4 Reasons Why It's Never Too Late to Start Exercising
Do you know what the least active age group is?
Believe it or not, those adults who are over the age of 60 are reported as being the least physically active age group. Arguably, this is the time when adults really need to become MORE physically active in order to maintain a higher quality of life and health.
If you’re an older adult (or you know a family member who has stopped exercising), you don’t need to be stuck in the mindset that exercise is only for the young. Let’s take a look at the top 4 reasons why it’s never too late to start exercising.
- Restored Youth
Is it surprising that older people who are engaged in a more physically active lifestyle report that they feel younger?
Your body needs physical activity. That’s just how you’re built. The studies confirming the benefits of physical activity and exercise are numerous. More importantly, there are many studies documenting the need for exercise with older adults and the benefits that come from this. If you want to feel better and have a younger mindset, exercise is the key.
- More Confidence
As your body begins to build a set of effective neuromuscular connections, you’ll begin to feel more confident. Not just about how you look but about your body. When we get older, there is this stigma that our bodies are working against us. We fear falling or that we’ll drop things. Exercise helps to build very strong connections between inter-working muscle groups. These are reinforced through the mind-to-muscle connection. The result is a feeling of overall confidence in what you can do.
- Reduced Risk of Injury
The biggest obstacle to older people (or even those younger people who are really out of shape) is the fear of injury. Many people don’t realize that beginning a well-planned exercise program can help you avoid injury!
As mentioned above, exercise helps to establish strong connections between inter-working muscle groups. That means that if your muscles and joints are working together more efficiently, you are less likely to fall or injure yourself if you happen to fall.
Strengthening your muscles, joints, and bones is something every older adult should do and can do through exercise.
- Fast Gains for a Better Life
One of the surprising things about older adults who begin an exercise program is how quickly they progress. Given a progressive program that allows for gradual gains, older adults thrive and begin to see fast changes in strength, power, lean muscle tissue, and fat body. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean your body won’t respond in a positive way to exercise and physical activity.
The best part about these fast gains is that they contribute to an overall healthier life where you feel better and more confident in yourself
Tell Us What You Think!
Are you an older adult who has just started an exercise program?
How do you feel? What benefits do you see?
Let us know in the comments below!