By Brian Foley from Activate Fitness

Why do ageing adults end up in assisted-living facilities? It’s right there in the title: it comes down to not being able to get up off the toilet. It may sound insensitive, but it’s a very real thing.

More broadly, the reason ageing adults go to assisted-living facilities is loss of independence. As adults age, basic movement becomes much more difficult. People retire, they are less active, and they have fewer reasons to get up and out of the house. So they sit all day, and their muscles atrophy.

That’s why it’s so important to stay active as we age. We need to find or stick to an exercise routine to preserve our independence for as long as possible - not just for our own sakes, but also so our children won’t have to take care of us, or pay someone else to.

The exercise needs of the ageing population vary by degree, not kind. What is standing up from the toilet? An air squat. What happens when someone falls and gets back up? An 'Up-Down'. How does shopping get brought in from the car? With a farmer's carry.

Ageing adult athletes may not be breaking gym records - even though we have a few of our masters cohort deadlifting over 100kg!, but they can certainly perform modified versions of everything the rest of the class is doing - and a good coach will know how to guide them. Intensity is relative for every athlete in the gym, while range of motion and movement goals stay the same.

Strength training is also critical for ageing adults because it helps prevent and reverse osteoporosis (brittle bones). Even minor slips and falls often result in broken bones in ageing men and women with low bone density. Lifting heavy objects increases that bone density and reduces risk of injury.

Group fitness classes may or may not be appropriate for all ageing adults. At Activate, we have several 55-plus-year-old athletes, and they do great in regular classes. Others choose to start with private sessions, and more still opt for our very successful Activate Masters programme. The point is that they get or remain active.

I am not an elite athlete. I am not going to win any competitions or break any records. I joke about it all the time, but that’s not why I work out. I work out every day so that I can stay out of a nursing home and stay robust for the span of my lifetime. As the population of Ireland ages faster than the rest of the world (we will soon have one of the oldest populations in Europe), that is a noble enough goal for us all.