Category: Senior Fitness

Who goes to the gym? All kinds of people. I go to the gym first thing in the Morning. The gym is full at 5:30 AM. It’s filled with men and women, young and old. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are there to build up, some to lose weight, and others to maintain what they have.

For example, there is a 72 Year Old Master Kayaker who goes around the world teaching kayaking, and participating in White Water Kayaking events. There is a seventy plus year old skier who spends a lot of time out West on the slopes. There are a number of young and middle aged men and women who want their early morning boost before they head off to work. There are housewives and lawyers. I occasionally work out with an astronaut. Several former Washington Redskins work out there. Some workout independently and others take advantage of a Personal Trainer.

They are all there either because they want to be, or because someone else thinks they need to be.

I call it a “gym”. Others call it a Health Club. Same thing. Mine doesn’t have a pool. I just learned that they have a basketball court outside in the back, but they put a “jungle gym” on top of the basketball court. There are a couple of rooms for classes and Yoga, and a separate room for Pilates. My wife goes to Yoga Class, and another intense and effective exercise class that is well attended by men and women of all ages, including the Master Kayaker I mentioned above.

We don’t have a lot of luxury amenities and the people who go there aren’t looking for them. There is a club just down the road that caters to “lazy luxury”. I don’t want that.

We do have a complete inventory of equipment, including free weights, kettlebells, machines, balls, TRX Suspension Trainers, and other equipment you can choose from.

You don’t go to the gym just to lose weight. You go to build up, tighten up, loosen up, and firm up. Weight loss is an added benefit of exercise. If you want to lose weight, change your eating habits. 80% of body composition is a result of the food you eat and how you eat it.

Some go to the gym to socialize. I don’t see much of that at 5:30 in the morning. When I go sometimes at mid-day or early afternoon, I see more socializing. I do some socializing. I ask questions and get answers that sometimes go in these articles. I also enjoy having other people around me.

I see a lot of people spending time adjusting their “fit-bits” and other electronic fitness gadgets. They could have gotten five or six useful exercises done in the time it takes them to set up their gadgets.

I could do most of the things I do at the gym just as well at home. Sometimes I do. But for me, it’s not quite the same. Some may prefer to get their physical exercise in their own home with their own equipment. Others prefer to get their exercise outside. It’s a matter of personal preference, and as long as you move your body well enough to call it “a workout”, then anywhere you do it is just fine. Where I live, there is a YMCA with excellent exercise facilities. I have a good friend who has an excellent exercise program there.

It’s not important whether you go to a gym (Health Club), “lazy luxury” facility, the YMCA, or exercise at home, as long as you move your body, you will find and maintain your own Fountain of Youth and that will keep you younger, longer.

Thank you for reading.

I love quotations. At one time I had a thick notebook filled with quotations for every conceivable situation in life. I used them when I was in the seminar business to demonstrate their use in adding emphasis to various points.

Several of my favorites are about Health, Fitness, Vitality and Life. Some are old and some are new. They are all appropriate. I will write out the quotes, add my short commentary and leave you to ponder them.

The first two are by George Sheehan, a Cardiologist, recreational runner, and prolific author who died of prostate cancer just short of his 75th birthday. He wrote:

“To restore life to your life, to defeat aging, to regain the youth you still possess, get your body in motion.” — from the essay Act Your Age

Dr Sheehan also wrote:

“Inactive people give aging a bad name.”

How true. If you have been following this blog, you know that nearly every article has been written about those two realities in one form or another.

How about this quote:

“Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses it’s purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” — Leonardo da Vinci.

Da Vinci? No way. Yep, he was pretty saavy when it came to the function and operation of the human body. His notebooks were filled with drawings that could put modern anatomy books to shame. He was very observant when it came to the way the mind and body work and what could go wrong with them.

Those three quotes are about Movement. These last two are about Mindset. Actually, the quotation from DaVinci was about both.

“People say that what we are seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think is is what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive.” — Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

To be truly alive and to enjoy the experience requires good health and vitality. Re-read the quotes by George Sheehan and DaVinci.

The final quote is by Howard Thurmon, a Clergyman and Activist who lived from 1900 until 1981. He said:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

I believe that what he was saying was that if we all took responsibility for ourselves, our actions, and our health and well-being, we would all be self-sufficient; we already have within us, that which it takes to be truly alive! When I first came across this quote, I was inspired to give the name to the Come Alive Project.

Thank you for reading.

Summer is coming with it’s accompanying hot weather and humidity. Seniors have a tendency to dehydrate and overheat more easily than younger people.

Dehydration can be a serious problem with Seniors. As we age, we lose the recovery power of our youth so that when we get truly dehydrated, it may take longer to rebound from dehydration. The more we age, the longer it takes to recover. Of course, the better physical condition we are in, the better we are able to handle the recovery.

What are the symptoms of dehydration? Mild to moderate dehydration results in increased thirst, headache, lightheadedness, constipation, dry mouth, fatigue, and lack of the need to urinate. Severe dehydration may result in severe thirst, lack of sweating, confusion, irritability, fever, low blood pressure, rapid breathing and heart rate, and may end up in loss of consciousness. Severe dehydration can also result in kidney problems and overall decreased blood flow resulting from low fluid content in the body.

With seniors, the symptoms of dehydration do not appear suddenly. But once you become dehydrated, the symptoms can escalate quickly. Studies tell us that Seniors also lose their sense of thirst as they get older, so they are not as likely to notice the need for fluids as early as younger people.

How about increasing salt intake? Here is an interesting bit of information. Studies have shown that lack of salt contributes to cardiovasuclar problems. What? I always heard that salt is bad for you. These studies show that seniors should consume no less than one teaspoon of salt, nor more than three teaspoons of salt per day. Those who did the studying that most seniors were well within this range when they were totally on their own. But interestingly, most independent living facilities provide a low salt diet at dinnertime, which can potentially lead to mild dehydration. What kind of salt should we use? Sea salt or rock salt is better by far that normal table salt.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, the best way to prevent dehydration in seniors, and everyone else for that matter, is to drink plenty of water, eat plenty of water content foods like fruits and vegetables, and to avoid alcohol.

We are also told that seniors should be careful about venturing out on really hot and humid days and to keep plenty of water handy at all times. Don’t skimp on salt, but don’t go overboard either.

Most medical websites say basically the same thing relative to seniors. Drink plenty of water whether you are thirsty or not (remember the sense of thirst is diminished with seniors). Be alert for symptoms and catch them early. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if the symptoms are noticeable, and don’t hesitate to contact emergency or medical personnel if you or anyone with you deems it advisable.

I hope you found this useful. Thank your for reading.