While we may think health clubs are solely the domain of the young and fit, they are actually anything but. People of all ages have returned to the gym so that they may lead healthier, longer lives. This includes 43 percent of the nation’s seniors. While this is certainly good news for gyms wishing to increase their memberships, as well as for the seniors themselves, there are some challenges to this seemingly win-win situation. One obstacle is the fact that most exercise equipment found in gyms was designed for people aged 18 to 35. They are often high impact machines that offer high resistance and were made to build young muscles.
To serve an aging population, low impact and low resistance equipment is needed to ensure that elderly gym users can exercise safely. Since falls are a main contributor to injury in seniors, any exercise that strengthens muscles and improves balance is desirable. To address this issue, companies like HUR, a maker of health and fitness equipment, uses their patented and award-winning exercise equipment to help seniors get fit and stay that way. Using smart card technology, HUR machines record activity and provide feedback to the user so they can improve and measure their progress. These machines also utilize low-impact technology that offers close to zero resistance, which enables weak or injured people to recover faster and strengthen muscles quicker.
This type of exercise equipment is changing the way we age and helping all of us live longer and healthier by improving the quality of daily life.
