Healthy Aging
Three Keys to Exercising as You Age
Beliefs, body awareness, and technology help
To some, I am in the “late elderly” stage of life. To me, “late” sounds like I died, “elderly” sounds like I’m frail. Although I will be 77 this year, I am neither dead nor frail.
I exercise regularly to maintain my health, strength, and balance. Exercising also helps me network with others, which is important as we get older.
In January 2022, I had open-heart surgery. My heart was fine, my arteries were not. Three months later, I enrolled in a cardiac rehab facility. It felt like going to the gym twice a week. You exercised solo in a room with others while wearing a heart-monitoring transmitter.
In one session, I did the opposite arm and leg raise exercise on a ball, as shown above. This exercise strengthens core and back muscles.
Suddenly, a young physical therapist rushed up to me. Worried about my balance, she showed me a “safer” version of the exercise without the ball. Being curious, I followed her request. I did not tell her my version, which she saw as risky, helps improve balance.
It’s easy to buy into an external label, like late elderly, and take on its persona. I don’t want other people’s labels to influence my reality.
