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With regular exercise, including resistance training, seniors have managed to regain strength and stamina for physical activities. The biggest problem as people age is that they tend to lose muscle mass because of inactivity and this makes it more difficult to participate in everyday activities.

14 Jul 2019

The Straits Times – Transform your body with exercise

Singapore – Six months ago, Madam Chong Kim Hai was in a wheelchair, finding it hard to walk because of back and leg pain caused by a narrowing of the joints in her spine.

After months of resistance training under the guidance of a physiotherapist, the 87-year-old can now walk for half an hour without stopping and no longer needs the wheelchair to get around.

These days, Madam Chong exercises four times a week for an hour each session.

Two sessions are spent doing aerobic and strength training at a Housing Board void deck under a programme set up by Touch Community Services. The other two sessions are at the Gym Tonic strength training programme for the elderly developed by the Lien Foundation, together with health technology company PulseSync.

The idea behind the Gym Tonic programme is that exercise is medicinal and can reduce or reverse physical symptoms in senior citizens, such as low stamina, weakness and trouble with walking.
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