Ageing strong
Is it too late to get fit again?
Am I past the point of no return?
Was I always destined to be this way, unfit, unhappy and out of breath walking up the stairs?
In short, NO.
Everyday I help men and women over 40, 50, 60 and even 70 literally reverse their aging through exercise.
Improvements in heart health, lung health, lean body mass, bone density and strength in key areas such as hips, lower back, core and quads (knees).
One thing you can guarantee, is that if you continue to be inactive then you will lazy yourself into either an early grave or a very fragile state at 80+.
There have been studies come out that if your absolute limit at 40 is to run 5km in 30 mins then by the time you are 80-85 you will find it extremely difficult to walk up stairs…
Another study has shown, that if you regularly train, exercise, perform resistance training (gym or bodyweight) then if a major incident occurs whereas you need surgery, the recovery that you make will be 600% quicker than if you did not. Further studies suggest that if you regularly exercise and resistance train, you can make up to a full recovery 95-100%, whereas if you do not do this training prior, you may only ever recover up to 75-80% of your previous state.
There is tonnes of evidence in everyday life, yours and mine of this being true. I am only 30 years young, yes. But I train with intention 4-5 days a week, I needed major knee surgery, an injury that holds others back from normal life for 2+ years, I was back to normal life in 7 months. The same injury can have those others feeling 100% up to 5-10 years later, some never. Mine now feels 100% after just 12-18 months.
THE METABOLISM MYTH!
People think that as you age, your metabolism dramatically decreases therefore losing fat and building muscle is ‘impossible’. The long and short of it is, you’re wrong.
Here are the facts:
Your Metabolism may slow down in tiny increments over 5-10 years, but the KEY factor is due to a lack of activity / an active lifestyle
Your muscle mass will significantly decrease (waste away) if you do not perform some type of resistance training / intentional exercise as you age
You will decrease & eliminate aches and pains by strengthening commonly weak muscle groups through strength training when you’re over 40.
You will increase bone density AND joint health through strength training resulting in stronger, healthier bones and joints as you get older.
You CAN get STRONGER as you age.
You CAN get FITTER as you age.
It’s NEVER too late to start.
What really happens as we become older is that we stop or decrease our intentional physical activity (sports, workout classes, social sports) and as a result we have less energy and motivation in daily life, more aches, pains and injuries and become dramatically less mobile every day. What was 12’000 steps a day and a swim, perhaps a hit around at the local tennis club has turned into maybe a gruelling trip to the supermarket and a slow wander down the boardwalk.
By doing this, we then decrease our energy (calories) going out dramatically as we have stopped exercise, decreased in daily general movement (energy used in general activity, which is often quite high when we are younger) and decreased muscle mass. All three of these aspects attribute to our total calories out being ALOT less, yet our calorie intake (diet) is the same or often worse.
The good news! We can most definitely get stronger and fitter as we get older. We can change the internal dialogue of ‘its never going to happen’ and ask the question of ‘what would happen if… I started strength training regularly, increasing my step count and was more mindful with my diet’.
The solution: it starts now. Don’t wait for your knee to stop being sore or your back to stop aching. Make the decision to start and commit. Begin with your gym training, you don’t need to change everything at once, focus on the training and getting stronger with your functional movements. Avoid aggravating any aches and pains but definitely start imminently.
For added accountability, drag along a close friend or family member and/ or join a class or hire a PT.
Exercise and more specifically, resistance/ strength training is not just important but essential for a longer and HAPPIER life.
You will be stronger, in less pain and your family will be happy to not have to deal with your complaining!
