A fitness trend for baby boomers worldwide
What is boomer fitness? I asked myself the same question when I read in the WebMD health news that it was a hot fitness trend for 2009. After doing a bit more research on it, I found that boomer fitness is a new and innovative way for people over the age of 50 to keep in shape. The name "boomer" associates people within the baby boomer era, who are now over the age of 50 and struggling to fight off the many signs of aging. One popular way to do this is with the help of Boomer Fitness. Here is a little more insight on the increase in fitness for the baby boomer era, and how Boomer Fitness might be the right choice for you.
Baby Boomers at the Gym
With the decline in covered health care especially in America, the baby boomers have a great need for overall health and fitness. Many have turned to gyms across the nation to get the support and exercise that will keep them healthy, active, and out of the emergency room. According to International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association, this age bracket of adults are joining gyms at a rapid rate. They claim that the number of health club members over the age of 55 increased by 343% from 1987 to 2003, and those between the ages of 34-55 went up 180%.
Colin Milner, the CEO of the International Council on active aging says that "this is a market that is only going to grow more as time goes on." Milner believes that people are becoming aware of things that they thought were wrong with their bodies due to signs of aging, when the reality of it is they are simply due to disuse of the body. There are more and more health concerns for the aging majority: heart disease, obesity, blood pressure, osteoporosis, and diabetes, to name a few, and evidence shows that keeping fit into your elder years can help prevent them.
Boomer Fitness
Boomer Fitness only became this new fitness breakthrough when health and fitness clubs started to change. One major company that was on the ball, was the ever-growing health club called Curves. Curves is a women's only health club that started in 1995 with a 30 minute circuit training program for women over the age of 45. With only one location, Curves grew to over 1,000 locations in under 36 months. Now known all over the world, Curves has over 9,000 gyms and is still growing.
One might ask though, what is so special about this gym, and other gyms that are now changing their ways for the baby boomers? Well, for many reasons, Curves made exercise simple and effective with only 30 minute sessions. It therefore makes exercise attainable for those that lead busy, stressful lives. It also has a more accurate model for achievement amongst the elderly. It did away with trying to get that "perfect body" and catered more to the average person. It gives a more realistic perspective on fitness, and can appeal more to those that may not be as interested in exercising. And finally, as the baby boomers age, more and more people will fall under this age group so there will be an even greater need for exercise programs suited for the elderly.
