Video Fitness Forum  

Go Back   Video Fitness Forum > Video Fitness Reader Forum > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 04-20-16, 01:52 PM  
videofit
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Margaret Richard chastises AARP fitness

You can see the email she sent and the video she is referencing on her Facebook page. If you aren't on Facebook I've cut and pasted it below. Clueless organization!

I hope she gets to write a column or be on their editorial board or make short videos for their members.

EMAIL SENT TO JO ANN JENKINS, AARP CEO
Now let's see if we receive a response.

Hi Jo Ann-

I am writing to you, directly, as safe and effective fitness information is critical for your AARP membership. I was dismayed to discover that your panel of experts offers advice regarding Medicare, finances and cooking, but there is no fitness professional. Furthermore, the fitness articles that are offered demonstrate exercises that are inappropriate for people over 50. Case in point is "The AARP 15 Minute Workout," and the recent article "13 Moves to Make You Healthier and Stronger" by Beth Howard, April 4, 2016.

I have been producing Body Electric, a fitness show which has been airing on PBS stations, nationally, since 1985. I know what it feels like to be 50, 60 and almost 70. I focus on exercises that build muscle and bone strength without stressing joints. Exercises such as jumping jacks and deep knee bends sabotage your audience.

I would appreciate receiving a response from you or a person on your staff.

Yours truly,

Margaret Richard
__________________
"Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you." Henry David Thoreau
videofit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 02:20 PM  
Softshoe
VF Supporter
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Wow!!!
Softshoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 02:30 PM  
videofit
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
I'm sending an email to jjenkins@aarp.org and hope you all do as well. I will suggest they hire Margaret and say how she has changed and healed my body without injuring me!
__________________
"Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you." Henry David Thoreau
videofit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 02:53 PM  
Sue B
VF Supporter
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Maryland
You're not supposed to do jumping jacks after 50?
__________________
Move your body often, sometimes hard. Every bit counts.

Drop Two Sizes, Fit Body Blueprint, STRONG Eat. Lift. Thrive. and Revamp grad

DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile.
Sue B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 02:59 PM  
Chomper
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Hmm. I like Margaret Richard, and used her workouts successfully for a few years. But I have to say that squats and jumping jacks are not necessarily off limits to older individuals.

I looked at both of the articles Margaret criticizes, and while I agree that the "15 min workout" looks pretty bad for anybody of any age, the "13 Moves" one seems pretty solid. Although, I also think those moves might be better done with a personal trainer if the person in question was previously sedentary.

http://blog.aarp.org/2013/06/10/summ...heck-this-out/

http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-l...cise-plan.html

I was wondering where the jumping jacks came in and then found the aarp 15 minute workout video:

http://videos.aarp.org/detail/videos...autoStart=true

Could this workout have been better designed for an aging population that may be new exercisers? Yes. It wasn't great. But she did provide modifications.

To be brutally honest, the reason I moved away from Margaret Richard is that I started to realize she neglects some very basic crucial movement patterns. She almost never does squats, and I don't recall any hip hinges or rows. Her back exercise is more of a shoulder exercise as far as I could tell after doing it for a few years. I think her workouts are great for people who have certain limitations, like if they can't squat or hip hinge because of injury or arthritis. But, if people can squat and hip hinge, they really should, in my opinion.
Chomper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 03:10 PM  
Pat58
VF Supporter
 
Pat58's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Connecticut
Whether we can or can't do jumping jacks and squats, I think Margaret would make a fine columnist and spokesperson for AARP.
Pat58 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 03:12 PM  
Messe
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
I'm 68, and I didn't see anything in the AARP workouts that I wouldn't do, although I frequently substitute squat jumps for standard jumping jacks. The "13 Moves" article is especially good IMHO. And I haven't heard anyone refer to squats as deep knee bends since, oh, PE class in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

ETA: I agree with Chomper that Margaret neglects some basic and crucial movement patterns. She may be great for some people, but I'm definitely not one of them.
__________________
Martha

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. — Maya Angelou
Messe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 03:22 PM  
carres1973
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
I will preface this to say I am not 50...yet...but found Margaret's comment that the exercises demonstrated are "inappropriate for people over 50" to be incorrect and a bit insulting. Why would someone who is 50 NOT need to squat? People over 50 don't pick things up off the floor? Why wouldn't people over 50 want a strong core (planks)? Why wouldn't people 50 and over do jumping jacks and other higher impact cardio moves as their bodies allow? There was just an article referenced here this week about an 81 year old marathon runner. That is certainly high impact!

I think Margaret made generalizations in her email to AARP based on her experience. Margaret clearly knows her stuff but shouldn't assume to know what's good for all AARP members. People are living longer, and are more active in their "AARP years". Not all exercise has to be slow, gentle movements.

Carrie
carres1973 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 03:42 PM  
PrairieGem
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Wow. I'm really surprised. When I read the subject line I thought that it was going to be exactly the opposite: that AARP wasn't recommending challenging-enough fitness. My idea of what fitness after 50 looks like is YOU guys, here on PR. I'm about to turn 42, and I'm with Carrie on this. Barring something really dramatic happening to my health (which can happen to anybody), I can't imagine why I wouldn't still be doing workouts that keep me strong and limber. I look at Cathe, Miranda, Denise Austin and see, I hope, what my own future fitness looks like.
__________________
~Gem
Dux femina facti
PrairieGem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-16, 03:51 PM  
Aquajock
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Quote:
Originally Posted by carres1973 View Post
I will preface this to say I am not 50...yet...but found Margaret's comment that the exercises demonstrated are "inappropriate for people over 50" to be incorrect and a bit insulting. Why would someone who is 50 NOT need to squat? People over 50 don't pick things up off the floor? Why wouldn't people over 50 want a strong core (planks)? Why wouldn't people 50 and over do jumping jacks and other higher impact cardio moves as their bodies allow? There was just an article referenced here this week about an 81 year old marathon runner. That is certainly high impact!

I think Margaret made generalizations in her email to AARP based on her experience. Margaret clearly knows her stuff but shouldn't assume to know what's good for all AARP members. People are living longer, and are more active in their "AARP years". Not all exercise has to be slow, gentle movements.

Carrie
Margaret Richard clearly has never heard of Ernestine Shepherd.

I'm almost 55, and I do jumping jacks, burpee variations, high-flying airborne jacks, tuck jumps, plié jacks and all that jazz on a weekly basis. And I squat all the time.

A-Jock
__________________
Annette Q. Aquajock
Aquajock is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
aarp, aging, cane fu, ernestine shepherd, margaret richard, margaret richard rotation, national institute aging, senior exercise

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:40 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
© 2009 Video Fitness