Aging and Training

As I get older the whole area of exercise and aging interests me even more. Last Thursday’s New York Times had a very good article on the subject.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/health/nutrition/

31BEST.html?ref=health

Some key points in the article and what I have seen with my experience:

Intensity – This is true at any age, more is not better. Shorter more intense workouts also seem to fit with my lifestyle.

Consistency – Another one that is true at any age, but I find that if I miss a series of workouts now it is harder to get back into it.

Strength Train - Definitely more important as you age. Consistent strength training with variety particularly appeals to me.

Flexibility – Another must, especially work in the hip girdle area and the calves.

Old Injuries & Improper training from your younger days haunt you – In so many ways you reap what you sow. I know that the niggling injuries that I used to ignore and train through now are bigger and keep me from training.

There is no doubt that exercise is the key to having a quality of life. I am not sure I have to compete in order to motivate me to train, for me training is a lifestyle and it is a daily opportunity to test myself in different ways and to keep experimenting. We are going to learn more about aging as our population gets older. Every time I go swimming I am inspired by the masters swim group that trains at the pool, several of them are in their eighties, it is neat to see how enthusiastic they approach their training.