Baby Boomers Set Sights On Fitness

By Jody Smith HERWriter

Rate This

Photo: Getty Images

We baby boomers are increasingly dealing with changes in our fitness. Past the age of 50, we start losing bone density, muscle mass and muscle strength.

Weight-bearing exercise can be quite effective in helping us to maintain fitness. Weight-bearing exercises would include activities like aerobics, dance, jogging, stair-climbing, walking, tai chi and yoga.

Weight-bearing exercise can assist in the battle with the bulge by enhancing your metabolism and maintaining your lean body mass. Any tendency to being discouraged or blue can be reduced, as well as anxiety and stress.

This type of exercise can decrease your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, as well as obesity, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. At the same time it can increase the efficacy of your immune system. You may find that you'll sleep better than you have in a long time.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has assembled some tips for healthy exercise with aging baby boomers in mind. The AAOS advocated stretching and warming up before moving into your exercise routine. The Academy stated that this may prevent muscle injuries.

Warmups like walking, running, riding a stationary bike can be done for between three and five minutes. Stretching should be done for about 30 seconds per stretch.

Exercising for half-hour periods five to seven days a week is safer and more effective than exercising like crazy just on the weekend. Regular moderate activity is less likely to cause injury.

The AAOS suggested heedling the 10 percent rule. Most of us can safely amp up by about 10 percent in a week, time-wise, distance-wise and weights-wise without having the body rebel or collapse.

Aim for a balanced exercise regimen, one that includes cardiovascular activity, flexibility and resistance training.

There was perhaps a time when you could punish your body and bounce back very quickly. You could take more abuse without repercussions back in the day. But fellow baby boomers, things have changed since then. Tune in to your body. If it's saying, "Enough!" it's time to stop what you're doing and save yourself an injury.

With this new vulnerability in mind, consider taking lessons or spending some real money on proper equipment. Don't scrimp on cheap shoes, buy foot wear that will give you the support you need.

If you've had any kind of sports injury or orthopaedic injury like tendinitis or stress fracture, don't try to tough things out on your own, that will lead to a bad end. Instead, see a specialist who can help tweak your exercise regimen to make it more workable and realistic for you to stick with and benefit from.

Sources:

5 Reasons for Baby Boomers to Get Weight-bearing Exercise
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/aging/baby-boomers/5-reasons-fo...

Exercise Tips for Baby Boomers
http://seniorliving.about.com/od/exercisefitnes1/a/exercisetipboom.htm

Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger

Reviewed January 4, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Champion

Jody Smith HERWriter View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.