It’s time for a change.

You may remember when being older was associated with frailty and rocking chairs, not new careers and adventure travel. A lot has changed over the past 20 years. Older adults today are looking at services and products to help them live a longer, healthier life. For example, the pharmacist Express Scripts recently revealed that older adults now spend more on products to combat the effects of aging—including mental alertness, sexual dysfunction, menopause, aging skin and hair loss—than they do on drugs to treat chronic disease.

This increased focus on healthy aging is the catalyst for a multitude of new products and services aimed at helping age 50+ adults achieve a better quality of life. Yet, the most effective tool we have does not come in a pill bottle, requires a small investment of time and effort, and is accessible to almost anyone. I am speaking about physical activity.

Research shows that regardless of age, education, and socioeconomic or marital status, you can achieve a significantly higher quality of life if you increase your physical activity levels. Our challenge? Only 21% of men and women ages 25–64 years old meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This percentage declines with age to 14.2% of people ages 65–74 years and 7.7% of those 75 years and older.

So, how do we get adults in their 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and older to achieve at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes (1.25 hours) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week? Not to mention the Guidelines’ call for moderate- or high-intensity muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

Maybe the first step is to “up the ante.”

Discussing seminal studies conducted with frail older adults at Tufts University in the 1990s, exercise science pioneer Dr. Steven Blair stated: “[These studies] show that you take older adults into the weight room and you push them. They don’t die; they double and triple their muscle strength and throw away their walkers.” He added, “If exercise was going to kill people, it would have killed that group.”

So, to reach the Guidelines and achieve significant health improvement benefits, we must challenge older adults to exercise more intensely to become stronger and walk longer. Doing anything less is a disservice to them—and to you. The message we need to absorb is that older people are not automatically fragile.

“It’s a myth that older adults are fragile and cannot exercise,” according to Dr. Blair. “Yes, there are frail individuals. Certainly, as you go up the age spectrum, you have more health issues and potential adverse events, but they are still pretty rare. A facility needs to be aware and have an emergency plan in place.”

 
If we are ever going to help older adults meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, we need to look at what we’re doing and change the way we help people get there. 

It is easier in many ways to promote physical activities to middle-aged and older populations for a variety of reasons, but how well will they listen? If the messages are tailored precisely, they will listen very well, it turns out, despite the generation's somewhat skeptical demeanor.

Many seniors are turning attention to themselves after raising their children. Some may turn to physical activity because of medical advice to ward off chronic disease or for weight control. The effects of heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and a host of other conditions are mitigated by regular physical activity.

Others turn to physical activity to fill time or to engage socially with others after children have left home and there's more free time available. Retirement communities often market themselves as "active communities," advertising golf courses, tennis courts, a menu of aerobics, dance, yoga/pilates, and other classes that enable seniors to be physically and socially active at the same time.

Marketing to baby boomers, the World War II generation, and older seniors is good business. The wave of children born after that global conflict has been the major marketing influence at each age as they have moved through adolescence and the childbearing years of adulthood and now into their retirement years. We are only in the first few years of baby boomer retirement so the bulk of those born during those years have yet to receive their first retirement checks. As this generation marches inexorably towards their "golden" years, business marketing will be increasingly focused on tailoring their pitches to attract this cohort.

In a recent review of research by the American Association of Retired Person (AARP) into marketing to seniors, Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, recommended that those who wish to market programs, services, etc. to the burgeoing seniors market do their homework first.

"[This] valuable research reinforces the need to do your homework before setting out on a communication campaign aimed at the mature market. Learn how to speak the language of older adults. Encourage them to be physically active four or more days per week at moderate intensity, and focus on your low-hanging fruit: the planners and tryers. Your success could depend on it." - Colin Milner

It is human nature to assertively press for individual choices as we age into the second half of our lives. While marketing gurus typically expect us to make economic choices based on how we identify with one sector or another of the consumer population, we humans self-diversify as we age. It becomes much harder for those who would wish to separate us from our dollars to predict accurately what car we'll buy or what beer we might drink based on our friends' choices. We just don't follow the pack the way we once did.

As boomers age, their marketing clout will be felt throughout the economy, and the fitness and wellness sectors won't be left out. Nearly one quarter of all fitness memberships belong to seniors, and more than 40% of hospital wellness center memberships, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). Successful marketing to this generation will become a business imperative for many.

AARP's research drilled down to determine what motivates seniors to engage in physical activity and what obstacles block them from participating. The research found broad differences between those who were retired and those who were not, as well as differences between those who are habitual exercisers already and those who are sedentary. According to Milner, "they found big differences in how specific words were interpeted: Exercise was viewed as hard and difficult while physical activity was not." Neither those who exercise not those who do not equated the words "physical activity" with exercise, which many thought was too hard and difficult.

AARP Triumph Triathlon Series Was Early National Model

In 2002, AARP was worried about the Surgeon General’s declaration that more than 60 percent of all adult Americans were overweight or obese, with the 50+ population representing the most sedentary and obese segment of the adult population. Looking at demographic data stating that 80 million people would turn 50 over the following decade, AARP launched the Triumph Classic, a mini (swim-bike-run) triathlon in cities across the country. The series – a 400-meter swim, 20k bike, and 6.2 mile run - grew from six to 15 races in one year, with support from the National Park Service. The final event featured more than 500 senior triathletes competing in a national championship event in - where else? - sunny Florida.

