Keeping Fit Safely

A previous post spoke to the issue of keeping fit as we age. In that article I wrote about physical fitness as well as mental, emotional and spiritual. This post will focus solely on the physical.

A year ago I was in Italy strolling in Rome munching a cookie and not exactly paying attention when suddenly my foot slipped on a rock and I hit the ground.  I thought perhaps I had broken my hip but fortunately, the only thing injured was my pride.  However, that fall brought fear into my being and I was overly cautious for the rest of that trip. To this day, I am more careful (most of the time) and try to pay attention to where I'm walking.

I play pickle ball with a wonderful group of women and the injuries sustained over the past year while playing this fun sport is startling. Most of us are over 65 or thereabouts and the injuries are: pulled tendons in the knees (at least two), nerve pain in the upper arm, calf pulls, plantar fasciitis, and several other painful injuries. One of the most serious was a fall that resulted in a fractured wrist and a concussion.

What we have learned from the pros is that it is essential to spend sufficient time before playing to warm up.  Everyone should do this, regardless of age, but the older generation should take even more care to do this, for the obvious reasons (older muscles and bones, arthritis, stiffness and other ailments that occur as we age).

In addition, by taking lessons from qualified instructors, we are learning what not to do in order to stay safe.  There are ways to play that keeps us more stable, steadier and less likely to sustain an injury.

Another factor that we should consider is strengthening our muscles and bones with weight lifting. Personally, I'd rather have a root canal than lift weights yet I know how necessary it is to our overall physical condition and well-being.

The only way I can endure lifting weights is doing it in a class at my local gym. I have tried, more than once, using machines and free weights on my own, only to quit before I achieved any results.  It simply bored me.  Classes are the way to go for me. I have been procrastinating on this, but since the latest mishap a friend sustained, I'm committing to strength training classes.

Whatever method you choose in order to get stronger, it is vital to do some strength training to stay able-bodied and robust as we age so that we can engage in the activities we enjoy.

xo