Wednesday, May 9, 2018

40's, 50's, 60's? Should My Fitness Change As I Age?

We were sold a pack of lies about "normal aging".

We were told that aches and pains are normal and should be expected.

We were told that arthritis, poor posture and a smaller walking stride are just part of an older person's game.

And, we were taught that rigorous exercise was dangerous for those over 40.

In fact, just a few years ago, Michelle Obama turned 50 and told America that she would switch to lighter exercise to avoid injury. No, there was no physiological reason for the change - she just felt that age 50 should mean a change in her fitness programming.

At the same time, doctors across America were perpetuating the belief that the musculoskeletal system loses capacity due to years, not behavior, and that it becomes more susceptible to irreconcilable damage.

The title of this blog is "Should My Fitness Change As I Age?"  In short, the answer is that your fitness pursuits should always be changing, but not because of the number of years you've been alive.  Rather, it should change with your progression and regression, responding to where you are at that time.  

"Your cells don't have ticking timebombs in them", explains Client Services Director Val Fiott, "The body is self-healing and very adaptive to what we provide for it.  When we provide poor bodymechanics or low intensities, it reacts with pain and weakness.  When we provide the right strategy and resistance, it reacts to that with positive change."

Below are two critical truths for you to understand as you move forward with this aspect of your life:

#1:  A body that you let whither will wither.  The above scenarios are very common because people allow them to be, by lack of a scientific and in-depth program.

#2:  A body well-cared for ages with healthy joints, a lack of aches and pains, and tremendous energy.  See 95-year-old bodybuilder Charles Eugster run the 200 meter dash, or 80-something bodybuilders Ernestine Shephard and Art Peacock (both pictured below.  Yes, they are both in their 80s!)

We're not suggesting you become a competitive athlete (there is no need to, from a health perspective).  The lesson here relates to your preventive health and just how much control you have over it with each decision you make.  Do these people look like they suffer from the ailments of the average American?  Can you imagine them feeling "too tired" to get through their day?  

At Perfect Personal Training, we want every client to maximize their quality of life - to avoid medications, to stay out of the hospital, to wake up with energy and to enjoy the power of physicality.  Slouchy posture, back pain, lethargy, brain fog, and arthritis don't fit into our plans and they shouldn't fit into yours.  Those problems are a choice - and you can choose to avoid them with a steady, solid program (3+ days per week with us and following our meal planning and health coaching generally provides for this.)

"We have tremendous potential as human beings," explains exercise physiologist Brian Walters, "but most of us operate at a small fraction of what we're born to do.  This causes the rise in health problems we see in most of the world and it makes for an uncomfortable life. PPT is proud to lead clients to successful aging."

The time is now.  

Feel amazing.

Be strong.

Live right!