AARP and USA Triathlon, the national governing body for the sport, joined together to offer an 8 week multisport training program that was included as part of the $30 dollar race entry fee to help seniors prepare for the short triathlon event.  The low cost and the AARP’s enormous potential for marketing the events around the country to its very own members. Triathlon has grown so extensively in the United States since then that nearly every race has its own senior “waves,” and special senior events no longer are needed.

SilverSneakers Success

SilverSneakers is a wildly popular physical activity program marketed by Healthways to various group retiree health plans nationwide or for those eligible for Medicare. Healthways is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions.

SilverSneakers is a multi-modal program that offers a fitness center membership that may be used at any participating fitness center, including YMCAs.  Program benefits include access to fitnessand conditioning classes, exercise equipment,  and customized classes along with online programs for weight loss, smoking cessation, and stress reduction. Participating health insurance companies include the AARP Medicare Supplement, Human, Kaiser Permanente, Bravo Health, some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and many others. Silver Sneakers targeted the program to seniors to motivate them to make healthier lifestyle choices to reduce future health care costs.  According to the Silver Sneakers website, members have lowered sedentary behaviors by 70 percent with nearly half reporting physical activity at least two days per week.  With more than 40 major health plans across the country participating in the program, the program reaches more than 2 million people at no cost above usual health insurance premiums.

The AARP Triumph Triathlon Series and the SilverSneakers program are both innovative approaches to heighten physical activity among our aging population. There are countless programs and activities marketed to our seniors, a generally skeptical bunch. By doing your homework first and paying close attention to the words and style of the generational leaders, your marketing campaigns are most likely to resonate with your intended new markets.

At the fine age of 80, after his wife's death, Fauja Singh moved from India to the UK to live with his son. Being in a strange country and speaking a foreign language, Singh found himself isolated until he rediscovered an old passion - running. Twenty one years later, he is the marathon world record holder for adults 90 years of age and older, clocking in at 5 hours and 40 minutes.

Singh's rapid rise in the marathon world started 17 years ago, when at age 80 he completed the 26.2-mile race in six hours and fifty minutes. What made this achievement so special was the fact that he knocked 58 minutes off the previous world best in the 90+ age bracket. Since that time he has competed in more marathons and holds many world records. Singh's achievements have not gone unnoticed. In 2004, Adidas signed him to appear in a major advertising campaign that also featured soccer great David Beckham. The campaign's tagline, "Impossible is Nothing," reflects not only Singh's achievements, but also those of older athletes from around the world.

In the U.S. alone there are over 250,000 older athletes. These athletes desire to compete, no matter what their age, and have created national and state-level Senior Games and Senior Olympics.

What can you do to tap into the rising numbers of older athletes who want to compete outdoors without getting injured? Whether it's the training for the Senior Games or for a weekend competition (librarian by day, world record holder by night), helping the 50+ adults achieve their dreams is a valuable business.

First-Things-First

The following are eight tips to share with your staff and clients as initial approaches to building "Life Champions":

1. Don't underestimate your clients' desires. When an older client wants to train for a competitive sport, or a competition such as the marathon or triathlon, don't discard their commitment or capabilities. Fauja Singh is only one example of what happens when desire is set in motion.
   
2. Understand the aging body. Many of the perceptions of what the human body is capable of in old age are not only incorrect but debilitating to a generation who's true potential may be snuffed out by ageist points of view. Today, gerontologists have found that many of the issues we attribute to aging are more a function of disuse. When your clients choose to challenge their bodies and minds, they are capable of pushing past what was once thought unachievable.
   
3. Set goals.When setting goals for your client, identify the challenges they will face along the way. Your job is to create a realistc picture of what they will have to do, and not do, to achieve those goals.
   
4. Make short-term advances. Be sure to monitor your client's progress on a regular basis to ensure that they are making the desired improvements in their performance. This is not only a way to motivate older athletes, but is an important process in ensuring that their body is able to handle the trainings. For example, an older body takes more time to heal after a competition, so you may need to encourage your client to compete less frequently, but to go for it when they do. Competing less may improve their actual performances.
   
5. Create a foundation. Before starting your clients on a sports-specific training regime, be sure to build a solid foundation by having them participate in a regular fitness program that includes cardio, strength, balance, range of motion and flexibility training. Once they have the foundation in place you will be able to build upon it, bit by bit.
   
6. Get rest. Since an older athlete may require more rest to recover from their training, be sure to structure the program to take this into consideration. Also recognize that people over the age of 50 are more likely to experience aches and pains. These conditions may not have a considerable impact on their program. However, some may suffer debilitating pain; for these indvidiuals, you will need to adjust their training. Some may find relief by doing flexibility exercises throughout their program, or less strenuous sessions in the pool. You can also try making the warm-ups and cool-downs longer and more gradual.
   
7. Water counts. Aging reduces the body's mechanism to alert us about thirst and dehydration, placing older clients at risk. This can have an impact on the older person's ability to compete or process their medication. Remind your older clients to hyrdate before, during and after training.
8. Enjoy the experience. For many older adults, whether participating in team sports or an ultra-marathon, the most rewarding part of the journey into competition is the experience they gain and the challenges that they overcome during the process. Make sure to recognize and reward these along the way.
   

Future champions

By helping your customer to enjoy their competitive spirit outdoors, you are helping to create an environment that says, "It's never too late to pursue your dreams...and we will help you."

What are you doing to inspire older adults to enjoy the competitive side of physical activity and sports in the great outdoors?