Strength Training for Seniors #2

As a senior citizen, I find it frustrating that most articles on exercise that I read in magazines are directed towards young people. While I acknowledge that exercise is very important for young people, it is also necessary for seniors who want to stay mobile and independent. The average young person, rearing children, keeping house (these days that applies to men as well as women) and working at a job is bound to get more exercise than the average senior citizen.

Of course not all this exercise can be considered strength training, which is very important from a health viewpoint. Strength training is very important in retaining bone and muscle strength, which in turn determines many other factors in staying healthy. Strong muscles in the legs can take stress off knee and hip joints. Strong leg and back muscles can help protect the spine, as can proper lifting techniques.

Ideally, a person should build muscle strength when they are young and keep working on it throughout their lives. Once one reaches his/her senior years and suddenly takes a vital interest in exercise, it's a whole different situation from when he/she was young. Exercises recommended for young people, if not performed properly, can cause tremendous pain and even injury in a person who has not been accustomed to them, regardless of age.

Speaking from experience, I can say that once one lets herself get out of shape, it's very hard to overcome. I endured almost a decade of unrelenting pain that was misdiagnosed by every doctor I saw, and during that time I became totally out of shape. I made spasmodic attempts at exercise but it usually caused my pain to increase to the extent that I soon gave up on it. I found that where overdoing exercise made me sore when younger, it now causes severe, debilitating pain.

In 2006 I finally found a doctor who diagnosed my most serious problem and replaced my hip joint. That relieved 95% of the pain I had been experiencing day and night. Then I was up and ready to go and discovered that I no longer had what it required. So I started walking and looking for ways to increase my body strength.