Treadmill for the Elderly
Being age 60 or better is all the more reason why you should NOT hold on (unless for brief heart rate check). A mature body is more prone to the postural damage and joint strain that holding on can create.
Need to hold on is based on lack of knowledge, not lack of balance.
The mature walker doesn’t necessarily hold on for balance. As mentioned previously, I knew a 72-year-old man who’d grip the machine during inclines. This same aged man did squats while holding dumbbells in each hand.
Fear of losing balance on the tread is based on emotion and lack of knowledge, not physical disability, since these are able-bodied people I see — who get around the gym quite fine without any help, who climb the staircase without any problem, and who do all sorts of strength-training routines with their legs. These folks are not infirm.
Their reasons for holding on are the same as younger people’s reasons. An old person is apt to say, “I’ll fall off if I let go.” But I’ve heard this same excuse from many a 20-something as well. Interestingly, men will not cite this as a reason for holding on -- unless they are really old. It’s clear, then, that something else is going on here. But let’s get back to older walkers.
So what compels just about every senior walker to hold onto the machine?
For some people, confronting a treadmill for the first time can be intimidating. The new user sees the rails, and automatically defaults to the mindset that he or she must cling to them. It doesn’t take long for this habit to sink in hard. Of course, the rails and front bar are there for liability purposes, but this does not mean you must cheat your body out of walking’s weight-bearing benefits.
Granted, you may not be able to run like the wind anymore, and perhaps your gate is a bit stiff, but if you walked into the gym without assistance, there’s no medical need for gripping the treadmill.
One purpose of exercise is to make your body more efficient in day-to-day operations. Holding on creates an artificial environment for your body, since there is nothing to hold onto once you leave the gym! Think about it: By holding on, you are “tricking” your body into thinking it can walk for sustained periods at the shopping center or amusement park with your grandkids, where there are no handy rails to cling to with each step!
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