Stay Fit, Stay Healthy, Stay Young

Muscular atrophy and diminished stamina come naturally with growing older, but swift physical deterioration is not inevitable. When we pass the top of that hill, how steep the slope is on the other side is largely down to us. When we recognise that we may be passing our prime we can react in one of two ways. We can cite nature as our justification for a sedentary existence, or else we can step up our efforts to shape up and get the best out of life by enjoying a wide variety of leisure activities at the Riviera Centre. For most of us, the choice is entirely our own to make.

Regular Exercise Sharpens the Mind

There is no reason why older people should not engage in both resistance and endurance training. Indeed it is not uncommon for over-40s who take up weight training or aerobic exercise for the first time to soon feel fitter and stronger. Regular exercise has also been shown to sharpen the mind in older people according to a study carried out by the University of Canberra and the Australian National University, which was reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Worries about injuries do mean we have to be sensible in our approach. Some older people prefer the slightly less strenuous disciplines associated with cardiovascular exercises such as swimming or brisk walking to using weights, but experts do recommend that at least an element of resistance training be added to any exercise program.  

Maintaining Muscle Mass in Older Life

A study involving 4,425 older people from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey concluded that muscle loss probably reduces life expectancy, and the diminution of our natural stores of testosterone coupled with the increasing difficulty we have in metabolising protein as we get older suggest that fighting age-related muscle loss ought to be a consideration for us all in mature age.

The sports and fitness industry recognises the desire of older people to stay fit and healthy and has responded to it enthusiastically.  A whole spectrum of anti-ageing supplements is now widely available from more or less any reputable nutritionist and most health centres run dedicated gym and swim sessions for senior age groups and even “normal” sessions are no longer the sole preserve of the young and youthful.  The days when everyone laughed at the grey-haired fifty-year-old guy pumping iron are thankfully long gone.