Why Exercise Is Good For You At Any Age
By lb50 on September 15, 2016
As people age, they feel less inclined to exercise. If they have led a fairly sedentary life, full of stress, tension, worry, effort, and struggle, they are inclined to have more aches and pains by the time they are in their 50s.
In addition, they feel reluctant to exercise because their rate of recovery has slowed, their endurance fallen, and their strength dropped.
Ironically, all these reasons for not wanting to exercise are the very reasons why they should think of exercising again. Often a decline in health and vitality has less to do with aging and more to do with a decline in physical activity over the decades.
Exercise improves metabolism, builds muscle, burns fat, and increases strength and endurance. Symptoms of pain decrease or may disappear altogether. What’s more, exercise is not only good for the body, but also for the mind. Energy and equanimity return. Mind and mood improve as endorphins are released and the brain learns new physical skills. While exercise does not stop aging, it slows it down, and it removes many of the undesirable effects of a sluggish metabolism and a moody disposition.
One way to get back into the swing of things is to join a gym. Facilities like Fitness 19 offer a wide variety of exercise classes to help men and women find the perfect exercise program for their goals. Ideally, the exercise routine should be well-rounded—it should improve strength and endurance and promote flexibility.
Common Excuses to Avoid Exercising
It takes discipline and enthusiasm to exercise at any age, and while there is plenty of science to back up the many health benefits of regular exercise as people get older they find better excuses to avoid it.
Here are a few common ones:
- “I don’t feel well because I have health problems.”
This may be true, but not exercising doesn’t make things better, it makes things worse. You are not giving your body enough stimulation for it to begin actively healing itself. Even a person with poor health will benefit from gentle exercises like yoga stretches and walks.
- “I may fall and injury myself.”
This only applies to strenuous exercises. If a person is frail with a risk of losing their balance, they can still do gentle exercises to improve their metabolic functions.
- “I don’t know how. I’ve always been too busy earning a living.”
If you don’t know where to begin, then join a class. Many able instructors are eager to share their years of study and practice to help others learn.
- “I find exercise boring.” (Other excuses along this line are, “I don’t like getting hot and sweaty,” and “It’s not for me.”)
Once you study the many benefits of exercise and find an exercise program that interests you, you will quickly feel enthusiastic about it.
In essence, then, exercise will do someone a world of good regardless of their current physical condition.
7 Good Reasons to Exercise
Here is a short list of why you should consider exercising if you are 50 or older:
- Exercise will energize you.
- Exercise will improve your mood.
- Exercise will relieve stress and worry.
- Exercise will help you manage any illness better.
- Exercise will reduce physical pain.
- Exercise will improve your outlook and help you feel terrific.
- Exercise will give you an opportunity to have more fun, especially if you do it with friends.
Physiological Benefits of Exercise
There are innumerable physiological benefits to exercise, and here are just a few to consider:
- Maintaining weight or losing it by boosting a sluggish metabolism, building muscle mass, and burning more calories.
- Reducing the impact of an illness or lowering the risk of a chronic condition like osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease,
- Better immune function, bone density, and digestion.
- Improving cardiovascular health and blood pressure.
- Enhancing balance, coordination, and mobility.
- Increasing strength, endurance, and flexibility
Frail or Chair Bound Adults
It’s important to understand that exercise benefits everyone, including a frail or chair bound adult.
According to a comprehensive article on exercise for older adults written by Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.:
“Even if you are frail or chair-bound, you can still experience the physical and mental benefits of exercise. Chair-bound adults can improve fitness with strength training, flexibility, and cardio activities. If being chair-bound has prevented you from trying exercise in the past, take heart knowing that when you become more physically active, the results will amaze you. Like any exercise program, a chair-bound fitness routine takes a little creativity and personalization to keep it fun.”
Life to Your Years
Slowing down and taking it easy as you age is the very reason why you should think about exercising. Anyone at any age can benefit from exercise. And anyone with any health condition will benefit from it. Even a little movement is better than hardly any movement because moving the body improves health and outlook.
Exercise is the key to transforming mind, body, and spirit. The benefits of exercise spill over into a higher quality of work performance and more satisfying relationships. When a person feels good, then everything else in their life gets better, too.
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