Exercise and fitness is a permanent topic for the SuperAger. And it obviously deserves to be. Fortunately, there is an enormous range of information on what to do, how and when to do it and, if you’re interested, what it accomplishes for you all the way down to the cellular level.
There’s no question, either, that SuperAgers are highly motivated in this area, and want to (and can) keep up to date on the latest thinking. It’s certainly a prominent topic in our book and on this website.
But with so much information on what you should do, it can be helpful, once in a while, to sound a brief note of caution on what you shouldn’t do, or the mistakes you should avoid. We found this article from Yoga Journal to be a good example. They’ve targeted their advice to those over 50, and they identify five mistakes to avoid.
They quote Roger E. Adams, a personal fitness trainer: “Our recovery rates, muscle rebuilding, and even inflammatory markers are better when we’re younger. So instead of doing the same cardio routine, spin class or weightlifting workout, we now need to incorporate exercises that help improve our physical stability and maintain or improve our flexibility.”
Here are their top 5 mistakes to avoid:
1. Working out for too long – The article repeats a point we make in our book, and here, that shorter periods of exercise gets the job done: “Breaking up exercise throughout the day and engaging in short ‘micro-workouts’ can be as effective as longer workouts.”
2. Mimicking something you saw on TikTok – We hadn’t heard of “TikTok tendonitis” before, but according to Allen Conrad, chiropractor and certified strength and conditioning specialist, it’s “a real concern for older adults trying to replicate specific jumping and lateral movements that they see online.” This is particularly true if TikTok (or other online videos) are your starting point, after not having worked out for a while.
3. Skipping the warm-up – You should warm up for at least 5 minutes, and ideally, 10.
4. Not drinking enough water before, during and after working out – Quoting Allen Conrad again, the article recommends at least 8 glasses of water a day, plus at least 8 ounces before and after the workout.and after your workout.
5. Thinking you can begin where you left off decades ago – The article quotes Robert Dodds, a personal trainer and fitness coach: ““Mobility, strength and technique will all have faded drastically and injuries happen, particularly when an individual is trying to push themselves to a level they can no longer compete at.” Ease into it!
One additional point needs to be made: as with anything involving exercise, make sure you’ve talked it over with your physician.
What we like about this list is that it’s short, intuitively persuasive and not very complicated. Observing these few precautions will help you get the benefits of exercise and avoid the pitfalls.