What Time Is It? Now O’Clock!

No matter our age it’s a great idea to adopt a healthy lifestyle and stay active. As technology advances lifestyles can go one or two ways as we age:

• We’ll adopt an active lifestyle where fitness is part of our daily routine
• We’ll adopt an inactive lifestyle where fitness is brushed aside.

The difference? It’s simply a choice! The easy and simple things are just as easy to do as they are not to do. It’s a conscious choice to be active and STAY active and it’s a choice to be inactive and stay active. The great news is we can go from inactive to active any time we want to!

It’s NEVER Too Late for Active Lifestyles!

Older adults, both male and female, can benefit from regular physical activity. Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits! Older adults can obtain significant health benefits with a moderate amount of physical activity, preferably daily. A moderate amount of activity can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities (such as walking) or in shorter sessions of more vigorous activities (such as fast walking or stair-walking…). We’ll introduce objects like kettlebells, as seen in the picture above, sandbags and sleds. Constantly varied activity keeps thing constantly challenging and never-ending!

Facts on Inactivity and Activity

The loss of strength and stamina attributed to aging is in part caused by reduced physical activity. Inactivity increases with age. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity. Sadly, 80% of American adults don’t get recommended exercise. Those that are most likely to exercise are between 18 and 24 years of age. Being active and staying active is one of the best habits one can have at any age!

Unfortunately many of us who start becoming active stop for one reason or another. But we’ve found a secret: community! Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity. Groups are SO much more motivating than working out by ourself day in and day out!

Everything is limited by our imagination!

Benefits of Physical Activity

• Helps maintain the ability to live independently and reduces the risk of falling and fracturing bones.
• Reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of
  developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes.
• Can help reduce blood pressure in some people with hypertension.
• Helps people with chronic, disabling conditions improve their stamina and muscle strength.
• Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters improvements in mood and feelings of well-being.
• Helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
• Helps control joint swelling and pain associated with arthritis.

All of this is simply from showing up consistently! How cool is that! Just doing something…anything…is better than nothing at all! Why not learn to perform activity correctly with trained professionals? It’s certainly worth your time to do things right! It’s also the safest and most effective way to get better at ANY skill one is interested in.

What Communities Can Do

Provide community-based physical activity programs that offer aerobic, strengthening, and flexibility components specifically designed for older adults. That is our goal. To help our community, every age group, to thrive. Older adults have earned the title of ‘Legendary’ based on their life experiences they are humble enough to brush aside as ‘no big deal’. To us, the fitness community, IT IS A BIG DEAL.

We want to ensure that our facilities for physical activity accommodate and
encourage participation by older adults. The more the better! We want to get more people getting active so they can enjoy all the benefits physical activity offers. We are here to help! We highly encourage everyone to incorporate physical activity programs into their lives as soon as they are able to. Your health directly depends on it!

Need Inspiration…Check Out Masters!

Technique is technique. Dedication is dedication. Discipline is Discipline!

Mary Schwing is one of my favorite humans I’ve ever had the honor to meet.  At 66 years of age, she’s returning to the CrossFit Games, in the 60+ division for the 7th year in a row! Only 20 woman qualify every year! Her can-do attitude is a true inspiration! I’ll let you in on a secret…she’s getting better. Many people have favorite athletes. She is mine!

If they can do it, anyone can! CrossFit continues to make fitness and activity a lifelong mission…not just something we do once in a while. It’s something we do forever. Because we’re human and we have the opportunity to better ourselves with simply staying active. There is no time like the present! Start NOW!

And start em’ young!