Functional Fitness for seniors is a special type of exercise program that is designed to improve daily function. Functional fitness focuses on muscles and muscle groups that are commonly used together to perform certain daily tasks.

We know that exercise is good for everyone, seniors included. In the senior population, regular exercise is not just good for the heart and circulation, but it’s good for the bones (preventing loss of bone mass), good for balance, lowering incidence of falls, and good for the mind!

Within the senior population, functional fitness can be more interesting for them because it is exercise with a clear purpose. A trainer would assess what the senior is good at, and where there is room for improvement. A trainer will design exercises to improve movement and strength specifically related to certain functions, such as getting in or out of the car, or carrying groceries, or picking up dropped items, or balance while walking.

It is always easier for someone to engage in exercise when he or she understands the specific benefit of the exercise, and in the case of functional fitness, the benefit is improved movement and strength in daily life. Functional fitness can even improve something like balance or coordination used with a variety of tasks.

If you know a senior who would benefit from exercise, consider trying some functional fitness with them. Functional fitness is exercise with a clear purpose and benefit in mind, and it is particularly useful for seniors who can sometimes be hard to motivate.

The Hamlets at Vernon is an assisted-living and long-term care community in Vernon, BC, Canada. Designed to take the worry out of senior retirement home living and following the tenets of Christianity, The Hamlets at Vernon offers compassionate care in a beautiful environment.