Inactivity can be Risky
By the time we reach 50, the likelihood that we will have some health/body challenge which will respond to exercise increases significantly. It may take the shape of a chronic condition, for example Type 2 Diabetes, heart dysfunction, osteoporosis, arthritis, COPD, cancer, or it may come under the heading of biomechanical problems, for example chronic lower back pain, joint problems. By the time we are 50, any damage and/or poor management of our body in the past, starts to manifest. It may be systemic affecting the internal working of organs, skeletal structures and/or circulatory pathways and it may be the result of poor biomechanics, poor posture and dwindling muscle mass. Rob Newton, Foundation Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Edith Cowan University says “Exercise is critical for maintaining muscle mass and helping to maintain a healthy level of body fat and this plays a major role in our immune function and metabolic health. Currently we know of no other “medicine” with greater benefits for slowing or even reversing the effects of ageing on the body than physical exercise.”
Just as important as the extension of life is the quality of the extended life. Between the age of 50 and 70, it is essential to introduce specific exercise and to adhere to it diligently. At no other time in our life is it more important to introduce progressive resistance exercise than from the age of 50 onwards. From our early 40s our muscle mass is slowly being eroded and by 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 years the process escalates unless we introduce special measures to reduce the loss. This means weight training! Not body building like Arnold Schwarzenegger but weights that you start with right now, doing what you are capable of, and progressively increasing as your body becomes stronger. This means you need help with what weights you should be doing and how you must do them, how often for you specifically and when you should increase what you are doing. You need to know why you are doing the exercise. You have a special need to exercise because of a chronic condition or a biomechanical dysfunction so it will be essential to find a professional whom has knowledge of this condition and also a strong understanding of the physical activity that will help.
The Green Apple at Bald Hills specialises in providing this help. “Once you pass 50 years of age, exercise is no longer optional” says owner/manager of the Green Apple, Victoria Gill, “My life work has been to help people achieve amazing health outcomes with ‘tailor-made’ exercise and the appropriate support.”
Cheers
Victoria