“You have an evolutionary addiction to exercise.”

That’s according to Tom Rath, author of the book Eat Move Sleep. He says, “We get a natural ‘high’ when we exercise.” He doesn’t refer to addiction as it relates to the negative effects of substance abuse, that weakens or destroys our minds and bodies. He looks at addiction to exercise as a Positive.

William Glasser, MD in his book, Positive Addiction used running as an example of positive addictions. His research showed that when you do it for at least an hour a day, six days a week, that within six months, you will become addicted to the point where you experience serious withdrawal symptoms when you stop. He says that when one is running (exercising) to the point where it is addictive, one will reach a state of “euphoria, a complete loss of self, a sense of floating.” That sounds strikingly like the state of “flow” that I have written about in a number of previous articles.

Biochemists are revealing how this “flow” state or “runners high” occurs. They are learning that physical activity triggers the release of brain chemicals which literally put you into an “altered state of consciousness” — where time slows down and you have the feeling of euphoria that I referred to above. Michaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience describes it as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake.”

At that point, exercise itself becomes the source of MOTIVATION, an intrinsic motivation that requires no outside stimulus other than the activity itself. Exercise can form a positive addiction that is well worth being addicted to.

But can exercise be addictive in a negative way? Yes! And while this article is meant to look at an addiction to exercise in a positive way, there are circumstances where exercise becomes an addiction in the negative sense. There are a surprisingly large number of people who have built their lives around exercise and who exercise five and six hours a day. They exercise to the point where they are breaking down their body rather than building it up. These are not performance athletes, but are regular people who are obsessed with exercise in much the same way as those with an eating disorder. Their obsession with exercise is a psychological malady rather than a physical one.

The hardest part of exercise is the first five minutes. After a while it becomes addictive. You notice it in the way you feel when you don’t exercise.

As your appearance, your attitude, your posture, your bearing, and the pizazz with which you approach life, all change noticeably for the better, exercise becomes part of your identity or persona. It’s simply a part of what you do every day.

When you set up a regular exercise program for yourself, the internal and external rewards are miraculous. It’s a great feeling! IT’S ADDICTIVE!

Thank you for reading.

In all the posts I have written over the past several years, I haven’t addressed running or jogging as an exercise vehicle for Seniors. That might be because I don’t jog or run. So a good question to ask is, “Should older people run?” No matter how I try to answer that, I will generate controversy. Since I am often asked the question, my answer is simply: “I don’t know. I like to walk fast.”

I must confess I really don’t know how to answer the question. I know a few people in their sixties who run, but not many in their seventies. The usual reasons are typically (1) knees — “my knees are shot”, and (2) “I’m afraid I’ll trip and fall and there will be nobody to help me.”

“Old men run as if they fear to leave the ground. Gravity is no longer a playmate but an oppressor . . .   Fearing to fall, they run in constant danger of falling; the slightest protruding root or jagged piece of pavement might catch an unsure foot and bring the cautious runner down.”    — George Leonard, The Ultimate Athlete, p. 170

In my sixties, in an effort to rejuvenate my body, I participated in a “boot camp” style fitness program. Along with a lot of strenuous exercising with dumb bells and bodyweight, in the parking lot of a County Recreational Center (rain, snow or shine), running a couple of miles was part of the routine. I vividly recall the sharp pain in my knees when I ran any distance. But I was macho and wouldn’t stop, mostly because we ran as a group and I didn’t want to be the one to drop out. Most of the others were in their thirties or forties, with a few in their fifties. They didn’t have problems with their knees.

Usually, the pain disappeared as the day wore on, but it always popped up the next day. It was a warning sign that said: “don’t run, you idiot.”

 My own personal recommendation is to let your body tell you what to do. If you are just starting a fitness program, I would suggest you stick with brisk walking. That’s a great exercise for Seniors. If you are running now, at age 60 or so, only your body (or your doctor) can tell you when to stop.

So my answer to the question, “Should Seniors run?” remains, “I don’t know” But at least I have addressed it. And don’t forget, if you’re new to exercise, make sure to check with your doctor before you start.

Thank you for reading.

My wife and I kid sometimes about how we used to have to move around during the day, just to do ordinary things that we don’t have to do today. We didn’t look at it as “exercise”, but by today’s standards, it was.

When we watched television, we had to get up and cross the room and twist the dial if we wanted to change the channel.

We had to get up to answer the phone.

Why, we even had to physically turn the pages in a book we were reading. Imagine that.

When I learned to drive, I didn’t have power steering or power brakes. I started with a 1948 Dodge coupe which was no toy. I had to work to turn the car or put on the brakes. And some of the older cars were a challenge to get in and out of. I had a 1957 Volkswagen beetle and since I was over six feet tall, getting in and out was a challenge. Then I had an early Triumph TR-2 convertible that took being a contortionist to get in and out of. None of them had an automatic transmission. But they were fun to drive.

Escalators were a fairly new thing. We often rode trains back in the day, and when we went to Union Station in Washington, DC to catch a train, we had to walk (no people movers) and climb up and down long flights of stairs to get to and from our train.

Yes, we all enjoy using the remote, and wouldn’t know how to drive a car without power equipment. We only have to pull our phone out of our pocket to answer it. So most of us don’t even get minimal exercise, just functioning around our own homes.

Well then, what are some of the ways we can move our bodies during the day so we don’t get stagnant? Here are a few ideas:

• Go up and down stairs. Or at least do some simple “step ups” using one or two stairs a few times a day. I take the stairs two at a time a lot. But I’ve been doing it for years so I can do it relatively easily. It’s simply part of “what I do”. You can start by at least climbing stairs whenever you can if it’s only for a flight or two.
• Every time you get up out of a chair without using your hands, you are doing something that will improve your leg strength. In the world of exercise they’re called “squats”.
• Stand up straight. How you see yourself is as important as how others see you. When you glance in a mirror, or even look at your reflection in a store window as you walk by it, check out your posture. It’s difficult to maintain good posture as you get older unless you pay attention to it and really work at it. Hold your shoulders back and head up high, but don’t go overboard. You don’t have to look like a Royal Palace Guard.
• Walk when you can. I think every magazine at the grocery store check out counter has, at least one time or another, included the tip: “Park your car as far away from where you are going as possible . . . and walk.” That’s great advice and saves a lot of time circling the parking lot waiting for someone to pull out.
• Twist and bend. Don’t just stand there, move your waist — bend and twist. You don’t have to make a spectacle of yourself. Many times I’ve stood in a line and watched others twist around and stretch. Nobody really notices, let alone cares. Today they’re all looking at their phones and won’t notice anyway.My 78th birthday is in a couple of weeks and I had to renew my driver’s license. So, last week, I stood in line at the DMV — what a joy! Most people were either standing with a bored stare into space (maybe they were meditating — if so they get a pass), or were standing with their head down, shoulder slumped, gazing lovingly into their phones. At least I did some twisting and stretching. How disappointing that no one noticed, or cared.
• I read something the other day that fidgeting and squirming burns calories. It beats just standing or sitting — at least you’re moving something.
• Lift and carry some things. Make them heavy things. Push and pull on some other things.The takeaway from all of this is that when you move your body, even a little, you are getting some benefit. Opportunities are everywhere. It doesn’t replace real exercise, but it’s better than doing nothing.

Thank you for reading.