Why exercise is important as we get older...
Regular exercise isn't just for the young folks out there who want a six-pack to show off when they hit the beach. As we age, it gets increasingly more important for other reasons.
Improving and/or keeping our quality of life is the big one!
Yes it does have the benefit of being able to build muscle (and burn fat), but the benefits reach much further than that. Firstly, the right types of regular exercise can assist with retaining muscular power. Why do we need to focus on this? Well as we age, muscular power drops off sharply. Why do we care about this?
Because it is a key aspect in preventing falls later in life. Think about it - when we stumble we try to catch ourselves (usually with our non stumbling leg or an arm if we fully trip).
When we do this a large amount of force goes through the "catching" limb - without muscular power this limb can just act as a painful cushion, with muscular power it can literally break our fall.
Another reason why we need to include resistance training in our exercise is the impact it can have on bone density - especially relevant if you are female. With reduced bone density it means that our bones become brittle and can break easily as we get older.
There is also evidence that regular exercise can help with our mental health as we age. This includes helping with the symptoms of anxiety and depression through to preventing cognitive decline - basically helping us with memory. All important factors in quality of life as we age.
There you have it, a few pretty decent reasons to get your exercise in on a regular basis as you grow older. The best way is not to stop exercising to be honest, rather than stopping for a few years and then trying to start again.
If you are wanting to get back into things or change your approach I would love to sit down and have a chat about things. Just get in touch with me to arrange a time and we can talk through some options that could work for you.
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Improving and/or keeping our quality of life is the big one!
Yes it does have the benefit of being able to build muscle (and burn fat), but the benefits reach much further than that. Firstly, the right types of regular exercise can assist with retaining muscular power. Why do we need to focus on this? Well as we age, muscular power drops off sharply. Why do we care about this?
Because it is a key aspect in preventing falls later in life. Think about it - when we stumble we try to catch ourselves (usually with our non stumbling leg or an arm if we fully trip).
When we do this a large amount of force goes through the "catching" limb - without muscular power this limb can just act as a painful cushion, with muscular power it can literally break our fall.
Another reason why we need to include resistance training in our exercise is the impact it can have on bone density - especially relevant if you are female. With reduced bone density it means that our bones become brittle and can break easily as we get older.
There is also evidence that regular exercise can help with our mental health as we age. This includes helping with the symptoms of anxiety and depression through to preventing cognitive decline - basically helping us with memory. All important factors in quality of life as we age.
There you have it, a few pretty decent reasons to get your exercise in on a regular basis as you grow older. The best way is not to stop exercising to be honest, rather than stopping for a few years and then trying to start again.
If you are wanting to get back into things or change your approach I would love to sit down and have a chat about things. Just get in touch with me to arrange a time and we can talk through some options that could work for you.
_________________________________________________________________________
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