This article will discuss how those preppers who exercise probably should change the nature of their workouts as they age. This article also will discuss reasons for these changes and will give examples of such changes.
During their younger years, exercise enthusiasts often had contests with friends to see who could perform the best at exercises such as the bench press or the squat. Memories of how much an exerciser achieved in younger years can be unrealistic benchmarks of how much that exerciser should expect to achieve during their middle age, and especially after that during their senior years. Such benchmarks might result in injuries that can cause long or even permanent absences from exercise. In general, middle aged and senior citizens probably would do well, when performing weightlifting exercises, to use lighter weights and more repetitions than they used when they were younger.
Middle aged and senior citizens’ bodies are not as flexible as are young bodies. This reduced flexibility makes them more prone to injuries. Middle aged and senior citizens, therefore, should make sure that they warm up well before starting their exercises. Middle aged and senior citizens also should make sure that they do stretching exercises every day.
During their younger years exercisers had the energy and recuperative powers to exercise longer and more intensely than they are able to exercise during their middle age and senior years. Exercising that long and that intensely during their middle age and senior years can result in overtraining.
Some exercises will not be appropriate for everyone who is of middle age or old age. Those with heart or arthritis problems, for example, might have to walk, bicycle, or swim instead of run. Those with balance problems probably should use a stationary, indoor bike rather than a regular bike. Even swimming can be dangerous if those with poor balance use a pool with slippery surfaces around the pool.
Outdoor exercises can involve extreme temperatures during the winter and summer. Middle aged and senior citizens lose some of their ability to adapt to extreme temperatures, and they should have the option of exercising in a commercial gym or in a home gym.
Certain medications require that exercise routines be altered. Consulting with a doctor might be a good idea. When people take hypotensive medication, for example, they can lose consciousness when standing at the end of a bout of exercise. Also, extremely frail senior citizens might want to do exercises from a sitting position. That could mean riding a stationary bike instead of walking.
All of these cautions are not meant to discourage middle aged and senior citizens from exercising. Preppers will want to be at their physical best during a disaster.
My book has much more good information about exercise.
Disaster preparation, however, is not the only reason for middle aged and senior citizens to exercise. Jack LaLanne said it best when he said, “So many older people, they just sit around all day long and they don’t get any exercise. Their muscles atrophy, and they lose their strength, their energy and vitality by inactivity.”
