In Part 1 of this article, I discussed that to maintain your independence as you move through life, if you wish to continue to be able to do the things you NEED to do, LIKE to do, and WANT to do, for as long as you can, while minimizing your risk of injuring yourself while doing it, you need to take charge of your life. It has to be prioritized. It won’t happen on its own.
That’s the kind of independence training in the gym with someone who has the knowledge, tools, and experience to help guide you and help you achieve these goals is necessary.
Just listen to Peter, who came to me at 78, overweight and out of shape, talk about his journey during the two + years we trained together.
Peter’s “WHY” was not to become a burden to his adult children as he aged. In the time we trained together, he was able to achieve some incredible things, as you will soon see.
Move More Often
As obvious as this sounds, getting regular physical activity is a crucial part of staying healthy and maintaining your independence. Unfortunately, most of you reading this aren’t moving nearly enough. For some reason, we think as we get older, it’s o.k. to move less. It’s completely the opposite. We should be moving more. Albert Einstein said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
“If you’re not moving, you’re dying”__Brett Cohen
Take A Walk
Walking has been called man’s best medicine, and to keep things moving, we’re not going to get into all of the reasons why walking is good for you. The problem with walking is that it often becomes the default and ONLY form of exercise for aging adults. Walking is wonderful, it’s part of my fitness regime. I get up at 6 am and walk 2+ miles before breakfast and another mile after dinner nearly every day, BUT, walking alone is not enough to keep you fit and independent as you age. There’s so much more. Walking is only one of the seven primal movement patterns life is dependent on.
These patterns are:
- Squat
- Lunge
- Bend
- Twist
- Pull
- Push
- Gait (there’s your walking)
Maintain Muscle Mass
One of the downsides of aging is the progressive loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a Greek word that means “poverty of the flesh”. In other words, “muscle wasting”! It’s the #1 cause of weight gain, joint pain, and osteoporosis in men and women over 50! And it’s totally preventable.
So, how do you put a stop to sarcopenia? You guessed it. With resistance/strength training. You need to LIFT HEAVY THINGS, and do that 2 – 3 times per week.
Not only will strength training maintain muscle mass, but it also helps improve bone density, which peaks around age 25, and a significant loss occurs after age 50.
Do Something Fast
As helpful as strength is, we lose power even faster as we age. It’s the fast-twitch muscle fibers that help us move quickly that contribute more to longevity than even strength does.
To maximize function and prevent disability in older adults, we need to train power as well. What is power? Power is defined as force (strength) x velocity (speed). It’s moving low or high loads (including your own body) as fast as possible.
Power is the combination of two factors: strength and flexibility. Power means you’re generating force quickly, and you cannot generate force quickly without sufficient flexibility. Power has more of an effect on functional ability than strength, so we need to work on power training as part of the overall fitness training paradigm.
Improve Your Balance
Balance training is best improved in standing positions. The standing positions utilize multiple muscle groups that cross multiple joints and challenge the nervous system to a greater degree than seated or lying stretches. They require you to control your center of gravity over your base of support, maintain postural stability, and functional strength. Balance and flexibility training complement strength, power, and cardiovascular training to complete your fitness program.
Brett’s Bottom Line:
If you’re over 50 and you want to improve your strength, power, balance, and resilience as you age and stay independent and in control of your life, I can help you achieve and maintain that. I’ve been doing it for more than 2 decades.
Schedule your free 15-minute call with me. Email me at: info@golffitnesscharlotte.com and let’s get you on the path to lifelong independence.
Like every journey, it begins with the first step.
