50+ Lifestyles

Are You Too Old to Work Out?

By Logan Anderson, BA, CPT, CIFT
Owner of All Strong Fitness LLC

Retirement. What a beautiful time of your life. You can finally kick back, relax, and enjoy all of the little subtleties you used to never even consider. With the bountiful amount of free time given after retiring, it may seem as if everything is falling right into place. You follow this path for a few years. Until… you realize you aren’t able to move as well as you did when you were younger. You can’t go up stairs as easily. Your joints and body hurt more and more everyday. That retirement you sought after your entire life quickly becomes a nuisance in its own regard. Endless medical appointments have you considering if you should finally go to that exercise class that your friend always talks about. This article aims to give you a different perspective on working out as you get older, to truly enjoy what should be the most free and best years of your life.

If you are reading this, and have never worked out before, thank you for joining me for a few minutes! My name is Logan, and I have helped 1000s of seniors and individuals of varying physical abilities improve their health and independence through fitness and lifestyle changes.

Now, it may seem daunting when considering starting a lifestyle change like working out as you become older. You might even think that working out will do you no good in your current state. Through the years of seeing older adults start fitness and health programs, I have witnessed individuals finally get the strength to go up stairs by themselves, reduce chronic lower back pain through exercise, and even gain the confidence to walk without a walker. What sets these people apart from any other senior is that they were willing to accept where they currently are physically, and move forward in becoming better physically and mentally.

Were they able to move as fast as they were when they were younger? No. Could they get out of a chair as easily, compared to when they were younger. No. But they practiced getting stronger through working out consistently, until they became a new person. They weren’t concerned about looking like a high level athlete, or lifting the most amount of weight. They were concerned about learning how to move properly, and give their body a reason to stay strong and fit.

So even though exercise isn’t always the most fun endeavor, consider what it can provide you. A time to practice moving the beautiful body you were given. A time to heal your body through preventative medicine. A time to invest in your health, so you can enjoy retirement much more. Without health, retirement is not nearly as enjoyable. Without health, life isn’t as enjoyable. To finish, I want you to ponder a question. Ask yourself, if I started to add a small workout into my life, and my health improved, how would the other aspects of my life improve as well? It takes small changes to make a HUGE difference down the road. Good luck, and get started!

Logan Anderson is the owner of All Strong Fitness LLC. For more information, please visit allstrongfitness.org.