Increase Flexibility and Strength Through Yoga

Over age 40 symptoms of self-neglect such as weight gain, high blood pressure, poor digestion, stiff and achy body, insomnia, and anxiety begin to manifest themselves. By aiding in detoxifying the body and stimulating and balancing the endocrine system, which among other things regulates aging, healing, metabolism and immunity, yoga can help turn things around and contribute to better health. There are numerous styles and teachers who will emphasize different aspects of this ancient practice. Some practitioners favor the traditional teaching methods whereas others who may not be looking for “enlightenment” in the traditional sense may simply be seeking a way to manage their stress and find aching back relief.

Headstands may not be in the cards for everyone. However if you spend a few hours a week doing some stretching, relaxing breathing exercises and being still, you will notice a profound change in your awareness of yourself and your surroundings. You will manage stress better and improve your posture. It will be easier to concentrate and you will sleep better. Research out of the Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard’s McLean Hospital found that healthy subjects who practiced yoga for just one hour had a 27 percent increase in levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and lessens anxiety compared with a control group that simply sat and read for an hour. The transformative power of yoga is profound.

Yoga provides time for personal observation of your physical and mental state. It’s a time for reflection and a time for you to let go of physical and emotional residue left behind by your hectic schedule. Many individuals over 40 can no longer participate in sports that involve impact or agility. For them, yoga provides a fun and safe alternative. Yoga is a continuous journey; I've had the good fortune to practice with several amazing teachers including Amanda Reh, Yoga in Lake Eola Park and Allison Egan Datwani pictured above. For more on Allison visit https://www.allisonegandatwani.com

Incorporating Training Variety to Prevent Overuse Injury

As I noted in a previous post, much of the decline in fitness capabilities we typically associate to aging is the result of our decision to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. My personal fitness philosophy to ward off father time and remain injury free is to incorporate a variety of different activities in my fitness plan. Through strength training, yoga, cycling and running I've been able to avoid the repeated joint stress and overuse injuries that often accompany fitness plans involving only one activity. Every decision has its consequences and if you choose to employ this fitness strategy you must accept the fact that it is unlikely that you'll become the world's best in any of your chosen areas. Mastery comes from concentrated focus, so the person who chooses to become world champion would not benefit from such a strategy. The excessive cardio employed by my fellow runners and cyclists would be counter productive to my aspiring champion bodybuilding associates. Increased flexibility produces decreased stability making powerlifting and yoga incompatible if one's goal is mastery.

To improve my fitness performance it often becomes necessary to train with those dedicated to a single discipline. Today I chose to cycle with Troi Lynch and Charles Mason of So-Fit Cycling whose strategy to help me beat father time was based on Rod Serling's Twilight Zone episode 'The Odyssey of Flight 33' where a commercial airliner moving too rapidly breaks the time barrier and is sent back in time. To say that the pace they established pushed me beyond my–too many Fun-day ride–comfort zone would be an understatement. When you're winded after the fist half-mile of a 30+ mile outing, you know it's going to be a tough go. Fortunately, my cycling mates were unsuccessful in their effort to take me back in time and I happily remain in the present day. Although stepping up in class can be overwhelming it is our mental approach that determines the physical outcome of our training. So when the temptation to give up and return to the comfort of my bedcovers presented itself, I simply committed to the process and finished the ride. So if or when you find yourself in a similar situation, let the principle "don’t let what you can't do interfere with what you can do" be your guide. As a personal trainer, I frequently encounter clients who get caught up in the detrimental exercise of comparing themselves to others and being overly concerned with making a fool of themselves. I believe that to be successful in life you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to remain perfectly capable of IMPROVING. Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck in a place where you don’t belong. You can only fail if you give up on yourself. Thank you, Troi and Charles... I think?

Strength Training for Older Adults

Strength training becomes even more important as we get older. As we age, our metabolisms tend to slow down, acompanied by a loss of muscle mass and bone density. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, bone loss usually speeds up for both men and women during midlife. For most women, bone loss increases after menopause when estrogen levels drop sharply. In the five to seven years after menopause, women lose up to 20 percent or more of their bone density.

Studies have shown that resistance training can prevent bone loss and may even help build new bone. In one study, postmenopausal women who participated in a strength-training program for a year saw significant increases in spine and hip bone density, two areas affected most by osteoporosis in older women. Strength and balance/stability training programs targeting the hips and core, can help prevent falls, a leading cause of injury and death in the older population.