physical injury since it affects the joints, causing pain and stiffness of body parts. Moreover, it affects muscle flexibility and can lead to bone shrinkage, causing sudden falls in adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Arthritis is prevalent in women (23.5%) as compared to men (18.1%) and more frequent in grown-ups with poor health habits (40.5%) as compared to those who are fit (15.4%) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Depression is another risk associated with mood, cognitive, and behavioral disorders (Terlizzi & Norris, 2021). Although Depression is a significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated ailment, it amounts to over 18% of suicide deaths in the US (Bachmann, 2018). Exercise may be an often-neglected intervention in mental health care, but it greatly aids blood circulation to the brain, leading to mood improvement (Terlizzi & Norris, 2021). Moreover, physical activity in adults with Depression helps them to lean towards self-efficacy and embrace social interactions.
As a professional, I understand that asking my clients about their physical activity is insufficient to make them more physically active (Ehlers & Fanning, 2019). In regards to Depression, my approach would be first to integrate an exercise physiologist to supervise all workout sessions for my patients. I would evaluate my approach by monitoring the different anxiety levels in different patients to maximize the benefits of exercise therapy. By utilization of combined medication and exercise conditions, my patients will be able to receive both treatments concurrently. Activities such as jogging, strength training, water aerobics, and dance aerobics will enable my patients to divert their energy into meaningful goals, giving them fewer cases of sadness, hallucinations, and insomnia.
Regarding Arthritis, I would create a method for assessing and learning from other programs to swiftly and efficiently find and promote best health practices (Ehlers & Fanning, 2019). Doing so will enable me to monitor my patients’ progress over time routinely. I would incorporate chair yoga, Pilates, strength training, and walking in my program. As a daily activity, I would encourage my patients to take walks to the park instead of driving and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Eventually, I would be able to evaluate the success of my program by checking if my patients have improved. This would be measured in terms of muscle strength, mobility, balance, flexibility, and an overall feeling of comfort.
References
Bachmann, S. (2018). Epidemiology of suicide and the psychiatric perspective. MDPI.
CDC. (2021). National statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ehlers, D. K., & Fanning, J. (2019). Strategies for promoting physical activity in middle-aged and older adults.APA handbook of sport and exercise psychology, volume 2: Exercise psychology (Vol. 2), 201-216.
Terlizzi, E. P., & Norris, T. (2021).Mental health treatment among adults: the United States, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.