With exercise proven to hinder the effects of ageing, says Mary Sheppard, it's no wonder more elderly people are getting physical and more of them are turning for help to personal trainers

PERSONAL trainers were once the preserve of the young and the relatively affluent in pursuit of a body honed to an (often Hollywood) version of physical perfection.

Many are now expanding their client base to older people, many of whom understand the health benefits of keeping fit and active and have the disposable income to pay out £25-£30 for a one-to-one session with a trainer.

The benefits of exercise have been broadcast from every loud hailer in the land, but less well publicised are some very specific health benefits of exercise for older people.

Exercise prolongs length and quality of life, reduces coronary heart disease, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, colon cancer and depression.

And the really good news is that even for 80 somethings who have never pressed up, or done squats in their lives, it isn't too late to start. What is particularly encouraging is that specific kinds of exercise can improve particular medical conditions such as osteoarthritis and can even reverse the physical decline associated with ageing.

Any kind of exercise, including gentle walking for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, is beneficial, but for those who can afford it, a personal trainer has some specific advantages for older people. Taking joints through their full range of movement will help with mobility, exercises with light weights can improve strength and flexibility, and improving balance through exercises such as standing on one leg can help prevent falls.

A trainer can demonstrate the safest, most effective way to do these exercises and can motivate older people to achieve more than they might do if left to their own devices.

If you put a class full of two-year-olds together for a baby gym session, they will more or less be able to do the same sort of things because they haven't been alive for long enough for much to have happened to their bodies. By the time someone is in their 60s, 70s or 80s an awful lot has happened and they are more in need of a programme that is personalised to the needs, abilities and limitations of their particular body.