Up, Down & All Around is a land-based low-impact workout that uses a chair as the action centerpiece. Discover an innova- tive flow of seated and standing choreogra- phy and sit-to-stand challenges designed to improve muscular endurance, core strength, coordination, balance and more. Inspired by moves from AEA’s Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program (AFEP), this class is sure to deliver proven results to your active agers. Not your average chair workout. Different from traditional chair exercise, this class is intended for intermediate and advanced older adult exercisers. Much of the action takes place out of the chair and participants need agility to move up, down, and all around the chair. Aside from appealing to land fitness instructors, this class can also be useful to aquatic fitness professionals. Sometimes you just can’t get in the pool, and you need a fun, challenging low-impact substitute class. What happens in this class? All you need for this program are chairs and space to set up. Armless and sturdy chairs are best for exercise activities. The workout begins with a seated warm-up and a flexibility & range of motion joint prep. The pace then picks up in the cardiorespiratory component with seated choreography that flows into sit-to-stand movement and then into standing choreography. The up, down, and all-around action targets cardio, agility, and coordination. This is then fol- lowed by the muscular endurance component that features standing leg work that includes balance training. The workout then transitions into core training with an up and down sequence of torso flexion and rotation. Finally, the class wraps with a standing stretch that utilizes the chair as a prop for enhanced muscular flexibility. Adding some movement medicine into your classes. As mentioned, much of this class is based on lesson planning and movement from AEA’s AFEP. Land and water fitness classes can be made more purposeful and results driven by incorporating movements from AEA’s AFEP and Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program (AFAP). The exercises found in these programs, along with variations, improve functional- ity and range of movement that can help class members perform activities of daily living more efficiently. AFEP and AFAP movement variations can also be snuck into HIIT workouts to make them more beneficial to aging bodies. Move better, feel better, live better. According to the Arthritis Foundation, exer- cise is considered the most effective, non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement in people with arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) concurs, stating that participating in joint-friendly physical activity can help your class members improve their arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life. Moreover, participating in joint-friendly exercise can help delay or prevent the onset of arthritis. Adding AFEP and AFAP exercises into regular fitness program- ming is a gift to your class members that keeps on giving. AUTHOR Mark Grevelding is one of AEA’s amazing IAFTC 2023 Presenters. Click here to find out more about Mark and the sessions he is offering. Up, Down & All Around By Mark Grevelding Continued from page 24 contractions. Another benefit is the extra caloric consumption, which influences the weekly caloric balance and helps improve body composition. If we perform a HIIT protocol for the same duration as a LISS training ses- sion, we see a greater caloric expen- diture thanks to an increase in excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). However, the training dura- tion with HIIT is usually shorter, so we don’t have negative effects on fat-free mass (FFM) conservation. But if we fre- quently practice LISS for more than an hour, we can see a long-term negative impact on fat-free mass conservation. LISS is helpful for: • Beginners who have lower levels of training • Advanced individuals who want an effective active rest HIIT is helpful for: • Advanced individuals who want to specially target caloric expenditure • Improving insulin sensitivity • Those who are following hyperglu- cidic diets • Targeting body recomposition (los- ing fat while gaining muscle) Aerobic activity in our training leads to several benefits that can be obtained with a good balance between LISS and HIIT programming. We cannot say that one is better than the other one. Both offer benefits for specific needs that depend on the individual situation. RESOURCES Email [email protected] for a listing of ar- ticle resources. AUTHOR Cristina Zaghi is one of AEA’s amazing IAFTC 2023 Presenters. Click here to find out more about Cristina and the sessions she is offering. 26 | Akwa | March / April / May 2023 Aerobic activity in our training leads to several benefits that can be obtained with a good balance between LISS and HIIT programming.
