Fitness After Fifty

Older Athletes: Is It time To Let Go Of The Need To Win?

It is not unusual to read articles about older athletes training mightily for big races or even marathon events, but by-in-large our aging bodies don’t look kindly on this kind of treatment.

 

It may be time to focus more on keeping the heart rate lower, cutting back at the first sign of pain, or just being satisfied to finish the race.  Kevin Helliker (The Wall Street Journal. September 1, 2009) wrote about letting go of the need to win, and he seemed to be speaking from personal experience.  He recommended ditching the notion of competing against anyone else or even yourself, and admitting that those times may truly be behind you.

 

Every magazine out there runs articles on the need for Americans to get more exercise, but there isn’t much guidance about how to cut back.  As baby boomer enter their 50s and 60s, their competiveness is being threatened by stiffening joints, rigid muscles, fragile bones and just plain wear and tear.  Nobody wants to acknowledge that exercise in its own right is not the sole fountain of youth.

 

The no pain, no gain mentality basically suggests that you can keep making gains if you just work harder.  Unfortunately this is no longer true.  Exercise is the best thing that you can do to keep yourself active and able, but you cannot fight age with just more hours on the treadmill.  Older athletes struggling against declining performances are prone to excess training, although experts are coming to believe that extreme exercise can actually increase the body’s vulnerability.

 

If you can’t let up on the competitive part you will grind yourself into the ground.  You will become stressed out, bitter and unhealthy.  For the aging athletes, it is loss of prowess that can lead to either abandoning exercise all together or trying to double up in pursuit of what can never be recaptured. Of course, well all know that exercise can provide protection against many chronic ailments, but like any other medical treatment, it can also cause damage.  Over-use injuries increase with age.

 

The competitive flame is hard to extinguish but when your doctor tells you to ease up a little it is time to rethink your whole fitness program.  Keep exercising, but listen to your body and embrace the idea of doing something new.  Taking on new sports challenges can give long overused muscles a break, while feeding the desire to reach for new goals.   Try out a new sport and enjoy the learning process, the socialization, and the thrill of mastering something new.

Are You One of those "On Again, Off Again" Fitness People?

We’ve all know someone, or maybe it is you, who starts a new exercise and/or weight loss program every New Years Eve or every birthday or every month.  You may have noticed by now that this haphazard approach never works.  You always have big plans for losing weight or getting in shape but never really get the idea that this involves a real lifestyle change and a real commitment.

 

Your body never has a chance.  You start out like a house-a-fire, hurt yourself, and then sit around recuperating for however long it takes.  Well guess what happens while you are recuperating?   All of that hard earned muscle tone and flexibility fades away.

 

Wina Sturgeon wrote an article for the McClatchy-Tribune Service (July 21. 2010) about stop and start exercisers.  The article, “Boomer workout:  Stops and starts are bad for boomers,” cautions against using the start and stop method when it comes to health and fitness.

 

If you have been sedentary for years, it isn’t impossible to get in shape if you remember that there is a difference between what a 20-30 year old can do and what a 50-60 year old can do.  You will soon notice that the biggest difference is the recovery time.  Recovery time is considerably slower when you get older, and those aches and pains just might hang around forever.

 

The process is more involved than this, but I think you all understand the muscle tear part of the equation.  When you do a hard workout, you damage the muscle fibers.  When the muscle repairs itself, it becomes stronger.  As you get older this process slows down.  Cells don’t rejuvenate as quickly and instead of feeling stronger you may actually end up feeling weaker.

 

Many start and stop exercisers spend months doing very little physical activity, and then jump back in as if they hadn’t taken any time off at all.  You ignore the nagging pains that may actually be signs of tendonitis or muscle strain.  You push yourself harder than your body can handle and end up injuring yourself again.

 

Don’t make this mistake!  If you have been sedentary, even if only for a few months, you have to work yourself back into a fitness routine slowly.  Start out with two workouts a week for the first month, and then add another session the next month.  Three sessions a week is all that the body can handle.  If you haven’t worked out for years it may take six months or longer to build up your body again.  But, it must be continuous.  You can’t do this in fits and starts.  Consistency is more important than the amount of work that you do.  Starts and stops will just put you back on the couch.

