Let’s have a very serious discussion together. It concerns the reason for every word I write, and it concerns your perception of what fitness should be.
I don’t mean anything at all derogatory by the word ‘unfit’. It indicates, simply, the description of being in a state of less than optimal fitness. So let me explain.
I’m really interested in having this discussion with all of you who have the desire to move in a healthier direction, but for whatever reason, feel shut out. My blog site shows many pictures of people in the gym; that’s me–it doesn’t need to be you. So let’s take a look, first, at exactly what fitness can easily be in YOUR life, no matter what your age, and no matter your current condition. From the heart, I want to help you be healthier!
A Simple and Functional Approach
Fitness, for our purposes, is the level of necessary health and fitness to do the things we enjoy most. “Health and appetite impart the sweetness to the sugar,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Forget the sugar controversy here and focus on the main truth: It’s difficult to enjoy even the basic things of life in a state of ill health. Knowing that 80% of the major causes of ill health–cardiovascular disease and diabetes among them, can be directly affected by exercise, you must make the decision to take the first step using the irreplaceable tool of exercise. If the effects of exercise were obtainable from a drug, it would be considered a miracle drug. This, along with proper nutrition and quality sleep, are the core components of a healthy lifestyle.
Fundamental Building Blocks of The Senior Health and Fitness Blog Philosophy
1. The fitness journey of a lifetime begins with the first rep. Yes, I’m borrowing from the Chinese proverb regarding the importance of the first step. No matter how old you are, no matter how out of shape you are, there is a movement (rep) that you can do as a first step!
2. If you can move it, you can improve it! Your body responds to the positive stress of exercise by getting stronger; even if you’re in your eighties. We must use this capability because not doing so results in atrophy, or wasting. You do not have a choice to relax and remain the same.
3. Get going with what you’ve got! There’s no sense regretting your current condition. Whatever you have to work with is how it’s going to get done. It makes no sense to wish otherwise, but it makes a lot of sense to get moving now with whatever we can move–even if it hurts a little. Many of you may think that you can’t exercise because of arthritis. Wrong. You must exercise in spite of arthritis, to whatever degree you can, or you surrender to regression. Bursitis is part of my daily existence. Sometimes movement causes pain. I make a choice to tolerate it and keep moving because I don’t like the alternative.
The Weight Of The Evidence
Research has revealed in recent years that longevity and health depends, among other things, on simply being active; it’s not necessary to be superfit. And the Blue Zone studies, which focused on the common characteristics of the longest living people on the planet, observed a strong social/family lifestyle and living with a purpose as major important traits, along with sensible nutrition and activity. Moderation in fitness is a substantially powerful goal, and readily doable.
There’s nothing for sale and nothing to buy. If the principles above make sense to you, let’s work together to change the look of Senior fitness!
For Your Health and Fitness,
Steven
The Senior Health and Fitness Blog by Steven Siemons is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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