When I went to my gym recently, I saw, as always, something sad. Although the gym was filled with the usual winter crowds, everyone there was half my age or less. There were a few men who might have been approaching 55, but none older. The women all seemed younger than 30 or so. Once again, I wondered why people no longer work out at a gym once they hit 50. It seems strange.
It’s even more confusing considering that those who know me constantly say how much they envy my strength and stamina. Yet there’s nothing that prevents them from achieving the same _ or even far greater _ physical ability.
Another strange thing is the always positive reaction to me being in the free weight room. After warming up, I chose a 70-pound bar to begin doing deadlifts. There were looks from those around me. A young man gave me a thumbs up. Two young women walked by and said, “Good for you!” Again, I wondered why. Why is the sight of a not-so-young woman working out in the free weight room so unusual? Why aren’t more older people there?
I asked for opinions from other mid-age folks. “People will stare at me,” said a 60-year-old woman. “I’m just too out of shape to go to the gym,” said a 57-year-old man. “I don’t think it would do me any good,” said a 72-year old man.
This is all totally mistaken. First, what if strangers do stare at you? Those who may look are not there to judge you, they are their for their own workout. It shouldn’t be such an unusual event for a 50-plus person to be working out _ and it wouldn’t be, if more people that age put aside excuses and did it. Second, if you’re out of shape, the best place to fix that in winter is in a warm, well equipped gym. Most important, those who may believe it wouldn’t do them any good should study the actual facts.
According to Prevention Magazine, when you stop working out (or worse, don’t ever start), your blood pressure “soars.” Prevention goes on to say that when not exercising, your brain suffers, quoting a study in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity
There is near unanimous agreement within medical science that exercise can fight depression, a condition which affects many people as they get older. A recent study in the journal ‘Abnormal Psychology’ states that exercise produces a near-instant mood lift, even for those who already are afflicted with clinical depression.
There’s even better news about the benefits of working out, whether it’s lifting weights or brisk walking on a treadmill, according to Menshealth.com. Exercise is thought to spark the production of new (brain) neurons, possibly by increasing the levels of certain endorphins, a … review in ‘Journal of Psychiatry and Neuoroscience concluded. This can help alleviate depressive symptoms.
Another beneficial result is even more important for the 55-plus set. Kirk Erickson, PhD, who is a University of Pittsburgh researcher, says that regular moderate movement helped older adults grow a larger hippocampus, which is an important brain part for memory, within a year of beginning such exercise.
But what if you personally just don’t like the idea of working out in a public gym? The solution to that is to get a regular workout in the warmth and familiarity of your own home. You have many exercise methods to choose from. A few pairs of dumbbells of varying weights aren’t very expensive and will allow you to perform a variety of exercises. A treadmill can permit you to walk or run at any pace you choose, even while watching television.
If a treadmill is too expensive or takes up too much room, you can make your own device for a few dollars to serve as a ‘treadmill’ which will allow you to walk or run in place. Buy about two dozen feet of rubber tubing at a sporting goods store or online. Tie a tennis ball into the cut-off leg of a pair of nylons or panty hose. Tie the other end of the ball-filled panty hose leg onto the middle of the tubing. Tie a knot around the back of a sturdy leather belt, which can be found cheaply at a thrift shop. All knots should be securely double tied.
Fasten the belt with the attached tubing around your waist, and put the ball end on the other side of a door, closing the door firmly (for safety, post a sign “Do Not Open” on the exterior side of the door). Now pull the tubing taut and begin to walk or run. Even the pressure of pulling on the tubing will help work your core muscles, and you can easily get frequent exercise without ever going outside your home.
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Wina Sturgeon is an active 55+ based in Salt Lake City, who offers news on the science of anti-aging and staying youthful at: adventuresportsweekly.com. She skates, bikes and lifts weights to stay in shape.
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