[unpad.ac.id] A healthy and fit body is a requirement to be able to do daily activities optimally. Exercise is believed to be an important aspect in maintaining health and fitness.
A professor at Unpad’s Faculty of Nursing, Dr. Nita Fitria, S.Kp., M.Kes., AIFO, said that the general public still does not understand that to gain optimal results, the exercise has to be measured and well-programmed.
“Just like medicine, there’s a dose, everything has to be measured and well-programmed, exercise is no different,” said Dr. Nita when interviewed in her office some time ago.
Dr. Nita said that it is important to apply the FITT formula when exercising, that is to observe the frequency, intensity, type, & time. It all depends on age and needs.
“Don’t do it untill you overdose,” said the Unpad professor of Nursery.
Aside from physical health, exercise can also increase mental health. Exercise can help produce the hormone endorphin which can increase happiness.
One of Dr. Nita’s research projects was about the effects of the aerobics routine Senam Jantung Sehat Seri-1 on the physical fitness of mildly depressed and moderately depressed elderly people. Based on her research, Senam Jantung Sehat Seri-1 was found to increase physical fitness, as well as reduce levels of mild and moderate depression, for elderly people.
“I’m here to help the government’s efforts through the Gerakan Masyarakat Hidup Sehat (Germas) movement,” said Dr. Nita, explaining the background of her research.
Theoretically, someone over the age of 60 will experience decreasing levels of physical fitness.
“Six weeks after treating healthy elderly people using the aerobics routine, they saw an increase in physical fitness,” said the professor of physiology and sports health.
Next, Dr. Nita wanted to see the relationship between the aerobics routine and mental health condition. It is known that the most prevalent health problem experienced by the elderly is depression. However, the problem is that depression symptoms are difficult to detect.
For that, Dr. Nita utilized a biomarker, an indicator based on someone’s genetics. The indicator measured protein expressions of the plasma TNF-α, NF-kB and BDNF, as well as measurements using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The taking of blood samples was done before and after the treatment.
Dr. Nita explained that the indicators can reveal the increase of inflammation and the decrease of cognitive function in someone’s body which indicates depression.
“When people are older, depression becomes harder to detect. One way is to take blood samples to see whether there is an increase or decrease in cognitive function. That becomes a marker for depression, including in the elderly,” she explained.
The treatment itself lasted 12 weeks, with the exercise done every 3 weeks. The results showed an increase in cognitive function.
The research was done in the Pusat Rehabilitasi Sosial Lanjut Usia (PRSLU) and Pemeliharaan Makan Pahlawan (PMP) of Unit Pelayanan Teknis Daerah (UPTD) in Ciparay, Bandung, West Java.
“So from my dissertation, I have gained a little bit of knowledge. Turns out, depressed elderly people can be treated through non-pharmacological means. This is also very easy and cheap, as long as the process is well-controlled,” said Dr. Nita who also studies psychiatric nursing.
Aside from the Senam Jantung Sehat Seri-1 aerobics routine, other kinds of exercise can also be done by elderly people according to their interests, but they still have to observe FITT. The exercises can be done every three weeks with moderate intensity.
The type of exercise should be an aerobic exercise that is no longer than 60 minutes. Aside from that, the movements need to be paid attention to, it shouldn’t involve high impact or lifting both legs because they are dangerous to the musculoskeletal system.
“FITT needs to be a guide,” stressed Dr. Nita. (arm/ICP)*
