Seniors need to move. I am not talking about housing options here but about moving your body, as in exercise. Most people seem to fall into two camps. They are either real fitness buffs or they are a couch potatoes. If you are a couch potato you can probably reel off a dozen reasons why you can’t or don’t want to exercise. It usually involves not having the time or the energy to do one more thing. You may even feel that you are too out of shape to bother. I can understand that. I am one of the fitness buffs, but I was so stiff and sore this morning that I could barely stumble through my yoga class. I can truly understand if you say that you already have so many aches and pains that you couldn’t move if you wanted to.
There are dozens of magazines on the market with tests to measure your fitness level. Most of the tests and questionnaires are too ambitious for the average senior. The pictures feature people who are already fit and just need a little a little tweaking to have the abds or gluts of their dreams, but functional fitness is another story. The book “The Long Life Prescription” by Sari Harrar is one of the best books written when it comes to practical advice for the rest of us. Before you even think about a trainer or a fitness classes you need to determine how bad the damage to your body really is. There are scientific ways to measure fitness but looking at yourself in terms of what you “can” or “cannot do” will seem a lot more meaningful. You may be in better shape than you think.
If you can do the activities listed below your condition may not be as dire as you had feared:
- Can you dance to a fast beat for more than 10 minutes without being exhausted?
- Can you walk for 30 minutes without being breathless or feeling that you just have to sit down?
- Can you hardly make it through a long day? You should still be reasonably energetic 14 hours after you wake up in the morning, unless you have been digging ditches.
- Can you carry a large container in each hand without feeling the strain?
- Can you stow luggage in an overhead storage bin without feeling the effects?
- Can you jump up and down 10 times without causing your heart to race?
- Can you carry a big laundry basket of clothing up and downs stairs without strain?
- Can you bend over to trim your toenails without discomfort?
- Can you sit down on the floor and then get up unassisted? You would be surprised at how many people don’t take a yoga class because they cannot get down on a mat.
- Can you raise your foot up as high as your hip when kicking?
- Can you twist and look behind you without moving your feet?
These are pretty simple tasks but if you can’t do them you may not be functionally fit. You should to be able to do these things (activities of daily living) without feeling tired. If you can’t, it is time to see your doctor and figure out what you should be doing to get your body moving.
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