Move Your Body: Senior Exercise Plans

Taking a yoga class reminds me that flexibility is a big issue for seniors. Every week I fuss about how hard the class is and I wonder why I am there.  I will admit that I always feel great afterwards, so working up a sweat and bending my body every which way seems to pay off.

 

One of the common causes of joint discomfort is osteoarthritis, which is a slowly progressive joint condition that typically shows up in people of middle age and beyond.  We live in denial as long as we can get away with it, but once osteoarthritis makes an appearance it is here to stay.  You probably already know that the symptoms which include pain, stiffness, swelling, cracking noises on movement and decreased function.

 

Movement helps.  Arthritis is one of the most common reasons that people give for limiting exercise and other recreational pursuits.  Fears of pain or injury are good excuses, but physicians aren’t buying it.  People who are physically fit are healthier than those who are inactive, and it is especially true for people with arthritis.

 

If you are having problems relating to joint pain and lack of flexibility you are probably wondering what it is safe for you to do.  A report written for Targeted News Service, Washington D.C. (August 12, 2010) discusses how important exercise is to your treatment plan, if you are unlucky enough to suffer any age related disabilities.

 

Flexibility:  Flexibility exercises help you to main flexibility in affected joints and the surrounding muscles.  Benefits include better posture, reduce risk of injuries and improved function.  Persevere and you just might be able to do a down-ward-facing yoga dog or at the very least bend over to put on your shoes and socks.

 

Strengthening:  Strengthening exercises are important too.  They are designed to work the muscles.  Strong muscles improve function and reduce bone loss. 

 

Aerobics:  Aerobic exercises include activities that work the large muscle groups of your body in a repetitive and rhythmic manner (improves heart, lung and muscle function).  Safe forms of aerobic exercises for people with joint problems include walking, dancing, water exercises, bicycling or exercise equipment such as treadmills, elliptical trainers and stationery bicycles.

 

Body Awareness Exercises:  These are the exercises that focus on posture, balance, joint position sense, coordination and relaxation (i.e. yoga and tai chi).

 

For people with various forms of arthritis, exercise is an important part of the treatment plan.  The benefits include less pain, more energy, improved sleep and better day to day function.

Fitness: Are You Using Your Vacation As An Excuse to Avoid Exercising?

When summer vacation time rolls around, most people leave their exercise routines behind.  A long weekend maybe, but ten to twenty days without exercise is not a good thing.  You work so hard to get in shape and in developing good exercise habits that it is a shame to let yourself be derailed and for no good reason.

 

The purpose of a vacation is to relax and to carve out some time for yourself, and to get some much needed exercise.  If you are someone who already exercises regularly, your goal might be to maintain your current level of fitness while you are away.  It is okay to cut back on the intensity, duration and even frequency a little, but you should adopt some sort of maintenance routine so that when you get back home, you don’t have to start over from scratch. 

 

For those of you who don’t exercise regularly, now would be a good time to start…perhaps a good walking program.  You may feel so good about yourself by the time you get home that you will be ready to make exercise a part of your life. 

 

If you vacation with family or friends, drag them with you. Some events are more fun when you share the experience with others.  Incorporating exercise into your vacation plan is not as hard as you might think, but it does take a little thought.  Hotels and cruise lines often have workout facilities for the truly dedicated.  If not, you can easily find our about local facilities that allow guest participation.

 

If possible, take your own exercise equipment with you.  A small kit might include things like a jump rope, resistance stretch bands and walking shoes.  You can do a credible workout with nothing more complicated than resistance bands.  Resistance bands are ideal because you can work nearly every muscle group in your body, even if your space is limited.  Jumping rope, if you are coordinated enough to do it without killing yourself, will give you a concentrated aerobic workout.  A good brisk walk, jog or even a run are always a possibility.  Ask hotel staff to point out streets, trails, tracks, beaches areas or malls where it is safe to walk.  Remember to carry ID, a cell phone, the address of your hotel and enough cash for an emergency snack or a cab ride home if you get lost.

 

Before long you will be exercising with the best of them.  A good pair of workout shoes, a video tape, and your own little kit is all that you need. I have found that I can oxycise, do yoga, or even a resistance band routine, in a tiny room or even in an RV.  A vacation is not an excuse but an opportunity to do something good for your body as well as your mind.