Are you worried about your age and exercise? Don’t let your fear get in your way! Exercise is a fundamental necessity when it comes to maintaining your strength, independence, agility and mental health as you get older. This doesn’t mean that you need to train for a marathon or start a bodybuilding program. It just means forgetting your excuses and incorporating physical activity into your lifestyle on a daily basis. So let us dispel a few myths about exercise and older adults to help get you on your way.
Myth #1: “Exercise isn’t safe for someone my age, I don’t want to fall and break a hip!”
Truth: Regular physical activity will actually decrease your risk of falling. Performing exercises that strengthen your core and increase your flexibility will improve your balance and reaction time. Concerned about osteoporosis and weak bones? Exercise is one of the best ways to strengthen them!
Myth #2: “I’m sick, so I shouldn’t exercise. It will make me feel worse!”
Truth: Your chronic health condition will likely improve with regular exercise. People with arthritis, diabetes and heart disease will all benefit from working out. And as an added bonus, exercise can help ward off disease and strengthen your immune system!
Myth #3: “It’s too late to start exercising, I’m too old for it to make a difference anyway!”
Truth: It’s NEVER too late to start an exercise program, even if you’ve been sedentary for a long time. Studies show that even 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day can greatly improve the quality of life for older adults, and help to maintain independence. Start slow, with a low impact activity—try walking, riding a stationary bicycle, or swimming!
Myth #4: “I’m disabled, so I can’t exercise!”
Truth: Limited mobility does not mean that you can’t exercise. There are a number of different activities that can be performed sitting down—weightlifting, rowing, chair aerobics and Tai Chi will all work to increase your range of motion, improve muscle tone and flexibility and support cardiovascular health.
Myth #5: “Gyms are for young people, I’m too old!”
Truth: If you’re self-conscious about your age, disability or fitness level, remember this: Most other people at the gym are also insecure about something, and are much too worried about themselves to worry about you. Intimidated by the cardio machines, free weights or other equipment? Hiring a Fitness Enhancement Personal Trainer is a great way to overcome your fear of gyms. He or she can teach you how to use the equipment and perform exercises properly, greatly reducing your risk of injury. And with the knowledge that you’re exercising correctly, you’ll be more at ease and comfortable in the gym. So while exercise won’t make you younger, it can and will make you healthier. Whether you’re 25 or 75, you have a plethora of options to get your body moving, and there’s no better time to start than now!
Need proof that older adults should exercise?
Check out some of our testimonials from the clients we’ve had over the years. We train a wide variety of older clients from people in their eighties to people with physical disabilities as a result of age or injury. For some clients like this, we often need to work in with your Doctor or Physio, and we can’t always help everything that comes with age, however, we can work around most limitations and still get you great results.
