It’s been 28 years since I earned my first of four personal training certifications in 1995. As I proudly displayed the American Council of Exercise (ACE) certificate on my wall, I thought I had all I needed to help people get fit.
I vowed to motivate, inspire, and heroically save the world from flabby triceps, weak abs, and jiggly thighs!
I would be a fitness superhero, fighting off the bad habits of the planet, armed with fitness tubing, dumbbells, and a yoga mat, carried on the shoulders of the people I’d helped.
Excuse me while I partake in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Oh, the fantasies of youth! It should be so easy.
After working with people (mostly women) for over 20 years, I’ve learned a thing or two as I near my 65th birthday.
One is this: No one can motivate another person until they make up their minds to make a commitment.
Another eye-opener is this: Yes, things do change as we age, even when we do all the right things.
You simply can’t fool Mother Nature.
However, the worst thing you can do is blame aging as an excuse to stop exercising altogether.
Truth is, unless you’re in a full body cast suspended from the ceiling, you can almost always do something.
Clearly, I’m not advocating doing anything beyond your abilities, but we often limit ourselves when inactivity can actually worsen the situation.
Case in point: I have knee arthritis. It hurts. I hate it, and yes, my knee pain has put the kibosh on some of the activities I’d like to do.
Walking lunges and high-impact jumps are a long-forgotten fantasy.
Let’s have a moment of silence for those days.
But if I stay within a modified range of motion and stick with exercises that don’t aggravate it, I can still do a lot. So, I do what I can and stop focusing on what I can no longer do.
When I don’t move, it hurts more. Research shows I’m not alone. In fact, regular exercise reduces the risk of limitations associated with knee osteoarthritis.
With this in mind, here are the top three excuses I hear most often that can sabotage results and health.
Fatigue is definitely more of a thing as we age. It takes more energy to perform the same activities and hence, we need more recovery time. It has to do with changes in the workings of our cells, which are too complicated to get into here.
And while you need to listen to your body and give yourself more rest days between workouts, overall, exercise gives you energy. Regular, low-intensity exercise boosts energy levels.
Here’s how it works: For one, exercise increases blood flow through your body and boosts cardiovascular health. This allows more blood and oxygen to provide energy for work.
Numerous studies show this time and again. The best way to experience the results is to try it yourself. Track your energy on days you exercise versus days you do not and let the results speak for themselves.
A reader wrote to me saying she can’t do certain exercises because she has such poor balance.
The problem is, if you stop doing things that challenge your balance, your balance will get worse. Breaking a hip or other bone is no joke. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, either.
The bottom line: Working on your balance is a crucial part of any workout plan.
Here are a couple of ways to get steadier:
Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart… Arthritis and joint pain is a Catch-22. It may hurt a bit to get moving, but if you don’t move, it will get worse.
Movement keeps joints mobile by circulating the fluid that lubricates them. If you stop moving, you get stiff.
What can you do to ease the discomfort? Here are a few tips:
What excuses will you put aside when it comes to your daily exercise? Which exercise myths have impacted you the most? Let’s chat!
Tags Fitness Over 60
Wonderful article. Thank you!
Great article!
I love to lay in bed when I wake up in the a.m. I have found in the last few years that I start to ache everywhere when I do. As soon as I get up and get moving I feel better.
I look after clients dogs. In the winter I don’t get to exercise them or myself due to the weather. I am 73 now and every year In the spring I always think it might be my last year. Then about 4 weeks in I think I could do this forever. It just takes getting over that initial hump.
I teach a dance class similar to Zumba Gold for local ladies of mature age. It is great fun and it really helps keep us all fit. I recommend joining a class it really doesn’t matter if you can dance or not, no-one is watching, you just follow the instructor, get some exercise and come away feeling great!
p.s I am 69!