Age Appropriate

As I mentioned, April is my birthday month.  That mean—news flash!—I’m getting older, just like everyone else.  Workout needs change a bit as we age, so here are some things older adults might want to focus on.

Number one is balance.  Falls are one of the biggest risks we face as we age.  The data on what happens after we fall and break a hip is not pretty.  It might be time to seek out that Pilates or yoga class.  There are other simple things to do in daily life that help, too, like practicing standing on one foot while waiting for the microwave to be done.  Balancing on one foot while brushing our teeth is also a useful challenge.  In our regular workouts, we can focus on our asymmetric exercises (e.g., single leg squat, one arm clean and press) to help with balance.  And let’s not forget our friends the core exercises.

 

Number two is strength training.  We lose muscle mass and bone density as we age.  Strength training is our number one tool to combat the forces of age.  We need to lose our fear of heavy lifting, too:  it’s more effective for our goals.  (Note:  heavy lifting does not mean that we all rush out and lift 3 million pounds.  It means that we lift weights that are relatively heavy for us, around 70 to 85% of our single rep max for each exercise.)

 

Bonus points go to folks who exercise with friends for the social interaction (caveat:  you can’t just chat and pretend to work) and for folks who get outside while they get their heart rates up.

 

As always, it’s worth checking in with your medical professionals to make sure that you are choosing appropriate exercises for your personal condition.

 

Go play.