Exercising at any age is important

Are you at your physical best at any age?
Are you in your 20s and 30s and exercising to keep fit during your aging process and retirement? I doubt it.

When we're 20-something the last thing on our mind is exercising for our "old" age. Then when we are in our 30s and 40s its all about staying fit to keep up with our kids or getting the backhander over the net. It's only when we reach our 50s and 60s do we realise how important exercise is for our physical and mental wellbeing, except for the fact that by this age our muscles and joints are feeling the effects of a lifetime.

These next four components should be included in your exercise programme no matter what your age.

Cardiovascular: This is when your heart rate rises above resting rate and you huff and puff. Think of this exercise like taking a shower for your cells.We shower every day to wash off the dirt from our external bodies, let's cleanse our internal bodies and flush toxins out by getting a good sweat up. Cardio activities could be a brisk walk, running, cycling, swimming, playing sport or joining in a group fitness class.

Muscle Conditioning: Challenge your muscles by lifting weights. You don't have to resort to lifting heavy weights to gain the benefits of stronger muscles, tendons and ligaments. Your muscles are the glue that holds your skeletal system together so if they aren't strong enough, you may suffer injuries.

Flexibility: As we age we lose elasticity in our muscles, so if you are tight to begin with you are going to become even more rigid as you age. This affects your quality of movement. Having pain-free motion in a joint is supported by stretching the muscles surrounding it.

The fourth component of exercise and by no means the least is balance. As we age our confidence to challenge our physical body decreases, and this can be due to a lack of stability. Steps and stair climbing become a no-go unless there are sufficient handrails and even walking down the street becomes a second thought with the uneven paths to navigate.

At Her Fitness we include all of these components in an exercise programme, no matter your age. We adapt exercises to suit the ability of our members and as confidence grows the skillset also changes. On any day you will see women of all ages testing their balance on discs, pods, bosu balls, single leg standing exercises and much more.

What's the point you might ask? The point is these women give us feedback proudly telling us how they have never felt more able to master steps and stairs without tripping, walk with confidence and even get down on the floor gracefully, and back up without having to crawl to a support. This is life-changing or should that be life-saving?

Still not convinced that exercise is for you? If you're a younger person maybe you don't want to think about yourself as an older adult and incapable of the basics of walking. However, the "she'll be right" attitude won't give you quality of life at any age, let alone as an older adult. Do something about your health today. Come and see us.

If you're already an older adult and have been considering improving your health with exercise then come in and have a chat.
You have one body — respect it, and take the best care of it you can.
Her Fitness 59 Ingestre Street. P: 3489121 E: results@herfitness.co.nz