Exercise comes in many forms and can sometimes be overwhelming to think about especially as we age. Many of us even say that we are too old to exercise and can be intimidated by many of these extreme exercise challenges that are gaining popularity. Exercise does not need to be intimidating! You just need to know what is right for you and your body!
All forms of exercise should be viewed on a continuum. On one side you may have more of a “rehabilitative” style of exercise. These exercises are very low impact and are used primarily to help recover from an injury or in a post-surgical situation, although this only covers a small part of what these exercises can do. If you look to the other side of the continuum, you will find more of an extreme or elite side to exercise. This may include heavy weight lifting for bodybuilders or CrossFit style workouts. As you look throughout the rest of the continuum, you will find every other activity placed somewhere along the line. Our exercise abilities fall somewhere within this realm and we just need to understand what our current abilities are and match that with the appropriate exercise. With the variety of exercises available, it is certainly understandable why people may shy away from exercise all together, especially as we age, even though the benefits are as great as they are!
Depending on your current state of physical activity and any ailments that you may be suffering from (past or present injuries, arthritis, bone spurs etc.) will determine what exercise will be most appropriate for you. It is best to see a fitness professional to perform an in depth assessment to help identify where your limitations may be prior to engaging in any form of exercise.
Unfortunately as we age, the list of ailments that may be holding you back seems to lengthen. There are, however, alternatives to the more traditional forms of exercise that you may know of, isometric exercise being one of them. An isometric exercise is quite simple and safe yet can have varying degrees of difficulty as you gain more strength and stability. Essentially an isometric contraction is when you contract a muscle without generating any movement. For example, when sitting in a chair, you can push your elbows into the back rest and create a contraction throughout your shoulders, arms and back. By maintaining pressure into the chair and generating that contraction, you are performing an isometric exercise. This form of exercise can be very beneficial when wanting to increase strength around an unstable joint, or when you are not comfortable with movement based exercise. Research has also shown that isometric training is a great way to help lower blood pressure in older individuals as well as increase strength and stability throughout your joints.
These examples are just a small piece of the puzzle and are offered as an opportunity to get you thinking more about your health and what you can do to make it better! Regardless of your age, there are always ways to improve your health and activity levels, you just need to know what will work best for you, in your current situation providing the most beneficial results in the safest manner! Next time you catch yourself saying you are too old to exercise, just think “isometric exercise”!
