Fitness after 60

Have you ever heard the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it?” Well, that is true. This saying usually correlates with the muscle mass in your body. However, the sad truth is that it applies to not only the muscles, but everything about the body. As we continue to age and begin to retire, people seem to think that our bodies just become frail and brittle. I believe we have that mindset because the time we spend moving begins to decrease as we get older. It seems all of a sudden our discipline and accountability has all flown out the window and we think we deserve to sit around all day. Well, what if I told you that you were wrong? What if I said that the best thing you can do for yourself is to stay active? You deserve to be free and able bodied in retirement so you can enjoy your hobbies or try new ones; play with the grandchildren or travel with your friends. That’s what retirement is all about.

Everlasting Design

The first commandment that God gave Adam and Eve was to work. Our bodies are designed to move around. God didn’t tell Adam to work for 30 years, retire, then sit down and do nothing for the rest of his life. God wants us to enjoy life to the fullest, by doing this, we need to take care of our bodies by training and staying active. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you. To enjoy life, it is incredibly important to be able to move your body around the way it is designed. We need to be good at everyday functional movements such as: getting a jar off the top shelf, walking up stairs, getting in and out of a vehicle, getting up from the ground (in case of a fall), picking up certain objects, moving furniture around, getting in and out of bed, taking the trash out, getting on and off the toilet, and most importantly, walking. All of these activities combined comprise an entire day of moving. This is the standard of what it takes to live comfortably. We should be able to do all of these activities with no problem. This is the standard of what it takes to live life here on this Earth. Your body was given to you, we should take care of it the best we can.

How Should We Train?

Now, when I say seniors need strength training, we don’t strength train to become the next biggest NFL linebacker or the fastest Olympic Gold Medalist sprinter. We train to make life better by being able to perform those functional movements every single day because that’s what it takes. Training can be broken down to be as simple as can be. For starters, combine 3 different exercises that work 3 different muscle groups. These muscle groups are broken down into upper body, lower body, and core. So a simple workout would look like the following:

Squats: 3 sets of 12 (3 x 12) (Lower Body)

Pushups: 3 sets of 12 (3 x 12) Upper Body)

Sit ups: 3 sets of 12 (3 x 12) (Core)

These exercises will be performed one at a time in order. A good workout is designed this way so while one muscle group is working, the other two can rest. When you are performing the squat exercise, your lower body is doing all of the work and your upper body is resting. And when you are doing pushups, your upper body is doing all of the work and your lower body is resting. It is designed this way to complete the workout faster while keeping the heart rate up. Of course all these exercises can be customized to your strengths. If you are unable to do a full squat, it is ok to put a tall chair under you so you have a limited depth when bending your knees. Push Ups do not have to be done on the ground, they can easily be done leaning on a wall or even a chair. Just know as you get more and more parallel to the ground, the more difficult the pushup becomes. Sit-ups, too, can be modified and performed in a chair. When we do sit-ups in my class, I instruct the members to sit on the very edge of their chair and lean back as far as they can and when their back finally touches the chair to sit back up. This will force those muscles in your stomach to contract and work. The point is, every single exercise that has ever been created can be modified to fit your needs.

With that being said, in order to get results you have to get uncomfortable. While you are exercising, your heart rate will increase, your muscles will get fatigued and sore, you will get hot and begin to sweat, breathing will be heavier. I know all of this sounds terrible, but it will all benefit you and your life so much in the long run.

As a personal trainer and fitness coach, I don’t want anyone to be held back from enjoying life because of their health. I think we need to be doing the absolute best we can for ourselves and our bodies. As mentioned previously, the more you take care of your body, the more your body will take care of you. So I encourage you to get an exercise routine started, get uncomfortable, and get healthier!

I want to end my article with Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, “An object in motion remains in motion, and an object at rest remains at rest.” As I have said before, this doesn’t apply to just inanimate objects, it applies to our bodies as well. Bodies in motion will stay in motion, and bodies that stay in rest will remain in rest. We need to keep our bodies active so they can remain active. If you don’t do this, even basic activities become more painful than enjoyable. If that happens, you will really feel old—and you don’t want that.

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Avery Williamson is a strength and conditioning coach certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has worked with collegiate athletes, kids, and for most of his fitness career, seniors. Along with being certified as a strength coach, he also holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and a master’s degree in healthcare administration. Avery enjoys working at the UMC Activities Center because he gets to use every degree and certification he has ever received.