Never too old to exercise

They say that age is just a number and truly, it is it.  But as time goes, that number also increases.  With it comes the added count on weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, sugar levels and yes, waist size.  The multiplied numbers is wholly dependent on how we manage it.

I definitely can relate.  Five years removed from enjoying senior discounts, there are times that I do feel the strain and have senior moments.  BP and sugar levels are elevated and I do have my daily dose of maintenance meds.  Foot and knee injuries during my school intramural days are occasionally visited by arthritis.  Yup, pain is gained and we go, “ma’yRitemedbanito?”

If we opt to be sedentary, no matter the DNA, everything shoots up.  Although our doctors could be genuinely concerned with our health issues, they could be unconsciously rejoicing on the frequency of our clinic visits.

Ever heard of “Choose Life”?  Unless we have morbid wishes, we want to avoid an early transfer of residence to an eerily quietsubdivision adorned with candles and flowers.  We want to enjoy our God-given existence as much as we can, as long as we can.  One way of delaying permanent underground retirement is to be active.

It would be better for older people to be on the move as sluggish and borderline lazy ones, especially those above 50-years old, will speed up the aging process and invite additional health risks.  Experts say just a 15-minute daily walk is sufficient for people who had been inactive for quite a while.  The American Health Association recommends 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 times-a-week and a twice weekly strength training exercises.  There were sporting activities that we liked and enjoyed during our younger days and it would be nice to get back to them gradually, but in a lesser intensity.  We can’t do anymore what we used to do so let’s do it at our own pace.  Tiniguwang ba.

Older people would think that they would hurt themselves if they start getting active.  As we age, our reflexes become slow and flexibility diminished.  Let’s engage in activities that are enjoyable and since we’re well above the millennials, we should know our limits.  It is best to have a fitness professional guide us with our exercise programs and guide us on exactly what to do to prevent injuries.  Done regularly, it makes us fitter and helps strengthen our aging hearts.  It lowers BP, sugar and cholesterol levels and improves blood circulation. 

We don’t have to go and enrol in expensive gyms or acquire fitness equipment.  Functional shoes for walking or jogging is all we need.  Spending an hour with household chores is good exercise and earns us pogi points from the wifey, triple the points if you do the laundry and the dishes.   Backyard gardening and washing the family car are good workouts.

If your residence is multi-level, the stairs are built-in equipment.  10 to 20 minutes of walking up and down increases the heart rate and blood circulation.  Just be careful as we’re nearing the brittle stage already.  Do it barefoot or wear athletic shoes.

We always have canned goods in our pantry, put a few cans in a reusable bag and you have some light weights for resistance training.  We can also use our body weights for push-ups, squats, lunges and planks.  Be resourceful as most of the nearby malls offer free group lessons usually early mornings or late afternoons.  There are some local parks with basic exercise machines installed free of charge.  One major drawback with these free group sessions is that some people tend to spend on fitness apparels, making the aerobic activity more of a fashion thing.

It is nice to have a training buddy and I have someone very close.  For more than twenty years, my wife Denise has been my companion during our regular walks at the Manila Memorial Park.  We do it fast paced, doing 2 laps on a 3-kilometer loop in a few minutes over an hour.  We do it at least four times weekly and we get to visit our dear departed regularly.  There are several people we meet and greet and as the days go, we become friends and we then look forward to the next day.  As a bonus, there will be interesting incidents during those sessions because hey, life is full of surprises.

With our spouses as training partners, not only do we improve our overall health and fitness, we also strengthen our relationship because for more than an hour, we can talk just about anything.  For the adventurous types, take extra caution on partner selection as it would do more harm than good.  Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.