Edited by Fabio Grossi
In the past it was said that "old age itself was a disease": fitness can be the right solution to refute this common place.
"Aging is a privilege and a goal of society. But it is also a challenge, which will have an impact on all aspects of 21st century society." This is one of the messages proposed by the WHO ( WHO, 2005 ) on the subject of the health of the elderly, a topic that is increasingly important in a society, ours, which is experiencing a kind of demographic revolution: in fact, in 2000, in the world there were about 550/600 million people over 60; in 2025 there will be 1.2 billion up to 2 billion in 2050 (the UN foresees a total of 9.1 billion people in the middle of this century ...) with a women-men ratio of 2 to 1 in the very elderly segment of the population. The term aging implies a process related to the increase in chronological age, but not necessarily corresponding to it; often the age you feel does not completely correspond to the age. When the elderly and carers begin to think of old age as a crippling condition in themselves, little by little this fear is realized: it is only by facing this state of life in a creative, positive and dynamic way that even difficult situations can show the best part and still give a strong meaning to existence. The improvement in general living conditions in recent decades has led, through a more efficient organization of prevention and rehabilitation systems, to a significant and qualitatively acceptable life expectancy. Obvious! An elder is not able to do what young people do ... but he does much more and better : not by force, speed or thanks to agility, but in hindsight, with experience and teaching big companies are done. These are the qualities of which old age not only does not remain without, but is usually more fruitful. Keeping the body and mind in operation, one can accomplish extraordinary deeds: Sebastiano Caboto organized, over the age of eighty, an expedition in search of unknown countries and lands; Elizabeth I of England, at the age of 70, performed the duties of granting court - always standing! - several hearings throughout the day. Robert Koch - the discoverer of the tuberculosis bacterium - at the age of 72 traveled to Africa to study the so-called sleep sickness; Sigmund Freud at the age of 83 published the essay "Moses and the monotheistic religion"; Michelangelo Buonarroti at almost 90 years devoted himself with fervor to the "Pietà Rondanini" and the great painter Tiziano Vecellio worked diligently until he was ninety-nine years old! The attention of sports facilities, therefore, has shifted towards the needs of this population, as it represents a catchment area of sure growth, and the goal in the coming years will be precisely the involvement of the so-called Third Age, without a shadow of doubt the most skeptical and the most difficult to involve in modern sports centers or facilities, due to fears, prejudices, beliefs and difficulties in understanding the value of fitness. In this phase of life fitness is beneficial not only physically, but also psychologically: maintaining a higher general level of wellness and combating the classic ailments contribute to raising the mood and keeping you alive and dynamic. For the body of an elderly person physical activity is really of considerable importance: it is essential to dedicate time to physical exercise, a real opportunity to regain the awareness of one's life, as a moment of socialization and integration with other people. It will be very important to practice a medium-light motor or sports activity - even better if in the open air - and attend group or individual gymnastic courses for adults or for the elderly, guided and followed by qualified teachers and personal trainers who know how to correct the mistakes of execution, suggesting the most suitable exercises based on individual skills and personal needs. Old age is not itself a disease, as the ancient Romans claimed ("Senectus ipsa morbus" - Terence), and as many still today continue to believe. Fitness can be the right way to deny this dated and yellowed statement.
But the isolation of the "over sixties" often depends on the environment in which we live: the physical decadence - with which the elderly confront and identify themselves - is feared by today's society to the advantage of a logic of consumption, production and efficiency that excludes and depreciates those who cannot achieve certain performances. So let us think of Cicero, who, a couple of millennia ago, was able to explain his philosophy in De Senectute, highlighting how old age can be a happy phase for those who have known how to work wisely and with great justice throughout their lives. as well as for those people who know how to appreciate and value this moment of existence. Aware that we are all destined, sooner or later, to no longer be completely efficient, we almost always tend not to want to recognize these problems by avoiding direct confrontation with the elderly, instead of appreciating their value and respecting the experience they bring. Fitness and a good personal trainer can really help the elderly: to maintain muscular efficiency, to get out of loneliness, to ward off dangerous depressive tendencies. Physical activity can become a profound moment of contact and beneficial interaction between different generations, bringing psychological benefits to everyone, from the oldest to the youngest! A couple of recommended texts? On all the classic and already mentioned "De Senectute" by Cicero and the very recent "Vecchio will be you!" (Moving, thinking, communicating) by Marcello Cesa Bianchi and Carlo Cristini.
