I propose that everyone over the age of 65 should have to go to a gym between the hours of 8am and 4pm every day. We can have tax payer funded personal trainers and tax payer funded gyms for those who cant afford to go to a private gym.
Seniors must go to gym for at least 10 years, so that they are exposed to the variety of exercises available. It is not enough that they learn basic strength and conditioning. They must learn very complex exercises, even if they will never use them again in the future. The knowledge of exercise and athletics will be very valuable to them, even if they never use it again.
Outside of the gym, the seniors must be given exercises to do at home, even if it results in them exercising 12 hours a day. We must make sure our older population has better health and scores better on fitness competitions than the population of other countries. We cannot fall behind other countries and must make sure our senior population is in very good shape.
It is important the seniors not be allowed to talk while they exercise, so that they can focus on what the trainer is showing them and learn and perform the exercises properly.
It has been proven that exercise is great not only for the body, but also for the mind. Exercise prevents obesity, which can lead to many health issues and even result in death. It can also help prevent alzeihmers and dementia. Exercise is essential to the well being of our senior population, and most seniors do not get enough exercise, if any at all.
The healthcare related costs of obesity and other mental and physical illnesses in this country would plummet if this system was implemented, due to the increase in exercise. Our national GDP and general economy would skyrocket with the minimized cost. We must do this for the good of the country and the general population.
The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are a staggering $190.2 billion or nearly 21% of annual medical spending in the United States(from Economic Costs of Obesity). The estimated cost of caring for Americans with Alzheimer's and other dementias is $277 billion this year -- and that doesn't include unpaid caregiving. Of that amount, $186 billion is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid, and $60 billion is for out-of-pocket costs (from The High Costs of Alzheimer's). Forcing people over a certain age to exercise daily will drastically reduce these costs.
Many people have to work during the day and do not have the time to stay at home to take care of their senior relatives and dependents. They also cannot afford to pay someone to do it for them. The taxpayer funded gyms will give these people a place to bring their senior dependents during the day, while they have to go to work.
Even if our seniors do not use the exercises they learn in the future, they will learn the value of hard work and discipline. The vast majority of seniors have never been involved in athletics. They do not have the discipline to exercise 12 hours a day in and out of the gym, therefore they must learn this discipline in order to become productive human beings. Even if the hard work, stress, and sleep deprivation doesn't feel good to them, they still must do it because there will be other situations in life where they will need to work hard and be disciplined, and they will only be able to perform in those situations if they spend 10 years going to the gym and learning to exercise arduously.
Seniors often experience mental capacity loss and are weaker than younger people. Their physical weakness and lack of intelligence means it is not safe for them to be allowed to go out on their own. We must provide a place for them to go, and make it illegal for them to be out in their own for their own protection.
For the reasons outlined above we must make it illegal for seniors to be out of the gym between the hours of 8 and 4. We can call this druancy, because they would be like wandering druids. If not in the gym, seniors would be out causing trouble, getting into accidents, and being victims of predators.
Many seniors would object to this, but we must force then to go the gym for their own good. Even if they do not enjoy it in the short term, their better health is good for them and they will appreciate it later on in life. Their increase mobility and mental health will let them be productive members of society.
This article is meant to show the reasoning people use to support compulsory education can be applied to other compulsory activities for other groups of people. If we reject the notion that people over a certain age should be forced to go to the gym, then why support the notion that children should be forced to go to school? I think having people forced to go the gym would be much more productive and positive for the people themselves and the country as a whole than compulsory education, but I do not support it.
Thank you for your time and comments.
References and Links
Economic Costs of Obesity
Adult Obesity Causes and Consequences
How Your Mental Health Reaps the Benefits of Exercise
Role of physical exercise in Alzheimer's disease
The High Costs of Alzheimer's