Functional aging may be a better assessment of “the whole older person.” The latter is the measurement of functional aging, which “rests on the premise that a measure other than chronological age could better reflect one’s position in the ageing process” (Guralnik & Melzer 2002). Statistics and reports typically categorize people by age rather than by health status or by how well they can perform daily tasks and be active. The most common references to aging use chronological terms. hurtful-normal function is compromised.progressive-aging involves a series of gradual changes and.intrinsic-changes occur regardless of external factors.universal-all members of a species show the effects of aging.cumulative-the effects of aging increase over time.According to Zjacic-Rotkvic, Kavur & Cigrovski-Berkovic (2010), there are five basic descriptors: What Is Functional Aging?īefore diving deeper into the concept of functional aging, let’s define aging. To do so, it’s important to understand related biological mechanisms specifically, the role of hormones in association with aging and the accompanying decline in function. Fitness professionals have a huge opportunity to cater to the needs of this growing population by providing programs that enhance functional-aging factors. This number is expected to rise to 98.2 million by 2060 (U.S. Census Bureau, 14.9% (47.8 million) of adults were 65 years and older in 2015, an increase of 1.6 million from 2014. The topic of “functional aging” addresses this ability (or lack thereof) and is becoming more and more relevant, given the increase in people 65 and older and the disability rates in this population.Īccording to the U.S. This is of particular importance when working with older adults, since aging is accompanied by a progressive decline in multiple physiological functions, including the ability to perform daily activities. Although there may be gray areas when it comes to defining functional training and functional aging, most fitness professionals can agree that it focuses on enhancing natural movement through all planes of motion, thereby improving performance efficiency in everyday activities. In the past decade or so, the word functional has become a fitness industry buzzword, often referring to training systems and movements that take a different or unique approach, but not describing the approach with much specificity.
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