A little exercise can have big benefits

Strength training - whether through weights, machines or other forms of resistance - has been shown to help Baby Boomers stay active and help stave off the aches and pains that come with the aging process.

The Journal of the American Medical Association released a study in December showing that regular physical exercise in general helped individuals age 60 and older maintain mobility and live longer.

Several studies recently released also suggest that having excess abdominal fat contributes significantly to a person's chances of having dementia in later life - another reason to get off the couch and get moving.

Stephanie Page, director of outpatient rehabilitation at Manatee Memorial Hospital, says she sees dramatic results in older patients who incorporate strength and resistance training in their daily routines.

"We use it every day," Page says. "It helps them obviously build muscle and it helps them promote their mobility and strengthens their bones."

As an added benefit, strength training helps people look more youthful, Page says.

"I have people in here who have worked out every day for the last 10 years and you wouldn't know their age," Page says. "You'd be wrong. I have one couple, I think they're in their 90s. She does pool and then comes out and works out in the gym and he's on the treadmill and then comes and works out."

Functional fitness

For some people, strength training conjures images of bodybuilders heaving around huge stacks of weights.

While that probably wouldn't be the best approach for an aging individual, light movements with weights, resistance bands or machines do help older people with activities like climbing stairs and getting in and out of cars, Page says.

"Light resistance with light weights is good for everybody," Page says. "You're not going to give 30-pound weights to an 80-year-old and ask them to do lunges, but we have people in their 90s who still use weights."

Norton, of Lifestyle, says his strongest clients are typically those 45 and older.

But that doesn't mean he loads up the weight bar for them.

Instead, Norton gets his clients to focus on each individual movement and pay attention to strict form to avoid injury.

He also bypasses traditional weight-lifting movements like bench presses and biceps curls in favor of exercises that combine resistance, movement, coordination and balance - his reason being, that is the way the body is designed to function when completing tasks and activities.

Redundancy is also out, Norton says.

"He (Stroup) comes five times a week," Norton says. "We do a different routine every day. We never do the same routine twice."

Stroup says the variety keeps him engaged. Norton also helped him eat better by taking in more small-portioned meals each day, Stroup says.

"One thing I learned from him is how important diet is," Stroup says. "It's not just working out."

Page says the average person should be doing cardio exercise four to five times a week and lifting weights two to three times per week.

Bottom line: Do something.

"We always say, the ones that retire to the recliner don't last long," Page says.