Moderation is
not a bad word

With big screen, high-definition TVs, smartphones, i-pads, computers, and other tech items, there’s little reason to leave one’s chair, unless it’s to move to an even more comfortable spot, like the sofa. Still, we know full well that human biological history argues against such slouch. For good health, humans have got to move — every day. If we don’t, big trouble is likely to set in: heart problems, diabetes, cancers. The list goes on.

Yet even if we avoid these most serious problems by staying fit and taking care of our health, aging still happens, though usually at a slower rate and more benign way.

Even so . . .

By the time we reach our senior years, even those of us who are most fit may have acquired one or two chronic physical annoyances. Maybe it's a trick knee, tennis elbow, or bad back. The danger? Small but persistent annoyances can become excuses to retire to the couch, if we let them. Unless your physician, for a valid reason, tells you not to stick with regular exercise — keep moving.

Just be smart in your approach.

Until almost 60, I still did some martial arts. But as the years added up, I'd sometimes wake in the morning still tired following a workout the day before. Worse, I'd occasionally make a quick twist or turn, feel a pinch in my spine, and I was in for several days of backache.

I denied the truth for a while but finally gave in to the fact that it was time to face some unpleasant realities. At my age, quick stop-start activities, such as martial arts, and another old favorite, handball, no longer made sense for me. Reluctantly, I bowed out, though I wasn't quite ready for the rocking chair.

Instead, I practiced Qigong (pronounced chee-kung) for a while and learned new stretching and relaxation techniques. Then after years of absence, I went back to weight training. I approached it cautiously. If I found a particular exercise aggravated something (I'm not talking about normal, mild muscle soreness), I stayed away from that movement.

Later, I was able to lead cardio-kickboxing classes. They were solid workouts (known around the gym as “butt-kickers”), but without actual contact striking and grappling which is the core of typical martial arts training.

That worked for a decade or so.

Then, as I reached 70, the pace of the kickboxing classes became more than I could realistically handle. I missed the fun but it was time once again to recognize my limitations. Once again, I backed off a little.

Today, I’m 86.

I continue to exercise (fortunately, the habit is ingrained). But over the past few years, I phased out weights, including kettlebells, in favor of resistance bands. For cardio I take daily walks with my dog. In the summer, I do pool workouts or swim laps. I no longer run or jog.

The gradual paring down approach has worked for me, and it can work for almost anyone as the years add up. Just keep moving. But be smart about it. Make regular efforts but avoid youthful foolishness.

Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) was right: "A man’s got to know his limitations." A woman does too.

Moderation is not a bad word.

Logan

Senior Exercise Central

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Sincerely,

Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com