July 17th, 2024
If your socials are anything like mine, it’s been filled with old folks doing exercises that I a 25 year old woman can’t do. I’ve been seeing them doing acro yoga (Totsie), Iguana pushups (Lauren Bruzzone), and Spiderman swings (Geng Zhi-pictured) to name a few.
Consistently keeping a routine in old age is one of the best ways to prolong your quality of life and make use of your time.
Paulina Ramos Augustin who is 101 is a strong example of this, and her impact has influenced her grandson, Justin Augustin to make workout videos for the elderly.
I even think of my own grandfather, who I describe as having the best death someone can have. He was 94 and that morning he had gone for a 30 minute walk as he always did. Only a couple hours later he would fall nauseous and be taken to hospital. My father would come in to visit his dad who he described as perky and enjoying a chocolate pudding. About an hour later my grandfather got very tired and slowly drifted off to sleep and never woke up. He had died of old age.
It’s a reminder that death doesn’t have to be met with uselessness, and if people are fortunate enough to get old we can continue to exercise and make adjustments to our routines as needed.
There’s so many little things we overlook with aging. We assume we will always be able to hold a heavy pot, or even twist a door knob, but neither are guaranteed. So, the best we can do is continue to exercise. Fortunately we also live in a day and age where exercise is more accessible then ever. There’s at home options for strength training with weights and resistance bands, following a yoga teaching on Youtube, or going to a local court and playing a racquet sport.
The benefits definitely outweigh any cons. The social aspect alone can be incredibly rejuvenating for older people who often have open schedules. Even if getting out of the house is too much for you, there’s a variety of resources. Particularly since COVID there continues to be an increase of online classes being offered that allows you to converse and exercise with other participants.
Additionally exercise is known to strengthen immune systems, lower the risk of certain diseases and cancers, be a mood booster, increase bone density, and protects brain functionality and memory.
And just because you may be young now doesn’t mean you shouldn’t workout until you’re older. Even as a young person you’ll be benefitting from the above, and by taking preventative measures you will increase functionality for older age.
