How Societal Expectations Shape the Fitness Perceptions of Older Adults

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Societal expectations influences the functional abilities and fitness level of older adults. Here’s how this shows up: Images of older adults lifting only small weights Message: older people are weak Images of younger people participating in sports like surfing, rock climbing, and snowboarding. Message: These sports are not suitable for older people Age siloed exercise classes with senior, silver, or gold in the name Message: If you are older, these are the appropriate classes for you Offering only chair based exercise classes for older adults in senior living communities Message: You need a chair in order to exercise Not showing older people in marketing and promotion of all types of physical activities and exercise programs Message: These programs are not suitable for you It’s worth considering what we communicate to older adults with images we show and the environments we put them in.