START A WINTER FITNESS CLUB FOR HEALTH AND FOR FUN

For Immediate Release:
January 2002

Contact:
Jeannine Mjoseth
301-496-1752

Winter is a great time for enjoying family and friends. It’s also the perfect season to form an indoor exercise club with people who share your fitness goals, can teach you new things about exercise and give you a kick-in-the-pants when you need it. To get you started, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is offering an inexpensive, at-home exercise video and book that includes lots of activities you and your friends might already enjoy like walking and stretching.

Exercising with other people and achieving fitness goals are excellent motivators, according to the NIA exercise book. To set your fitness goals, you first determine your current fitness level by performing simple tests on pages 57-58. If you’ve been sedentary for a long time, you might start with five minutes of endurance exercise like walking. You can then work towards the goal of 30 minutes of continuous endurance exercise. Most people make rapid progress soon after they start exercising, which is very encouraging, according to the exercise book. For added encouragement, the NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. will send a signed certificate of recognition to those who stick with the program for a month. The exercise book – which is based on reliable medical research and “road-tested” by scores of Americans -- provides how-to information on:

Endurance exercises, which increase stamina and may help delay or prevent diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease and stroke;
Strength exercises, which increase metabolism helping to control weight and regulate blood sugar. Studies show, they also may help prevent osteoporosis;
Flexibility exercises, which may help prevent and aid recovery from injuries;
Balance exercises, which help prevent falls -- a major cause of broken hips and other injuries that lead to disability and loss of independence.
For those who have been sedentary for a long time and may have undiagnosed symptoms (aches, pains, swelling), the NIA encourages you to discuss the exercise guide with your doctor before beginning on an exercise program.

To order the NIA exercise video and companion guide, mail a check or money order for $7 payable to the National Institute on Aging to: NIAIC, Dept. CLB, P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057.

The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the special medical, social and behavioral issues of older people.