Retirement Can Be A Time Of Great Health! If…

Will Harlow, the over-50s specialist physio, observes and advises:

Move with care, but do move

Avoid these three common mistakes:

Mistake 1: Stopping strength-building movements. Many retirees become less active, losing daily movement that used to maintain strength without them thinking about it. This naturally leads to muscle loss (the body will generally not maintain what’s not being used), reduced mobility, increased fall risk, chronic pain (often with arthritis, which in turn came with the reduced mobility), and the like. So instead, do 2–3 short strength-training sessions each week.

Mistake 2: Ignoring small aches and pains. It’s common to dismiss pain as “just age,” but it’s better to take things seriously and deal with them as they arise, and/or best yet, proactively. Many aches can improve with targeted mobility exercises, done gently and consistently.

Mistake 3: Not pushing yourself enough. Being overly cautious, on the other hand, can lead to deterioration. Safe doesn’t necessarily mean easy—a little discomfort or fatigue during exercise is often necessary for results. A good way of pushing yourself without overexerting yourself is to use “reps in reserve” to gauge intensity: stop with 2–3 reps left “in the tank”. For cardio, aim to be slightly breathless but not overly strained.

For more on each of these plus some recommended exercises, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Beyond Stretching: Four Habits That Drastically Improve Mobility

Take care!