Getting older is hopefully one of the certainties of life and you can have some control over the process...
I have witnessed some advanced aged athletes do amazing things in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s. Currently at SCOS I could rattle off a handful of names of people well in their ‘Golden’ years that can perform better and look physically younger than members south of 50. So what are they doing that you aren't? I definitely won’t argue that there is a bit of luck involved in how you age, but this should only motivate you to do your best when it comes to what you can control. Here are 3 things you can apply to your training immediately to help you age better:
Have an educated program to follow: What I mean by this is firstly having regular appointments with your trusted GP to discuss how hard you can safely push yourself and to help you track certain health markers that can be bettered by regular resistance and cardiovascular training. Secondly would be relaying this information on to a Trainer so they can help you design a program that is going to challenge your current level of fitness, help improve your lifestyle and keep you moving pain free as well as reducing your risk of certain Illnesses/ disease.
Giving it your best in the gym: This is a relative term, for example: If you just had a double knee reconstruction you aren’t going to be busting your guts on the treadmill, but you can be doing absolutely everything your doctor and physio have told you to down to the letter, making sure you’re getting consistent and quality sleep, eating enough of the right food to aid recovery and keeping alcohol to a minimum. On the other hand you may be completely free from physical ailments and have the all clear from your doctor to push yourself. If this is you and you constantly look in the mirror and are un happy with what you see then chances are you could be trying a bit more in the gym. Each time you finish a session have an honest conversation with yourself and ask “Did I give it my best that session?” If the answer is “no” then write down in your phone what you could have done better and the next time you step foot in the gym read back what you wrote and make the change.
Find something you enjoy outside of the gym: Tennis, golf, rowing, hiking, ocean swimming and triathlons are just some of the sports my advanced aged client participate in outside the gym. Usually the reason someone comes to me to start training is because they feel themselves losing power in their golf swing or have a bit of knee pain on their road bike. I find much better results with clients who come to me chasing performance goals over health and body image goals. Think about it, if I can help you to be robust and fit enough to play 60 minutes of tennis at the age of 70 the last thing you will be worried about is taking a fall and fracturing your hip or carrying excess weight.
Of course there are other factors that you can change/apply to get the most out of your health and wellness, but the 3 above in my opinion are the most important. If you would like a 3 day, 4 week program sent to your inbox covering some of the things I do with my older clients send me an email at oscarbradley3@gmail.com also please feel free to ask me any training questions you may have.
