My grandma is perfectly healthy at her age of 74, or at least appears to be at first glance. She’s thin, energetic, happy and seeminigly as healthy as can be. Her diet consists mostly of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean chicken, beef, and fish in smaller portions. She takes walks religiously with her friends around the neighborhood every other day.
But the truth is, there’s something missing in her regimen that many people don’t realize. Something she would benefit tremendously from if only she knew it was good for her. That something is lifting weights, a practice that if more commonplace would greatly increase the overall well-being of the senior citizen population.
Of course, I’m not talking about lifting heavy weights here. Lifting heavy weights is not for everyone and is mostly for younger people whose body structure can support them easier. What I’m talking about is mostly smaller weights and ideally higher repetitions to train the body for everyday functions.
The main reason why lifting weights is important is to stave off muscular degeneration as a person gets older, which is inevitable. Muscle tissue breaks down leading to an increased risk of injury and broken bones. Because senior citizens don’t get as much exercise or perform as many everyday tasks as younger people, their muscles don’t get as much use and that further accelerates the process of degeneration.
Lifting weights has other benefits as well. Studies suggest people who lift weights sleep better, lifting weights can help stave off depression and give senior citizens a fun communal hobby and potential social outlet, and people with more muscle stay in better shape and overall health because their metabolism stays higher at a resting rate. It also helps arthritis sufferers’ pain because it increases range of motion and reduces stress on surrounding joints.
Leg exercises are one of the most important things to do because they make the simple everyday task of walking much easier and allow seniors to get around and do what they want to do with ease. Many seniors who have had difficulty walking for years have been pleasantly surprised at how well they’ve been able to get around after undertaking light weighlifting programs.
So now that you know the benefits of lifting weights for seniors, what’s the best way to get started? Actually, there are many ways to get the seniors in your life to give weightlifting a try. First, show them this article or another similar one and explain to them why it’s important.
Second, explain to them that you don’t expect them to lift heavy weights and be some sort of body-builder or anything. This is a common misconception people have about lifting weights.
Finally, either buy them a few lift weights yourself and then teach them some exercises gathered from the Internet or a book or inquire about senior citizen weighlifting classes at your local community center. Don’t be afraid to take a long look at a local gym, either, because even the most intimidating-looking places have a solid clientele of older members. At any rate, do it before it’s too late and you can drastically improve the quality of someone you love’s (or your) life.
