We all know health problems come with age. As an aging adult my own darned self, I want to prevent as many health problems as I can. It’s no secret that strength and flexibility — and balance and coordination — are improved with exercise. But there’s a laundry list of other benefits.
Experts say exercise makes you sleep better, but I can’t confirm that. (I don’t sleep well no matter what I do.) Experts also say it improves cardiovascular fitness, can lessen high blood pressure, reduce stress/improve mental health, and help you poop when you’re supposed to poop. 🙄
There are three things incredibly hard about exercise regimens:
- Getting started.
- Sticking with it.
- Re-starting after you get out of the habit.
Get this… almost 30% of adults over 50 are inactive — and almost 70% in that age group don’t exercise regularly. Just moving around going to work doesn’t count as exercise activity, you guys. Exercise includes aerobic (walking briskly counts), stretching, and strength training.
I’m back in the game after a hiatus.
I restarted my walking and stretching routine on 3/1/22 after being lazy ever since returning from Disney. It took me that long to get motivated to get back in a routine. Once you form a habit of exercising it gets easier.
My Mom is 90 (sorry, Mom). She “closes the rings” on her Apple watch every single day before she goes to bed. She sometimes will use her walker when she makes her laps… but she makes them. She gets excited when she earns another “award.”
If that’s not enough inspiration for me — and you — to do better, I don’t know what is.
TIL (Today I Learned): Cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn’t always match biological age and any physical movement lowers the risk of dementia.