National Senior Health and Fitness Day

29 years, that’s how long the Mature Market Research Center has been raising awareness about the importance of health and fitness among the population’s seniors with a devoted national day. 1993 was the first year this national day was observed, for those math challenged individuals out there, like myself…I had to use my fingers.

Background

National Senior Health and Fitness Day was created to promote the importance of physical activity and health screenings among older Americans and to reveal what local organizations are doing to support this noble and essential goal.
To that end, hundreds of thousands of seniors will participate in localized health and fitness events at over 1,000 locations throughout the country. These community organizations will include senior centers, YM and YWCAs, retirement communities, health clubs, places of worship, local parks and hospitals.

Yes, these events will include physical activities, such as noncompetitive walks, low-impact aerobics, beginner’s yoga, shallow water pool exercises, swimming and introductory body weight activities, but they will also include health and fitness literature, health screenings and health and fitness workshops.

The Stats

Despite all we know about the importance of health and fitness among seniors, the health statistics are not encouraging. In other words, there are a whole lot of unhealthy seniors out there among the 46.4 million people aged 65 and older in this country. Here’s just a sample of those statistics:

• 60% of seniors manage two or more chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, bronchitis and/or Alzheimer’s disease.
• Less than 60% of seniors engage in regular physical activity or strength training.
• A senior citizen suffers an injury as a result of falling every 13 seconds and falls claim a senior’s life every 20 minutes in America. Regular physical activity can prevent falls by allowing seniors to avoid them through improved reflexes and stronger muscles and bones.
• 42% of men aged 65-74 are obese and that percentage jumps to 46% among women in the same age category.
• 67% of men aged 65-74 suffer with high blood pressure and that percentage increases to 81.5% among men aged 75 or older.
• 74% of women aged 65-74 have high blood pressure and 86% of women over the age of 75 have high blood pressure.
• The top three causes of death among seniors in 2020 were heart disease, cancer and COVID 19.

When looking at the above numbers, it’s easy to see why having a National Health and Fitness Day for seniors is essential, especially when you consider that the life expectancy for those age 65 is 19.6 years…sorry, couldn’t resist throwing one more stat at you.

Jump In!

So, if you fall into that “senior” category or if you know someone who does, look within your community for an organization or location that is sponsoring an activity for National Senior Health and Fitness Day on Wednesday, May 25^th and pay it a visit.

Hopefully, it will expose you to health information that convinces you to continue your regular physical activity routine or get you to start one. As I stated in my last post, it is never too late to start (or re-start) an exercise routine and May 25^th is the perfect time to get up, get out and get going.