I was close to my Grandparents, and it was hard watching them slowly lose mobility and the ability to do those tasks they needed to do on a daily basis. Simple tasks we normally take for granted, such as getting up from a chair, opening a jar, lifting a bag of groceries, getting out of a car. Being young, I thought it was just the way things go as we got old. Now I know that does not need to be true.
Once a decade or three went by, I noticed my body did not quite work the way it did when I was seventeen. I could still do all those things I did when I was younger, but I started finding myself sore a few days afterwards (DOMS). Once in a great while I would wake up and have the famous sore back, shoulder, or knees. I realized them that those things I like to do but did not do daily were no longer as simple doing them whenever I had the opportunity.
We grow up learning as children the basics of exercise, but after we become adults most of us seem to forget the basics until we are well into old age. Those basics are, warm up, do the exercise or task, and do a cool down of some sort. As adults I think we need to do a little more. If there is an activity we enjoy, but do not do frequently, it is a good idea to incorporate some exercise into our week, that helps our body be ready for the activity we occasionally do. If you like to ski for example, it is a good idea to do skiing related exercises between ski sessions.
Going back to my Grandparent’s, and their getting old and feeble… My Grandfather worked hard after he retired from his job at seventy. He worked harder in a day than I did. On many days I had a hard time keeping up with him. For my Grandfather everyday tasks and chores did not present much of a problem. My Grandmother was an on again off again exercise person, and she did not have a lot of problems either. A large number of their friends did have problems though doing everyday tasks.
I think we are hard wired to avoid things that we find hard if there is an alternative. We generally drive the car two blocks instead of walking. I think that is just the way we are made. For most of our life we can get away with this behavior because our bodies are somewhat young, and we can sort of cheat our way through. There comes a time if we live long enough that simple chores around the house become hard to do.
When simple things become hard to do, exercise helps, and makes those tasks easier. I believe we should not reach that point until it is near the end of our time on earth. We need to spend our lifetime doing mild exercise to ensure we are fit when we get older. Waiting until you are old is the wrong way to think about exercise. At that point, people are working on a cure, and not a type of prevention. Setting up a lifetime plan of prevention has benefits throughout our lives, and it is enjoyable.
Exercise does not have to be anything exhausting. A mile walked is about the same as a mile ran. Lifting one hundreds pounds all at once, or over twenty times is still one hundred pounds. Some stretching every day, some good walks three or four days a week and some simple strength exercises can do wonders for us. All I have found I need is a pair of tennis shoes. For the strength part, anything in the house or office works fine. Try to twist a broom handle in half for hand strength. Carefully lift a box in your closet a few times. Push apart a door frame with your hands, and try to crush the door with your grip. It does no have to be fancy, but it does make you feel better. We are all headed to old age if we are fortunate. It is a good time to start getting ready. Your body will thank you!
