If you want to keep old age at bay, understanding functional fitness and its five dimensions is a start. How do you go from that concept to a program that works for you? Here’s how to think it through:

1. Set long-term goals based on an honest self-assessment. No fudging! How easy or hard it is to get through your daily tasks? Are you hampered by weakness, stiffness, shortness of breath or fear of falling? Do you suffer from chronic aches and pains?  Is excess weight undermining your health or limiting your activities? Consult your doctor about any chronic health conditions, past injuries or other issues that could restrict your activities.
2. Target areas for improvement. Functional fitness has five dimensions: core strength and stability, flexibility, balance, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance.  Which ones are not being addressed by your current activities? On which aspects of functional fitness do you need the most work? As you get into your program, a skilled trainer or physical therapist can help you delve deeper into the root causes of pain, stiffness, or dysfunctional movements.
3. Learn a few basic fitness principles. You don’t need to get on board with the latest fitness fads or know dozens of exercises. But it IS important to realize, for example, that a lack of core strength can contribute to back pain or a tendency to fall, that aches and pains may be due to tightness elsewhere in the body, and that no one kind of exercise can do it all. If you need a concise overview of fundamentals, check out Just Move!, the fitness guide I wrote for just that purpose.
4. Know yourself. Are you a self-starter, or do you need a buddy, trainer or coach to help you stick to a workout schedule? Do you like the focus and flexibility that come from being active on your own, or do you thrive with the energy and support of a group class? Maybe you’re the competitive type who’s driven to achieve a goal, maybe not. A program created with your personality and preferences in mind will be easier to stick with.
5. Build the fitness habit. Willpower can get you started; habit will keep you going. Start with regular stretching and walking on alternate days, even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes at a time to start. Then ease into other activities. If you want to progress, consistency is key.
6. Make it a priority. If you’re willing to give it an honest effort, you can improve your functional fitness in an hour a day, five or six days a week. Last week’s post talked about ways to address each dimension of functional fitness. Think about the combination of activities that would work best for you. Then commit to that plan. Put it on your calendar and think of each session as an appointment with yourself.
7. Progress one small step at a time. Don’t get fixated on your long-term fitness objectives, and don’t try to make big leaps. Instead, focus on the next step, adding exercise time or intensity in small increments. That way your goals will be attainable and each one will pave the way for the next. Small changes add up to big improvements over time.

Image: Galina Barskaya/Fotolia/Adobe Stock

My last post discussed how functional fitness helps you put the brakes on aging. It’s a holistic approach with five dimensions. And to fight off old age effectively, you need to train for them all.

So what exactly do you need to do? There’s no one “right” answer. The best fitness program is one that fits your fitness goals, is sustainable and, ideally, includes activities you might even enjoy! You can join a gym or not, exercise at home or outdoors, work out solo or in groups. It’s all up to you.

What’s more, functional fitness doesn’t have to be a schedule-buster. There are plenty of ways to train in two or more dimensions at once. For example, yoga isn’t just for flexibility; depending on the style and instructor, it can also improve balance and strength. You can even target four or five dimensions at once with circuit training classes or old-fashioned calisthenics. And don’t forget opportunities to be active while doing gardening or other chores around the house.

Here are some ideas for devising a functional fitness plan that works for you:

Core strength – Concentrate on whole body exercises that can be adapted to almost any fitness level: the plank, the squat, and versions of the push-up.

Flexibility – Stretch regularly, if not daily, at home or in a gym. Do dynamic stretches before being active and as you feel tight. Attend yoga or Pilates classes. Use a foam roller to help loosen areas of tightness. Find opportunities to fully extend your movements as you go about your daily tasks.

Balance – Work simple balance exercises into your day, like standing on one foot while you brush your teeth. Practice walking heel-to-toe with one foot directly in front of the other. Take up tai chi or yoga. Building core and lower body strength will also help reduce your risks of a serious fall.

Muscular strength – Do two or three strength-training workouts a week, focusing on basic push, pull, and hip-hinge or squat exercises. For an efficient gym workout, rely on whole-body exercises using your body weight and/or free weights, rather than muscle-isolating machines. Outside the gym you can use resistance bands, free weights, or your body weight. If you’re new to strength training, see my article on how to get started.

Cardiovascular endurance – Get at least 30 minutes of vigorous cardio exercise three times a week (or five weekly sessions of more moderate exercise). This need not be on cardio machines. There’s also brisk walking, swimming, biking, rowing, stairclimbing, aerobic dance – you name it, as long as it keeps you moving.

In next week’s post we’ll talk about how to enhance your program’s results and set yourself up for success.

Functional fitness is a phrase that’s been kicking around for some years now. In fact, it regularly shows up on those lists of top fitness trends we see every January.

But how many people know what it means, let alone think about what it might mean to them?  If you’re feeling stiffer, more achy, weaker, less sure-footed, or less agile than you used to be, functional fitness is a concept you need to know.

Simply put, functional fitness means training your body for the activities of daily life. It’s not about looking good in a bathing suit or outcompeting your younger neighbor. It’s a practical approach designed to help you handle everyday movements with ease, and without pain or risk of injury, no matter what your age.

How do you get there? Cardio sessions and yoga classes are good, but they’re not enough. What’s needed is a holistic approach that addresses five dimensions of your body’s functioning:

Core strength & stability – Your core muscles are your body’s support structure; they’re also the drivers and stabilizers for everything you do.  A weak core increases risks of falling and is often the root cause of back pain.

Flexibility – When joints are stiff and muscles are shortened by inactivity, movements are limited or distorted. Some muscles are underused and other overused, leading to aches, pains, and injuries.

Balance –Balance issues are often overlooked in fitness routines, but shouldn’t be. One in three Americans over 65 suffers a fall each year.

Muscular strength – As we age, we steadily lose lean muscle mass if we’re not doing something to build it–and those losses accelerate after the age of 50. That’s why strength training is even more important for older people than for younger adults. (Here’s my advice on how to get started.)

Cardiovascular endurance – Regularly challenging your cardiovascular system is essential to being fit. The sweet spot is an intensity level you can maintain for 30 minutes but still elevates your heart rate and breathing.

In future posts I’ll talk about what to do for functional fitness and how to get it all done efficiently. If you want the whole story, you can find it in Chapters 3 and 4 of my book, Just Move!

Image: Black Swan Photographers