It’s not unheard of for aging adults to end up in assisted-living facilities. While it might sound a little insensitive it likely comes down to just that: “I can’t get off the toilet.”
As you age, basic movements become more and more difficult. For some, after retirement, they are less active and have fewer reasons to get up and move around their house. Think about it, sitting all day isn’t building muscles!
What Should Your Priority Be?
Priority number one, in my opinion, is to strength train. While cardiovascular endurance is helpful and has a long list of health benefits, it is loss in strength that will get you into trouble with your ability to do what you want to do. It is a loss in strength why good posture disappears.
Everybody needs to move and everybody needs to strength train.
What is getting up from the toilet? That’s a squat.
What happens when you fall and need to get back up? That’s a burpee.
What is going on when you’re unloading groceries from your car? You’re doing a farmer’s carry!
While it is not important to set new gym records, it is important to move in most of these patterns. A good coach or personal trainer will help guide you through these things at a level that you are able to do. Then, and only then, does it come to scaling up to more challenging iterations.
Want to fight osteoporosis? Strength train!
Want to pick up your grand kids? Strength train!
Want to continue to play golf into your 90’s? Strength train!
While group fitness classes may not be appropriate for all, some can be. At Iron Hero CrossFit, we have many 60+ athletes and they are all doing great! Some of them are doing classes, and some of them are working with a personal trainer. The point is that they get up, they get active, and they get strong.
I have never been an elite athlete. I am not the strongest or the fittest person in our gym [not even close]. I train because I want to be able to say “yes” to activities my kids ask me to do and I want to do that as long as possible. I train to set an example for the people around me. I train because I don’t want brittle bones.
Ultimately, I train to be as strong and as mobile for as long as I can possibly be.
