Senior Athletes: The No Pain Approach to Exercise

 

Injuries can happen to anyone, young or old, but middle age-aged exercisers are especially susceptible.   Betsy Nagelsen (Fit over 40 for Dummies) tells us that injuries are so common in forty and fifty year old athletes that they have been given the name “boomeritis,” because of all of the “itis” (tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis to name a few) complications that crop up. 

 

Stiff joints and aching muscles are often due to the repeated stress and overuse that occurs throughout a lifetime.  In addition to repetitive stress is plain old denial. We still think we can do the same activities that we did when we were younger.  Unfortunately the aging process causes us to be more vulnerable, so rethinking what our bodies will tolerate becomes a priority.

 

Learn to nix the old “no pain, no gain” motto.  Under no circumstances should your exercise endeavors cause pain. The best advice is to listen to your body.  Do not ignore pain.  If you are aching it is because you have injured joint or muscle fibers.  You may not be able to prevent a sudden muscle pull or spasm but you can take steps to lessen the chances of an injury occurring.  Recommendations include:

 

• Always take time to warm up and stretch.  Pay special attention to warming up the four problem areas for adults (calves, hamstrings, lower back, and the front of the shoulders).
• Avoid being a weekend warrior trying to compress a weeks worth of exercise into one or two days.  You need to workout a couple of times during the week (in addition to the weekend activity.
• If you like to ski, play softball or other fun weekend activities you need to get in shape first so that you can play without injury.
• Cross training is a good idea.  Cross training works different muscles and joint so you don’t create the over-use scenario of doing the same thing day after day.
• Wear safety gear and use proper equipment.  If you jog or walk, wear good shoes and choose soft terrain.
• Take a lesson now and then.  Lessons can help you avoid joint and back problems (many injuries come from bad technique). Good instructors can smooth things out for you and help you prevent injuries.
• Use lighter weights and good technique in the gym.  Start slowly and increase gradually.  If you experience pain you should stop.  Use ice to ease the tender area, but if you think you did some serious damage, see you doctor.
• Most important of all, admit that you are no longer an “iron” man and find something that you are reasonably good at and can enjoy.

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Comments

[Jacob K.]

That's a great post about being practical during your exercises in knowing your limits. I cannot stress enough the importance of stretching and warming up!

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[don mcgrath]

I liked your post. It's relevat to a book I'll be publishing shortly about athletes over 50. Check out my website at www.50athletesover50.com. It would be good to connect sometime.
Don McGrath