Fitter After Forty: The Glow Circuit for Healthy Aging

Is the Glow workout a good choice for women over forty?
This is a question we are asked a lot by women who come to sign up at Glow, who come to us, sometimes frustrated by their current fitness routine and results.
Glow Coach Tiffany Addison answers this question in an assignement that she prepared for a course on healthy aging at the St. Francis University in her pursuit of the study of Human Kinetics. 
Check out some of the highlights of Tiffany's findings at Glow Fitness for Women about the effects of the Glow workout specifically for healthy aging, or scroll to the bottom to download and read Tiffany's paper in full.

Can Workouts stop you from aging?

While exercise will not stop us from againg, it CAN slow the process of aging in the body. 
​"Strength training is extremely important as we age, because it can drastically reduce the risk for developing sarcopenia, which is a result of the loss of muscle mass and strength that often occurs with age," explains Tiffany.
From the time you are born to around the time you turn 30, your muscles grow larger and stronger. But at some point in your 30s, things can go in the other direction  - you start to lose muscle mass and function. The cause is age-related sarcopenia - (WebMD.com)
​Luckily, the Glow workout focuses specifically on strength training the entire body.
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​Other ways that exercise on the circuit can slow the effects of aging mentioned in Tiffany's paper:

• Don't get sick as you age! Regualr exercise prevents you from developing and dying from heart disease, high blood pressure, many cancers and diabetes.
• Boosts bone strength, mobility, and strength and independence, prevents osteoporosis.
• Improves balance and reflexes.
• Not just physical: anxiety, depression and mood can also be be onset with age, and these conditions can also be prevented or reduced with regular exercise.

Efficient and Time-Effective - perfect for packed schedules.

A lot of our members at Glow have exceptionally busy lives, balancing responsibilities at work, to family, children, parents, and their community. Fitting in a full workout wherever there is a gap in the schedule requires a routine that is effective and efficient with time.
"I think the Glow Circuit is an exceptional form of strength training...every machine engages both antagonist and agonist muscles so, when pushing or performing the forward motion you would engage one muscle group and, on the way, back you are engaging the opposite muscle group. Being able to engage and work two muscle groups within one machine and essentially one exercise allows for an extremely efficient and time effective workout." explains Tiffany, also mentioning that the flexiblity and cardio stations in the circuit make for a complete workout in 30 minutes.

No pain, No gain - a myth?

Tiffany points out is that with the use of hyrdaulics in these machines they minimize the "eccentric" phase of the exercise.
Although eccentric contractions allow for a greater muscle gains, they are the main cause of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
"Personally, when I experience DOMS, even though it can be painful and cause discomfort for a day or two I have never experienced it restricting any daily activities. However, when talking to some of the members the fact that they rarely if ever experienced muscle soreness was one of major reasons why they enjoy Glow." explains Tiffany.
Tiffany notes that this lack of soreness from the workout is an incentive for some members of Glow who have soreness from arthritis or previous injuries.
"Diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis can make simple daily tasks such as walking and brushing teeth sometimes painful and uncomfortable enough  - the last thing you want to do  is add another element of pain and discomfort".
Skipping this muscle soreness or having just a bit of soreness that is minimal and manageable, made the thought of working out and being physically active much easier, Tiffany noticed in gathering feedback from our members.

Tiffany's Conclusion Thoughts

Best reason to work out = enhanced quality of life.

​Tiffany began asking the women what they enjoyed most in their personal lives since joining the gym and almost all of them said the increase in their quality of life.
"Even for those women who still had most of their mobility and freedom they still told me that their quality of life had drastically increased. They were able to spend more time with their children or grandchildren, to actually play and participate in what their children or grandchildren were doing.
The increase in their physical fitness allowed for them to have the stamina and strength to pick their grandchildren up, to get on the ground and play with them, to walk to the park with them.
​All of these little tasks that they were not able to do before engaging in regular physical activity at Glow."
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​Final thoughts?
​"I think that if we were to emphasize how physical activity can increase older adults’ quality of life and present some of the examples I stated, we could see more of the older population being physically active."