Too old? Well, at a certain point we do grow too old to play tackle football and sports involving high injury risk. But there’s always some type of movement you can do - no matter your age. Think of the last wedding reception you attended… and there may have been a 90+ year grandparent dancing. As we age we lose muscle mass every year, so doing some type of exercise becomes even more important - especially some type of strength training. This does not mean everyone needs to visit a gym to lift heavy for 2 hours each day. Brief 10-15 minute strength sessions can slow the loss of muscle mass and function. The old cliche applies; Use it or lose it. If you are in the 80+ age group, we suggest the following activities; daily brief walks, practice squats (sitting on a chair and getting back up without arm assist), get down on the ground and get back up, bicep curls, standing on one leg for 30 seconds, climbing up and down stairs.
Too out of shape? This is a real thing. People can feel embarrassed about their loss of fitness. We hear from clients who have stepped away from working out for months or even years, and they lack confidence that they can handle any type of workout. The key to coming back to exercise and fitness after a long break (or never even starting) is to go slowly. Create small, short term goals, and do your best not to compare yourself to others who have been working out every day for years.
Too injured? This is also a real thing. But when pondering injury - we sometimes think of the famous “Tis but a scratch..” scene from Monty Python in which a knight continues to fight after losing one arm, the other arm, one leg and then the other leg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs
The key is to continue to find ways of moving without making the current injury or set of injuries worse. And. We highly recommend incorporating injury repair into a daily fitness regimen. At Cardio High we seek advice from some of the best physical therapists in our area to help program movements to repair aching muscles and joints. We also use corrective exercise techniques to improve posture and reduce the risk of future injury.
