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Getting older, especially if we are able to keep our vigor, in truth can and must be the golden years. We are more financially established, our primary goal in life isn't to scratch our way to the peak within the organization, and we develop a keener interest in helping the individuals we love rather than mostly ourselves. But if our energy is low, or gone, and it is difficult just to get around, life is not a joy, but a burden. The good news is in fact a great deal of our vigor we may possess when we age is very much in our power. Having the understanding as well as the commitment to living a vigorous way of life at first involves sacrifice since our bodies are unaccustomed with change. But once we develop healthy routines, once we take a break from them our bodies prod us back to our old healthy ways. I recently talked with a man in his 50s who travels a good deal and who enthusiastically works out. He told me if he stops for a couple of days he feels his body prodding him to working out again. So the idea is to reach that spot, meaning getting over the hump. One of the primary things we have to realize is as our body changes, just how we approach exercise also must vary. Whereas when we were more youthful we spent the majority of our time lifting, when you reach your 50s and beyond it is recommended to split your exercises 50-50. This is, for every minute you lift, you need to spend a minute in preparation to lifting. These would consist of overall flexibility and mobility exercises. When we enter our senior age, we have to accept the fact that we'll never be as physically powerful as we had been. So it will be important to make reasonable concessions for whatever we are actually capable of doing. You might love to participate in basketball, and it is a wonderful way to stay in shape. But when it takes a week for the joints and muscles to recuperate, which lays you up for that length of time it could possibly be better for you to opt for something else. We certainly never advocate eliminating lifting; in fact, weight training ought to be a part of everybody's training routine, including that of women. But a bigger element has to be stretching and maintaining joints to be loose and limber. Many seniors have put yoga into their exercise routines, and for sound reason. It really is great exercise for everybody, and it is beyond doubt a workout gift from the fitness gods for seniors. I've for more than a year been an advocate of Bikram yoga, and would recommend everyone look at its benefits. At whatever age, but especially as we reach our 50s, 60s and beyond, endurance and strength must be constructed on a firm foundation of balance, coordination and flexibility. All of these areas can be worked with yoga, as well as isometric balance exercises. We will talk more about those on an additional post. Aging requires making some calls on what you can actually perform physically, and stay within those boundaries. We recommend looking toward yoga to keep those joints flexible, along with resistance training for everyone, including women. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast living in London.
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