How to improve the mobility of older adults with obesity

Copy Experience September 3, 2018 No Comments If you have patients who are older adults with obesity, you have surely noticed that many of them have difficulties carrying out their daily activities. It is not a surprise that these patients even feel frustrated because they see their age as an obstacle in their daily lives. But they can significantly improve your lifestyle. They only need to reactivate to regain mobility and improve performance in their tasks. Exercise for Obese Older Adults A Wake Forest Medical Center review of the Lifestyle and Independence Interventions for Older Adults study found that structured physical activity reduces mobility disability in morbidly obese older adults. 1,635 sedentary people between 70 and 89 years old participated in the study, who were randomly divided into two groups that: • Followed a moderate intensity physical activity program. • They received a health education program. Then, they divided them into 4 groups, according to their BMI (Body Mass Index): • Non-obese: With a BMI less than 30. • Obese: With a waist circumference of more than 89 cm for women and 101 cm for men. • Obese class 1: With a BMI between 31 and 35. • And obese class 2: With a BMI of 36 or more. The programs The physical activity program group did two weekly sessions focused on: • Walking at moderate intensity for 30 minutes. • Strengthen your ankles with weights. • Take stock for 10 minutes. • Perform training at home between 3 and 4 times a week, for 2 years. The group of people with the health education program received workshops on topics related to ned with aging such as: • Nutrition. • Security. • Legal and financial problems. • Readings and discussions with upper body stretching sessions lasting between 5 and 10 minutes. The results were similar. However, the group with class 2 obesity showed the best results with the physical activity program and reduced the risk of developing major mobility disability by 31 percent. It is important that you get your patients to adhere to your treatments, as they are essential to improve their health conditions. Consider that, despite having mobility difficulties, physical activity should continue as a habit so that your patients can improve their physical and emotional health conditions. If you want advice on this and other topics, click here.