Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults

Go beyond aging theories and examine the physiological and physical impacts of aging. Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults takes a close look at the physical implications of the aging process and how health, physical activity, and exercise interact in aging adults.

With an international team of contributors composed of leading experts from across the field of gerontology, Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults delivers comprehensive, interdisciplinary coverage of the physical aging process and its effects on movement and exercise. Research on the physiological and physical implications of aging is presented, focusing on study outcomes and their practical application in optimizing healthy aging.

Presented in an integrated and cohesive manner, this text is organized into four parts.

• Part I covers the theoretical foundations of biological aging, the implications of aging theories on medical research, and the social and economic impacts of demographic shifts due to population aging and global population size.
• Part II addresses age-related changes to the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and endocrine systems.
• Part III covers the physical effects of aging on other dimensions of life, including balance, motor control, and physical functions.
• Part IV focuses on exercise and older adults, taking an in-depth look at exercise measurements and the main barriers to regular exercise. One full chapter is devoted to recommendations for optimizing health for the general public, while another chapter is focused on performance by elite older athletes who exercise beyond functional fitness.

Chapter objectives, end-of-chapter summaries, and review questions highlight key concepts and promote learning retention. Behavior Check sidebars look at the impacts of aging on behavior, how behavior affects physical health and activity, and how changes in behavior can improve everyday living. Functional Fitness Checkup sidebars focus on the performance of daily movements that are vital for older adults who want to maintain their physical independence. Putting It Into Practice elements provide examples of real-life application of the concepts presented, facilitating a practical understanding of how to use the content to benefit clients.

A definitive resource for students and health care professionals who study physical aging, conduct clinical research, or work with older adults as clients and patients, Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults helps readers understand the aging process and its effects on movement, exercise, and other dimensions of life.

Danielle R. Bouchard, PhD, CSEP-CEP, is an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick, and she is a codirector at the Cardiometabolic Exercise and Lifestyle Laboratory. She started her academic career at the Université de Moncton by studying physical education with a minor in biology. She went on to earn a master’s degree in exercise sciences from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. She was introduced to the field of physical activity for older adults when she completed her doctorate at the Université de Sherbrooke. Since then, she has been involved at different levels in encouraging older adults to become or stay active. The main focus of her research relates to clinical exercise physiology to test novel approaches to encourage inactive individuals—especially those with chronic conditions—to improve their physical capacities.

Bouchard is on the editorial board of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity and has written numerous articles on the topic in key journals in addition to a contribution in the Handbook of Clinical Nutrition and Aging.