American Council on Train Launches Health Program to Assist Older Adults Lead Extra Energetic Lives

Club Industry was not involved in the creation of this content.

The expanded Senior Fitness Specialist Program trains exercise professionals to help a growing population of older adults lead healthy and active lives.

San Diego, California, February 17, 2021 – Today the American Council on Exercise (ACE) launched an updated and expanded Senior Fitness Specialist program. This continuing education program provides sports professionals with population-specific knowledge and behavior modification coaching skills to best serve older adults who want more lively, healthier, and more active lives.

“Research shows a clear association between physical activity and higher quality of life and mental health in old age,” said Cedric X. Bryant, ACE President and Chief Science Officer. “I am proud that ACE will train health and exercise professionals with the knowledge base and practical skills to best serve the older adult population.”

“The breadth and complexity of the elderly population cannot be emphasized enough,” said Dr. Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko, world-renowned sports gerontologist and dean of the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “The ACE materials provide the content professionals need to work with senior customers and empower them to take responsibility for their long-term function, health and fitness.”

This new and improved program offers exercise professionals a variety of programming options with the ACE-IFT Model®. Movement assessments specifically for older adults; and communication techniques such as the ACE Mover Method ™ to better connect with their older customers and enable them to achieve and maintain a healthier, more active lifestyle.

A central feature of this new specialty program is the focus on how specific programming for physical activity can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and cognitive decline.

There is evidence that physical activity is one of the best lifestyle behaviors to prevent and slow the progression of these diseases.

“Exercise and exercise programs have been shown to improve brain health in a variety of ways, including things like memory, attention and processing speed,” said Ryan Glatt, MSc, CPT and Brain Health Coach. “With dementia and Alzheimer’s disease on the rise, an evidence-based, individualized, and multimodal exercise program led by certified sports professionals can be one of the best ways to contain the epidemic of cognitive decline.”

The older adult population in the United States and around the world is growing rapidly. According to the US Census Bureau, nearly 2.1 million people aged 60 and over will be living in the US by 2050, which makes the ACE Senior Fitness Specialist Program more relevant than ever.

“Working with older adults has been one of the best decisions I have made in my career and my business,” said Damien A. Joyner, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Senior Fitness Specialist. “Through the use of behavior change coaching skills and the fact that my clients are the experts on their own lives, I have seen that many older adults have difficulty walking or carrying light objects to achieve their physical activity goals manage to play with their grandchildren or run a 5k. ”

The American Council on Exercise is a global, nonprofit, committed to improving physical activity by certifying exercise professionals and health trainers, publishing original research, convening physical activity and health experts, working directly with community groups, and advocating guidelines To get people from all walks of life moving. The 90,000 ACE-certified sports professionals and health trainers are among the most respected in the world of fitness, helping people exercise and adopt healthier lifestyles. For more information, please call 800-825-3636 or ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE, and ACE logos are registered trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.