Senior Fitness

  Our club, Mountain Fitness, prides itself as a "senior-friendly" place. Most of our trainers are middle-aged or above, and a good portion of our members are as well. Some of the members (and trainers) started in the prime of their athletic lives, and have stayed through since the establishment's opening in 1998. Others have joined because they like the comfortable size of the gym, don't feel intimidated, or because they like seeing others with similar challenges and goals.
  One of the most common things you here is frustration that you can't lift as much, run as fast, or train as hard as you used to. I feel it myself. My bench press max was 235 (at age 40), and I'd be lucky to hit 200 now. Of course, I'm 17 years older, and about 15 pounds lighter as well, so I have to be realistic and accepting. My 5-K best (17:01) was achieved when I was about 30, so now, with all of the injuries, wear and tear, and diminished oxygen capacity of the ensuing 27 years, I am ecstatic when I run about three minutes slower!
   The Minnesota Star-Tribune had a recent syndicated article about Senior Fitness, in conjunction with the National Senior Games, which were held in Minneapolis in July. Tom Allison,  director of the Mayo Clinic's Sports Cardiology Clinic was quoted. Dr. Allison mentioned that patients frequently come to him with complaints that they can't keep up in a competition, and they think something is wrong with their heart. His first question to them is "How old are the people you're playing with?"
    Besides the aforementioned decreased lung capacity, other realities of aging are a loss of muscle mass and strength (i:e Bench press max), and declining testosterone levels in men. Tendons and muscles also lose their elasticity, making them more susceptible to injury. Arthritis also develops in areas that have experienced traumas (like breaks or sprains), making some new memories for old injuries!
  However, its is important not to get mentally down about aging, and embrace it, with realistic goals, and a game plan to stay fit via cross-training (to avoid over-use injuries), more rest, stretching and icing, and a more scientific approach to training.
   While someone who has run or lifted their whole lives can not expect to improve in their senior years, they can keep the decreases to a minimum, and pride themselves on age-graded divisions and scoring in most competitions. Of course, a sedentary person (or someone returning to exercise after a long absence) will show significant strength or fitness gains from their staring points, even into their 80's!
   Don't get down, don't live in the past, don't give up. Embrace senior fitness!