Inspiring Elderly Exercise Before You Develop An Elderly Demeanor

Look carefully at these images, before it happens you. White is fat, grey is muscle. It’s never to late to change. Click image for linked article.

Inspiring elderly exercise, with an emphasis on body awareness, preferably before you become elderly in your demeanor, is one of FitOldDog’s major goals for his readers.

It was a pleasure to introduce two athletes that I admire, in the transition area just before a recent triathlon. Howard Glass (73) left, and Bob Scott (84). These guys inspire me, that’s for sure. Photo  by FitOldDog with permission.

Many of my teachers, and some peers, have died already, and other peers are on the way out, but the ones that drive me crazy are the people who could, with a little effort, become so much more active, instead of walking with baby steps. Ah! Well! I guess we all get to choose. You don’t have to be an Ironman to live a really active life and, and walk with a jaunty step.

When I undertake races, especially Ironman triathlons, where they write your age on your calf before the gun goes off, I often hear people of all ages tell me that I’m an inspiration. In a way, I think my continued training efforts, and that of my fellow age-groupers, opens the door to what is possible as you enter your 60s, 70s, and even your 80s; and maybe beyond, if you’re lucky in terms of genetics and life-style history.

How you live your old-age will be determined to a large extent by how you live your life up until then, so I strongly recommend an active mind and body, especially as you enter your 40s and 50s, when empty nest syndrome strikes. It will be good for your personal relationships, also, if you work together. For instance, I love to race with my younger son, Nigel, and run with Deb, it just makes the whole exercise thing a real pleasure.

But how to exercise safely? This is where I like to emphasize the critical need for body awareness training, especially if you don’t have a background in athletics, or other forms of physical activity.

Click image or Podcast describing my approach to safe exercise.

There is nothing magic about body awareness, you just have to keep your mind open to what is going on inside of you. It’s all there to see, hear, and feel, if you take the time to observe. There are many roads to building body awareness, which can most certainly stave off exercise-induced injuries. In my case, Feldenkrais came to my rescue for a chronic knee problem, and this resulted in my embracing the use of Speedplay Pedals on my bike to reduce risk of knee injuries. My mind was open by Feldenkrias to how my body functioned, in a way that all my Veterinary Pathology training failed to do, when it came to athletics. You can use Yoga, Tai Chi, and a slew of other approaches, but you have to do the listening and learning.

Please choose the right instructors, especially if you’re recovering from an injury or major health challenge, as I am with my aortic disease issues. Once you take on exercise to stave off the potential of aging to limit your movements, you’ll also want to be inspiring elderly exercise, however old you are.

Follow the FitOldDog training wheel, starting at the top, and once around for each goal, and you won’t go far wrong.

OK! I’m off for an easy swim, to shake out my body from my last race, before I start to prepare for the next one. I’m not much of a runner, but I do know how to swim. Which reminds me: when you choose a sport for exercise later in life, consider one you did as a kid. I was a water polo player, which is why swimming comes easily and running is a continual challenge.