Lifting Makes Everyday Movement Easier
Lifting for a Healthier, Stronger You at Any Age.
Newsletter includes:
Strength Training Promotion
Goal Setting Ideas
Goal Setting Journal Page
Free Yoga Video link
Strength Training
Number 1 remedy to fight aging is strength training. Plain and simple. Folks in the nursing home benefit from strength training so NO you are not too old to begin. It does a body good, regains better posture, helps internal organs work better, makes you feel strong and look healthier. To begin any exercise consult your health care professionals and ease into a new routine.
Bodyweight exercises are a great place to start. Yoga is one place to start as it moves all the joints and requires holding your bodyweight in postures. Yoga creates a strong foundation before beginning resistance workouts. Poses such as bird dog, bridge, boat and warrior poses will build strength in the core, glutes and legs. Yoga provides postural strength which is a good set up to begin resistance workouts. Begin with form, function and then add in resistance. Studies are emerging on the benefits of heavy lifting for women to manage the menopause years. Check out Dr. Stacy Sims’ blogs and research on this important subject.
Consistency is the pathway that leads to many benefits. If you have participated in sports then you know in order to get better requires a lot of practice. If you want to be good at swimming then you swim more. The same is true for yoga. Starting out with a short 10-15 minute practice that ends with meditation or prayer is all you need to get started. Pick a time of day that you can reserve just for you and find a short routine that makes you feel good. Get started and do the same routine for at least 10 days. Bring a journal to your mat and make notes for yourself on any differences you notice with your body and overall wellness. I was surprised how much I craved this time to just be and breath after adding it to my daily routine.
When we decide something is important for our well being then we make it a priority. Sometimes it takes a wake up call and sometimes we have a mindset change. After years of sitting at a desk and running long miles I was getting stiffer and my body ached. Playing hard and then sitting for long work days was my routine. I really wanted to move without pain and regain flexibility. But I didn't make it a priority so it didn’t happen by wishing. Once I dove deeper into the study of yoga, my teacher insisted we do a 40 day practice and if we missed a day then we started back at day 1. I like challenges so this worked for me. After 40 days of consistent practice, yoga is part of my daily routine that I don't want to miss. Even a few minutes a day to check in with my inner self. Right here, right now, just be and breath.
Weak shoulders and pectoral muscles are the start of poor posture. Roll the shoulders back one at a time and then both. Move the shoulders down and back squeezing the shoulder blades together. This is where good posture begins. Notice how squeezing the shoulder blades towards each other lifts the chest. Lifting the chest brings the abs up and in naturally. Spine should be in the natural curves and a deep breath is comfortable. That is ideal posture. Sitting long hours causes the body to collapse into a question mark shape and structural problems arise if this is a daily routine. Rounding the shoulders stretches the upper back muscles and shortens the pectorals across the chest which makes them weaker. Then all the weight is dumped into the low back. Glutes are stretched and hip flexors are shortened as both lead to weakening. See my recent post for an upper body yoga flow here.
Strength gains by lifting heavy creates ease in moving through daily activities. Less grunts and groans when getting up and down. A strong body actually feels lighter. It is empowering to have strength to do daily activities and maintain fitness for sports. Reminder, lifting heavy is relative, beginners should start with bodyweight.
The primary functions of muscle are to create heat, to hold us up in posture and movement. All important reasons not to let the muscles get weak.
My personal experience is related to running and swimming which I have done for many years, but my stamina was decreasing more each year. I dabbled in lifting but it was something that would be the first to go if I ran out of time. I knew lifting had to be a priority if I wanted to keep running on trails. After lifting heavy consistently last year, my body functions better and I have less nagging aches most notably in my low back. Lifting heavy will stay a part of my lifestyle because it is empowering and makes me feel youthful.
As an athlete, using yoga and strength workouts sets the base to keep doing the sports that I love. It is part of my self care that keeps me moving and enjoying life. If it wasn’t for yoga and strength workouts then I would not still be running at age 59. I believe that I can get faster and stronger despite age and I am willing to do the work.
Setting Goals
Typically, the goals that I think up are ambitious with the excitement of a new year beginning. A chance to do better, live healthier and work toward my dreams. The last few years, I have tried to tame the big ideas by starting the year with a big goal in mind but break it down so that January starts with something doable and will progress me toward the big goal. I have a long distance running goal in October. I set a couple small goals to progress that will include walking and cross training for the next couple months. My running miles will stay steady for now and increase in a few months.
This year I have created a print out for breaking down the goal over a period of time along with a few ideas listed below. The idea is to pick up easy wins in January and February to grow confidence in making progress and reaching for bigger goals as the year progresses.
-Set small goals that are easy and will get you closer to a big goal.
-Write out the big goal and then write one easy goal for each month of the year that will make progress to your big goal.
Example: Run a 5k, Walk 10k steps daily, Yoga practice daily, or eat healthy.
-Break it Down into small habits to crowd out the old habits not serving you:
1-add drinking water to a routine as the first drink of the day.
2-eat one fruit or vegetable a day
3-walk 15 minutes a day
4-eliminate packaged food
5-Use a run/walk plan 10 minutes to start
6-Practice yoga for 10 minutes to start
If you have had an idea of running a 5k or longer, riding a bike for 100 miles or swimming a mile. Those desires are on your mind for a reason. Set a goal and work on small things that will lead you toward the big goal. You will be amazed how far you will be in a year with focus and intentions.
What kind of life do you want? Active? Athletic? Playing with kids? Fit and strong for daily routines?
There will be days when the training or tasks at hand will be hard. This is not a reason to give up on the goal. Instead do the task in a smaller dose or take the day off and do some self care. Self care being an activity that makes you feel nourished. The resistance will come but the key to overcoming it is self awareness. Are you tired or not sleeping well? Is your day filled up with tasks for others? Find the root of your resistance and then resolve the best way to maneuver around it. These times of resistance are when the journaling takes on a role to dive deeper into the reasons, emotions and origin of the goal and resistance.
Journaling Prompt: What are the excuses that keep me from my dreams?
Free Yoga Video on YouTube - 30 minutes of foundational strength for the back body.
Keep moving and dreaming.
Disclaimer: Please consult with your medical professional before starting any workout program. Yoga is not a substitute for medical attention or treatment.
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I love this! Thank you for bringing additional awareness to the importance of MOVING. and dispelling the frustrating myth that "you're too old to work out." No, you're experiencing an acceleration of physical weakness BECAUSE you aren't working out.
Strength training/lifting has changed my body and my life. I previously would do HIIT (nothing against that per se, but it was definitely stressful and more cardio focused) and then switched to strength training in a regular program. I'm finally NO LONGER a skeletal, scrawny, mess; I'm happy with my body and excited to see how it will continue to respond in the future as I keep training.
Hoping for a 200lb deadlift in 2025 ;) I've I've stuck at 170 for a while now. Three years ago, I couldn't even lift 70lbs, worrying about hurting my back.
I work with a lot of younger people at the office. Quite often, some youngster at the ripe age of 28 to 35 will get up after hours of sitting at a desk and groan, stretch a little and say “My back hurts, guess I’m getting old.”
No! No, you’re getting weak! Strengthen the fuck up already! Someday you’ll actually be old , and also weak and sad. Do the work when you’re young, a bit at a time.