Exercise: Health club closures harmful to seniors

With “stay at home” continuing into May, government needs to address the adverse health impacts of extended inactivity on segments of our population.

For those over 70, regular exercise is correlated with better health, mental alertness and staying independent and out of nursing homes.

Medicare Advantage plans provide club memberships for that reason. Walking isn’t enough; weight and resistance exercise is important for strength and balance.

For many, there is no realistic alternative to health clubs.

People with medical conditions like diabetes often have instructions from their doctors to exercise. Others recovering from injury or illness need exercise to regain strength or range of motion.

Closing health clubs denies them the ability to follow that advice, adversely impacting health or recovery.

Some health clubs could provide six-foot social distancing by moving or disconnecting adjacent machines and discontinuing group classes.

This should prevent exposure while providing an opportunity to follow medical advice to exercise regularly.

The state’s list of essential businesses should be expanded to include health clubs and exercise facilities able to maintain social distancing.

This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Exercise: Health club closures harmful to seniors."