Introduction
Marilyn Moffat served 6 years as the President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and currently works at New York University as a Full Professor of Physical Therapy. She has served as a teacher and practitioner of physical therapy for more than 40 years, and currently has a practice in the New York area. Carole B. Lewis is a PhD and a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and has earned multiple advanced degrees in the field. She wrote the very first textbook ever published on the process of geriatric rehabilitation, and has authored more than 20 textbooks on aging. These respected and internationally known clinical physical therapists have come together to author Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life.
More than 1/4 of the entire US population is over the age of 50! Obviously there is a need for clear, sensible information concerning physical fitness for us Baby Boomers, as well as anyone who wants to understand their body better, and age gracefully and fit. Written by a couple of women with decades of physical therapy schooling and actual practice under their belt, this book could be forgiven if it was written in a very technical matter. But Moffat and Lewis do a great job in these 304 paperback pages of writing for the layperson. They provide simple questions that allow you to assess your own physical health. Using this information, plus the included resistance band, you personalize an activity and fitness plan that allows you to enjoy fitness and good health at any age.
The Idea
The idea of this book is to teach you how to correctly and specifically discover the shape you are in right now. This is accomplished using your answers to 8 simple questions. You are then shown specific ways activity and movement can help you avoid age-related physical changes which are not as inevitable as society would have you believe. And instead of simply pointing out exercises and fitness routines that you can use to get in shape at any age, like many other books already do, Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life includes something unique.
A Thera-Band resistive exercise band is included with your book purchase. This is not needed for all of the exercise routines provided. But there are several that allow you to benefit from muscle resistance, accentuating the bodyweight training lessons and movements you are taught.
A single book purchase can positively affect the lives of you, your friends and family, because the question and answer process allows you to create your own personal profile. Men and women at any age can begin to understand how movements and activity deliver overall body health inside and out, developing a simple everyday approach to achieving their best health as they age.
How the Book is Laid Out
Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life starts out with a note from the authors. You really get the sense that these two intelligent women are passionate about helping you get in your best physical shape no matter your age. They recommend that everyone over 50 years of age schedule an appointment with a physical therapist. I don’t know about that. If you’re just starting to get active, schedule an appointment with your primary health care provider. Then start reading and working with this book because they point out that you can use several assessment questions, just as a licensed physical therapist would, to diagnose your baseline of fitness.
After this introduction there is a Physical Therapy FAQs section. You learn exactly what physical therapy is, and how you can benefit from it. Moffat and Lewis also include common questions they have received over the decades while operating their own practices. This section alone can answer a lot of your questions about the shape you are in, how you got there, and just what you can expect as far as results when you follow the lessons taught in the book.
You also learn exactly what a Thera-Band is. This resistive exercise band is included with your book purchase. It supports a broad range of exercises, providing positive and negative resistance on your muscles. This improves your strength, range of motion and flexibility.
Now you get into the meat of the book. Chapter 1 is titled Assessing Your Body. A chapter overview is presented, and then you have a quick quiz about physical fitness. Do not worry if you get a failing score. What you will learn in the book helps you come to understand your body and the aging process better. You will eventually be able to ace this test. Age-related physical changes are then covered, as well as just how you should start off using the book.
An overview of subsequent chapters goes into detail, covering the 5 “Critical Domains” of physical performance. These are posture, flexibility, balance, strength and endurance. Chapter 1 finishes up with 6 Tips for Success and a motivational piece entitled “What’s Stopping You?” that can help you push through physical and mental challenges to accomplish your fitness goals.
Chapters 2 through 6 cover in detail the 5 critical domains of physical fitness outlined in chapter 1. Each chapter includes at least 8 exercises for improving and maintaining the critical domain that chapter covers, as well as an assessment of your current level of ability. The close of every chapter then gives you Daily Tips and Energizing Ideas that you can use to implement what you just learned.
These 5 chapters form the basis for your fitness improvement. From posture changes to your muscle capability, anatomical and health information to checking your heart rate, common physical therapy diagnostic and results-oriented action-taking steps are explained and covered thoroughly.
Chapter 7 is titled Putting It All Together. And it teaches you exactly that. You discover how to commit to exercise, as well as the importance of rewarding and encouraging yourself when you are challenged. A page here is devoted to coping with soreness. The authors even include contact details so you can communicate with them personally!
The book closes with a list of references you may want to check out. This is followed by a handy keyword-based index that you can use to quickly find the topics you are interested in.
Who Benefits from Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life?
Showering, walking, sitting, while watching TV, standing, driving, and preparing meals are just a few of the common daily activities that you will learn to practice with proper form. At home, at work and in the gym you discover how to use posture, flexibility and balance to increase your strength and endurance. As Moffat and Lewis state on the back cover of the book, you learn “how to develop and maintain a personal fitness program that will keep you fit for life.”
Aimed at the 50 and over crowd, Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life can help you understand your body better as you age past your prime. Complete with a Thera-Band resistance exercise band, this thorough guide teaches you to become your own physical therapist so you can design and benefit from a personalized program of total body health and fitness.
Read the excellent reviews here and buy a copy today. Then share the information with your family and friends.
