Health
Restorative Fitness for Mind-Body
ThirdAge Staff
Aimed at those who want to strengthen both their minds and bodies, restorative fitness builds and balances the body while cross-training the nervous system. A restorative fitness regimen is often comprised of three types of workouts. They most often involve muscular conditioning, various fluid exercises such as Pilates or yoga, and daily rejuvenating practices such as meditation.
Especially helpful to boomers who need gentle exercise to accommodate chronic conditions such as arthritis, restorative fitness is geared toward mind-body conditioning as well as injury prevention. Unlike most other workout regimens, the restorative fitness approach allows people to self-assess mind and body needs and tailor each day's workout around these, providing constant variation in workouts.
There are personal trainers specializing in restorative fitness at various YMCAs, universities, health clubs and spas around the country. Nancy Minges, M.A., director of restorative fitness at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, Calif., has devised a particularly versatile program. For muscular conditioning, Minges customizes cardiovascular exercises, strength training exercises and endurance-building workouts for each client.
"Each person's needs vary according to their daily life -- its patterns as well as its changes," she says. "One day may require training in a vastly different way than the next.
"Activities to tune up your muscles may include cardiovascular exercise, circuit training, strength and endurance training with free weights or machines and water resistance training," she says.
For fluid exercises, Minges likes to have clients practice yoga, therapeutic stretching, various forms of dance and breath work. "Having hands-on bodywork, such as massage, can also help people feel better and move with added grace."
While meditation provides rejuvenation, it may not be possible to do it on some days. But people can still practice self-reflection in quiet moments, Minges notes. Other days, if your mind tells you it needs to turn off, meditating on a vase of flowers or taking a slow, meditative walk or an evening yoga class might be the best way to replenish inner strength.
- - - - -
Choose a fitness program tailored to your own needs and interests with the Workout Wizard.
