ABLE Bodies Balance Training

ABLE Bodies training is an activity-based program designed to improve balance, mobility, and brain health for both fit and frail older adults. ABLE is an acronym for Adventures in Better Living through Exercise, and the ABLE Bodies training program is proven to enhance balance, mobility, activity levels, gait speed, flexibility, and strength for participants ages 70 years and older living in retirement communities and assisted living facilities. With ABLE Bodies Balance Training, Second Edition With HKPropel Access, fitness professionals and exercise leaders can use the ABLE Bodies program to help seniors maintain balance and functional fitness, thereby fostering increased self-confidence, reducing the occurrence of falls, and improving quality of life.

ABLE Bodies Balance Training introduces 137 activities and exercises for the program’s five foundational components: flexibility, posture and core stability, strength, balance and mobility, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Each includes step-by-step instructions, phrasing and instructions to use when encouraging participants, ways to make the activity progressively more difficult, and tips on ensuring safety while performing the exercise. The exercises and activities encourage fun, self-direction, and social interaction and are easily implemented with the use of existing facilities and inexpensive equipment.

Plus, new to this edition is information on how the aging brain benefits from exercise, supported by brain-stimulating activities that enhance cognition and improve overall brain health. A revised position glossary also explains how to set up and progress through different stances and positions to make the physical exercises most effective.

To get started, exercise leaders can guide their clients through a 16-week program that safely progresses older adults through a range of exercises. This program is suitable for either group settings or individual settings. The lessons serve as a springboard for learning how to select exercises and activities from the five component categories to customize training for each individual and to create safe, fun, and engaging classes.

Accompanying the book are related online resources that further support professionals in creating effective activity sessions. These downloadable resources include sample balance training sessions, a lesson plan template, individual PDFs of each of the 137 activities and exercises that can be shared with clients, homework handouts so clients can work on skills outside of class, additional activities to incorporate into client sessions, and a certificate of completion for clients who have completed the program.