Health and Fitness > Fitness Equipment > Never Take Short Steps
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Article rating : 0.00, 0 votes. Author : Phyllis Rogers
George Burns once said that the key to staying young is to
“Never take short steps.” And there is much truth to that
statement.
If you see a stranger approaching on the sidewalk, you can
tell about how old that person is by the way he or she walks.
As we get older, our hip joints gradually become stiff, and
it’s easier if we take shorter steps. Then if we have a fall, we
are afraid we might fall again and so we begin to walk very
carefully--with shorter steps.
When those of us over 60 were young, we were told that
when we got old, we should slow down and take it easy.
The truth is that the older you get, the harder you must work
to keep your body strong and fit. I often tell the participants in
my strength training classes that it isn’t fair that the Creator
designed our bodies so we must work harder each year at
staying fit. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could remain strong by
lying on the couch? But it does not work that way.
When I visited my 97-year-old mother in Iowa, a year ago
when she was still living independently, she could stand up
unaided from a straight chair--that is, without using her
hands to help lift. She recently fell outside her home and
while she was in a rehab center, a social worker checked
the house she had been living in independently. The social
worker announced that no longer would she be allowed to
get her own mail which required her to open the back door
and go down a couple of steps. She also would not be
allowed to go in and out the front door without assistance
--this also required two steps. I suggest that navigating
these steps had been one of the things that had helped
keep her strong so she could live independently.
But the decision was made that she would move to the
nursing facility where she has been for several months. And
her legs have weakened so that she can no longer stand
without pushing or pulling herself up.
I visited the exercise class at the nursing home. It lasted
about ten minutes and consisted of simple exercises done
while seated with nothing that would strengthen lower body
muscles. My mother says she attends the class, but “It
doesn’t amount to much.”
Sometimes while I’m teaching a class, I feel angry--at our
society for feeding us this story that aging is supposed to be
this way--and at the men and women who have given up
hope. So many senior citizens have given up and are
reconciled to becoming progressively more feeble. No
wonder they feel depressed. I work with people who cannot
raise their arms over their heads, whose shoulders are stiff,
who cannot stand up from a chair without pushing
themselves, who shuffle instead of walk.
I also feel anger toward our medical system. I’m looking
forward to the day when instead of telling Agnes she should
use a walker, the doctor prescribes a strength building
program for her. The conversation would go something like
this, “Agnes, if you don’t strengthen your legs, you’ll soon
have to use a walker. Let’s get you into an exercise program
that will make your legs and hip joints stronger so you can
remain independent.”
Sometimes when I talk with a manager or activity director of
an assisted living community and describe to them the
exercises in my program, they say “Our people couldn’t do
that.” And I want to say “That’s why they need a strength
exercise class.” Most senior exercise programs consist of
seated exercises. You cannot build leg strength and
improve balance while you are sitting down.
Betty, who is 72, and has been strength training for 9
months, moves like she was about 32. If you watch her
walk, you would never guess her age.
We in our society believe that we should become less
independent as we get older, but I see it demonstrated
every day that this is not true. Inactivity causes many of the
problems of old age.
Fitness also helps keep your mind sharp. In Dr. Andrew
Weils’ Weekly Wellness Bulletin June 10, 2003, he reported
a study which suggests that staying physically fit can help.
Researchers at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco
tested mental and physical functions of 349 adults age 55
or older, all of whom were in good mental and physical
health. At the end of the six-year study, those who had been
most physically fit at the outset showed the least mental
decline and vice versa. Researchers believe that exercising
may help by supplying more blood to the brain. Low blood
supply to the brain has been linked to lower mental function
in older adults and Alzheimer’s patients.
Right now--regardless of your age, I am asking you to make
the decision this moment to take care of your body. Choose
to learn more about your body and how to take care of it. Eat
healthy food, learn what supplements your body needs and
take them.
And--please exercise. If you have loved ones who are aging
--whether they live independently or in a retirement
community, encourage them to exercise--walk, join a gym,
take a class--anything--just get moving.
While any exercise helps, the most important exercise you
can do is strength training--using hand weights or body
weight to help increase muscle strength. Strength training is
as near to the fountain of youth as we have found. Also
included should be a good stretching program. Studies
have shown that keeping your joints limber helps keep
osteoarthritis at bay.
Please get moving. Take brisk walks, stretch, lift weights.
And remember to never take short steps.
Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of Over 40 &
Gettin' Stronger which contains an easy to learn strength
workout using only dumbbells and can be done at home.
The book can be ordered at her web site or at Amazon.com.
She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for older
adults Her web site is http://www.StrongOver40.com. She can be
reached at fitness9@mindspring.com and is available for
speeches and workshops.
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