Are You Too Old to Be Fit? Aerobic Exercise and You

An Exercise Physiologist Tells You How to Stay Fit - Regardless of Your Age

By the time you’ve gotten around to reading this article, it’s safe to say that you’ve achieved many of your goals: you’ve graduated from college, enjoyed a wonderful marriage, earned a good income and finally, sent the kids off to college. But now that that’s all behind you, it might have occurred to you how little time you’ve saved for yourself; especially when it comes to your health and fitness.

Studies have shown that from age 25 to 75, we lose 40% of our lung capacity, over 25% of our muscle function, more than 20% of our bone density. As a nation, we are becoming more obese. Over 30% of the American population is overweight and one in five adults will contract adult onset diabetes. Pretty depressing, isn’t it? The good news is that many of these trends can be arrested, if not reversed. Even later in life.

Whether or not you’ve ever been physically active, the right place to begin is at your family physician’s office. A thorough check-up, including a complete blood chemistry panel (glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels, etc.) will reveal much about where you’ve been and more importantly, how healthy you are now. Be sure to tell your physician that you intend to begin an exercise program, and ask him if you have any restrictions that you should be aware of.

Assuming that your results have come back within the normal range for someone your age, you’ll want to begin your new fitness program by taking an objective look at yourself and your lifestyle. Are you a morning person, or do you like to sleep in late? Making a promise that you’re going to wake up before the rooster’s crow may not be very realistic. A good indicator of who you are is your behavior while on vacation. When do you get moving after having a week off? Next, decide how much time you need to devote to your new lifestyle. Do you have medical issues that need to be addressed, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, or is your goal to become physically fit enough to play with your grandkids?