It’s Not Too Late To Get Fit!

Just because father time has been ticking away at you, and you think it’s too late to start a fitness program, I’m here to tell you that there is still hope. You can begin a fitness program at any age and get great results. Just look at the research.

A Harvard Medical School Study followed frail and institutionalized volunteers between ages 86 and 96 who did leg lifts for 45 minutes three times per week. After 8 weeks the size of leg muscles increased as much as 13.5% and walking speed by nearly 50%.

In another study, active women over the age of 60 were placed on a 24 week weight training program. They increased their weight lifting capacity from 5% to 65% and they significantly increased their lean muscle mass while decreasing body fat.

“Exercise is the closest thing we have to an anti-aging pill” says Dr. Alexander Leaf of the Harvard Medical School. Research shows that many of the problems once attributed to aging as slowing down, declining muscle strength and fatigue are actually the result of a sedentary lifestyle. Eighty percent of the health problems once associated with aging are now thought to be preventable or postponable if a person keeps fit.

I personally recommend strength training for older patients, first with bodyweight exercises and then light weights, dumbells or medicine balls. I also recommend outdoor walking or climbing stairs in the house for their cardiovascular needs, but shy away from the treadmill, it causes many weightbearing injuries and is difficult on the lower extremity joints of seniors.

For inspiration, here’s a video of former competitive bodybuilder Jim Morris. He used to compete in the day when I was involved in bodybuilding and I think he’s aged nicely thanks to exercise.