THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING ACTIVE AS YOU AGE

Increasing amounts of research are demonstrating the importance of an active lifestyle. Unfortunately, common myths would have us believe that as we age, our bodies become less able to fulfill the active lifestyle that we would want. While there are many examples of unique individuals who are yoga teachers, weight lifters, marathon runners and athletes well into their older age, they are often presented to us in the media as unusual examples that are all but attainable.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however. We are all designed to have the ability to live an active lifestyle for most if not all of our lives. This may not mean being extreme athletes for most of us, but being active doesn?t have to mean spending all of your free time at the gym or dieting. Some people do suffer from chronic health conditions as they are, and this should of course be taken into consideration when choosing an exercise routine that is adapted to those conditions.

Choosing the Right Active Lifestyle

Living an active lifestyle doesn?t have to mean signing up for the gym or a triathlon if you have arthritis, nor does it have to mean being a weightlifter if you?ve got chronic pain. It is important to choose an activity lifestyle that fits with any conditions that come up as you age. Low impact sports like swimming, aquafitness, yoga and pilates can be excellent choices for an aging body that requires a gentle entry into a new active regime.

If you?ve never been a runner, it may not be wise to start signing up for a marathon, but you can start building with some walks around the block and eventually, start jogging part of the way and then maybe running. Cycling can be an excellent way to improve your health and activity levels without worrying about impact on the joints. You can ride a bike outside, or use the elliptical as a great, safe exercise tool.

Reducing Screen Time

Most individuals in today?s society spend the majority of their time in front of a screen. Not only is this detrimental to our social connections, but it promotes a sedentary lifestyle. If you have a physical job, then it may be that in your off time you spend a large amount of time watching television, movies, or even playing video games.

There are now options in the marketplace to make screen time overlap easily with activity time, such as stationary machines that can be purchased for home, as well as video games like the Wii Fit by Nintendo that allows people to work activities in the comfort of their home. This can be especially great for winter time, but it?s not necessary to spend a lot of money getting active. There are many free resources Online that you can follow exercise instructors routines or design your own home workout to do with very little equipment and space. For example, sometimes all you need is a yoga mat and you can do squats, plants and push-ups in your living room!

Run Toward an Active Lifestyle

There are so many short term benefits to exercise, like increasing heart rate and production of endorphins, which improves mental and emotional health; moving the fluids through the body which improves circulation, as well as general muscle strength and flexibility. In addition to this, long term benefits to maintaining an active lifestyle also include reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer?s, adult onset of diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis. With so many reasons to stay active in life, how can one continue to avoid working out?

It?s important to start building activity into the lifestyle when we are young, so that as the body begins to age we are not playing catch-up with all our health conditions.

Dr surbhi agrawal
consultant physician, diabetologist and wellness expert