In Shape: It's not too late to start exercising

Comment:

Yes I am writing about exercise again because I know how important it is in our lives for many reasons.

I can see you rolling your eyes thinking, "what would she know about how hard it is for me to exercise with my sore knees and achy back plus my shoulder is always niggly".

There will be perfectly good reasons why your body is feeling grumpy in parts, the good news is there is always some exercise that you can do to alleviate those niggly bits.

Before you dismiss the notion of exercising, let's look at the ways in which your lifestyle might play a part in how your body responds.

Perhaps the most activity in your day is getting up from the couch to walk to the pantry. Or you work in an office and sit for hours in front of a screen. You may be retired and your body tells you that it's getting harder to keep up with the gardening.

We all lead varied lifestyles, some active, some not so, however, one thing is certain. If you don't exercise you will become less mobile, you will notice more "niggly" bits, and before long the mental effort needed to begin any form of exercise will have you thinking twice about it. But don't give up.

We have women of all ages join the gym who have never exercised in their lives, never played a sport, never been to a gym, not even walked for leisure.

Why did they change their minds and come and see us? Some are feeling less mobile and don't like the thought of not being independent, some have grandchildren and want to set a good example and be able to move with them, some are gaining weight and don't enjoy shopping for clothes like they used to and other women want to feel stronger.

But most just want to feel better, they want more energy and they want to be able to move with more freedom.

As we age it's natural to have some "niggly" bits, sometimes it can be due to an old accident, sometimes due to our lifestyle. We think it's important to start from scratch and assess your health status both past and current.

If we need to refer you to a health professional for further advice then we have a good working relationship with several in our community. We then prescribe the correct exercises for you, whether that includes rehabilitation, strength, fitness, balance, flexibility, mobility or a combination of all.

Even with a cautious approach exercising for the first time can still feel daunting for a newbie to the gym. However, it only takes two or three sessions to feel better and on most occasions we hear comments like "Gee I wish I had come in ages ago".

So don't disregard exercise even though you have health concerns. In many instances these can be remedied through a consistent approach and as always your good health is your most important asset.

Come in today and discuss how we can help with your "niggly bits".

• Angela is a personal trainer and a biomechanics and corrective exercise specialist. Her Fitness 59 Ingestre St, P:3489121 E:results@herfitness.co.nz