Healthy Aging > Spring Chickens
Spring Chickens™ is our signature program providing evidence-based physical activity, nutrition, and health education. This eight week, twice-per-week program is designed to improve strength and balance. Our goal is to spread this program into multiple sites via our Successful Aging Training Institute offered twice per year.
Health education lessons focus on safety, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, smart shopping, label reading, healthy cooking and nutrition for disease prevention. Generations teaches Spring Chickens classes in dining halls and activity rooms of Senior Centers, Senior Residential Facilities, Retirement Homes, Community and Neighborhood Centers, Churches and Schools and anywhere older adults gather. Partners Since 2004, Generations has taught Spring Chickens™ in numerous South Bay communities. The following are some of the sites we have served that have proven to be vastly successful!
Results A recent study was conducted based on the Spring Chickens™ curriculum by a San Jose State graduate student measuring the impact of the program on the functional fitness of older adults (Nguyen, 2009). Older adults participated in the Spring Chickens Curriculum 2 days per week for 8 weeks. Results indicated that 89% and 78% of the participants improved lower body and upper body power respectively. Spring Chickens also improved 78% of the participant’s dynamic balance and agility. The percentage of participants who increased the ability to stand only on their right leg was 72% and 67% for the left leg. Participants felt that the exercise program was not only physically and mentally stimulating, but also very interactive, which made it more enjoyable. The present results indicate that improvement in functional capacity can be achieved with light-to-moderate effort and exertion, as seen with Spring Chickens™. Additionally, via a “Senior Lifestyle Survey” conducted for the HNVF funding showed the following results among Spring Chicken participants:
In summary, participating in the 8-week Spring Chicken exercise program significantly improved multiple components of functional capacity, nutrition education and behavior modification. The group-based program facilitated social interaction among participants and enhanced compliance. If you would like more information on how to get Spring Chickens™ at your facility please email us at info@gteams.org or call 408.736.8326. |
Spring Chickens™ sessions consist of a 50 minute series of exercises focusing the following: upper and lower body muscle strength, aerobic endurance, flexibility, agility, and balance, muscle endurance, cardiovascular endurance, balance, agility, coordination, and flexibility.
