Senior Fitness

Senior Fitness

Angshuman Dutta

If you ask any senior citizen about exercise they do- most likely you will get the answer “walking” or “yoga”. While walking and Yoga are both wonderful forms of physical exercise, there is so much more that can and should be done by the seniors.

As we grow older, the need to develop, maintain and sustain “functional capacity” is the key.

Through functional capacity we mean being able to do simple day to day tasks like picking up a kid, sitting and getting off a chair without support, getting hold of a jar from the overhead kitchen cabinet or simply opening a bottle of jam.

These seemingly innocuous tasks may be extremely difficult for some people, especially the senior citizens. Exercise is not only an excellent preventive medicine; it is also the best way to improve the quality of life and live life pain free.

For all people including seniors, I would highly recommend adding resistance training to your workout regime. Resistance can be in the form of weights, bands or water. Weight training is low impact, excellent form of exercise that has multiple benefits, including but not limited to, lean muscle maintenance and gain, joint and bone health, improved nervous system functioning and fat loss.

The most common refrain we get when we recommend weight training, is that it will make them bulky; “I don’t want muscles like a bodybuilder”- Relax, you won’t! Building muscles is not the only goal of weight training- it can just be one of the many goals of it. The best thing about weight training is that there is no age limit when one can start lifting weights. You may be Sixty and never touched a dumbbell before, and its still perfectly fine.

In the absence of weights, resistance bands can also work. They come in different difficulty levels, are versatile and highly mobile. You can use them at the park, in your home or office. Resistance bands can and in fact should also be used in conjunction with weight training.

 Aqua workouts are also fun and highly effective. As we head into summers, they can be the perfect choice to add- water workouts with resistance added can exponentially improve your fitness levels.

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The first step in order to experience the next level of senior fitness is eliminating the mindset of “can’t”- There is no reason you cannot. The second step is to discard the idea that “walking is good enough” or “weight training is not for me”. There is no written word about it in the Holy Books!

Modern fitness and exercise sciences have enough documentary evidence to validate the use of resistance and weight training for seniors. Weight training, 2 to 3 days a week, can mange and prevent onset of many diseases including arthritis, type II diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease while improving bone density, muscle mass, gait and vitality.

A great asset for seniors can be use of functional equipment like the kettlebell. It is the perfect tool for seniors at home. Needs very less space, and the workouts will greatly improve neuromuscular coordination and core strength, strengthen bones, tendons and ligaments – the perfect combination to lead a fully functional life. Which basically translates into you being able to live life- in the true sense of the term.

Imagine walking up the two flights of stairs without needing to hold the side rails, being able to pick up your grandkids and run around with them in the park or simply being able to go on that mountain trek that you had been meaning to for all your life. Yes, it is all possible- and you should go ahead and do it.  Let age not be a deterrent to fulfil your dreams.

I have seen 80-year-olds lift weights and kettlebells with the jest and vigour of a 20-year-old; I have seen septuagenarians trek high altitude mountains matching steps with the young ones. And trust me, these are no “athletes” or professionals.

These are regular people who take out some time every day for themselves and use it appropriately in order to strengthen and condition their bodies. Resistance training and functional training done properly can be the panacea for seniors. All that is needed is a shift in the perception and mindset.

(The writer Angshuman Dutta is a fitness educator, coach and consultant. He can be contacted at angshuman9@gmail.com)

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