You Can Not Stay Young But you Can Age Successfully Active Aging Week 2008

September 6, 2008 Vancouver, BC -- Surrounded by the theme of Choose an Active Life!, organizations across the U.S. and Canada are revealing the opportunities for older adults that will hallmark the last week of September. As Active Aging Week, the annual health promotion event spearheaded by the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), is dedicated to introducing older adults to a healthy and active lifestyle.

Public agencies and retirement communities, seniors centers and health clubs, city parks and recreation areas have planned fun and free events that encourage physical, intellectual and social well-being. Their guests will be adults 50 years and older who are interested in living life as fully as possible.

"Choosing an active life means choosing to be healthy and involved."

--Colin Milner, CEO of ICAA

The last week of September is "Active Aging Week", and seniors are encouraged to remain active for a better life.

Activities include:

Dances, featuring live music and lots of musical styles and dance mats and Wii's for the technology crowd
Games featuring sports, and games for mental agility
Open houses and free classes, demonstrations and brief "sampler" activities
Fitness classes, yoga, tai chi, bicycling, walks and hikes
Bowling, billiards and paddle ball
Treasure hunts, tournaments
Health fairs, seminars on health topics, screenings

"It is exciting to see so many professionals working to support their aging populations," said Colin Milner, CEO of ICAA. "Choosing an active life means choosing to be healthy and involved."

Although most of us fear aging, it can be a satisfying if you remain healthy and vigorous. Here are some facts you probably didn't know:

85-94 is the fastest growing age group in America.
Age 70 is the new 65, based on the health of 65-year-olds in 1973.
120 is the estimated potential life span of humans, if nothing goes wrong.
30% of 80- to 102-year- old women are still having sex.
63% of 80- to 102-year- old men are still having sex.
Stress kills. Chronic stress is a big factor in non-successful aging causing unregulated blood sugar, high blood pressure, blood clots, a depressed sex drive and a weakened immune system.
Connectedness is extremely important. Social contact is big factor in successful aging. Being close to friends and family will add years. Marriage in particular protects men from poor aging, but widows seem to do O.K. with their social circles.
Successful aging means having a great attitude. Having a sense of humor and an sense of optimism does the body good as it ages.
Of course exercise for life, but you have to do what you enjoy most and make it a regular habit for life.

"ICAA's Active Aging Week hosts are a wonderful resource for older adults and their families. As the week approaches and local media is launched, we're finding entire recreation districts, for example the city of Victoria , and large groups of retirement communities, like Holiday and Brookdale, are on board," Milner stated. "What a great opportunity for older adults."

Plus, look for the rollout of these nationwide opportunities:

The Metropolitan Opera launches its third season of The Met: Live in HD, a series of live performances from the Met stage delivered via satellite in high-definition to movie theaters across the country. The Met's Opening Night Gala on Monday, September 22nd stars the incomparable Renée Fleming recreating three of her most acclaimed roles in fully staged excerpts from La Traviata, Manon and Capriccio. Featuring red carpet and behind-the-scenes intermission features. . Senior discounts are available. Visit http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/ and click on the HD Live banner for theater and ticket information.

SilverSneakers, the popular program of fitness classes offered at fitness centers and supported by health plans, is encouraging their many locations to offer special opportunities during Active Aging Week. Find a nearby location at http://www.silversneakers.com/Default.aspx

Foot Solutions, a national chain of shoe stores, is asking all 225 stores to offer foot assessments and demonstrations of their balance walking program. The store locator is at http://www.footsolutions.com/index.php To find Active Aging Week events in the local community:

Look for announcements, newspaper and television stories, posters and fliers
Visit the consumer section of the ICAA website and click on Active Aging Week: http://www.icaa.cc/activeagingweek/aaw-public.htm

As part of their continuing support of healthy lifestyles for older adults, Philips Healthcare, The Institute for Preventive Foot Health, THORLO, Inc. and The Metropolitan Opera are sponsoring Active Aging Week.

About Active Aging Week

Active Aging Week is an annual event held the last full week of September. The week was initiated by the ICAA to give as many older adults as possible the means to experience activities and exercise in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere. During the week, host organizations provide a variety of free activities, such as classes, educational seminars, access to fitness facilities, health fairs and community walks.

About International Council on Active Aging

ICAA is an association dedicated to changing the way we age by uniting professionals in the retirement, assisted living, recreation, fitness, rehabilitation and wellness fields. The council supports these professionals with education, information, resources and tools, so they can achieve optimal success with the growing population of people who are 50 years and older. ICAA is one of more than 50 of the most prominent health and aging organizations working to implement the National Blueprint on Aging. visit www.icaa.cc.

Source: ICAA

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