Home Based Fitness DVD Exercise Programs Help Senior Citizens

For those who are new to physical activity, a fitness DVD can solve a multitude of dilemmas. It provides health benefits for beginners of all ages. But a major chunk of its target consists of older adults.

The latest study states that older adults benefit from home based fitness DVD exercise programs.

"There are tons of DVDs out there, 20 percent of them are purchased by older adults, and with few exceptions there is no evidence that they work," University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley said in a press statement.

In order to prove the hypothesis, the researchers recruited 307 older adults from 83 towns and cities in Central Illinois. The participants were divided into two groups, one that used a special fitness video at home and the other a control group that was given a DVD on healthy aging.

In order to maintain the flexibility, toning and balance, they designed a program known as FlexToBa. In the FlexToBa video, they included several hours of instructions, presented over six sessions and encouraged three times exercise for six months. Each program included a demonstration given by a presenter.

The researchers asked the participants to complete the daily exercise logs and also received telephone calls that offered exercise tips every other week, this continued for the first two months, and after that every month. The control group also received telephone calls.

According to McAuley, the researchers were keen to know whether a home based exercise program was as helpful as the classes that were given in a particular location. He continues to say that home based programs reach out to a larger audience than the classes that are held at a particular center, because it is inconvenient for all people to meet at a particular location.

Those who followed the FlexToBa program noticed clinical improvements in scores on the tests of physical function that assess their strength, gait and balance when compared to the control group. They also noticed an increase in their upper body strength and balance. 

This study offers certain suggestions for older adults who face a slow decline in their normal functions and are at the risk of increased disability.