Surely I am too old to start exercising!

Like anything, you are never too old to try anything!

We are all guilty of saying "Ooh I couldn't possibly do that!" Without even giving it a try. It is more a case of we won't try anything to establish if we can't do something.

The same can be said for exercising for the elderly. Surely they can't possibly do that?

The aging process is a natural process. Our skin will lose it's elasticity, our bone density will get less, we will struggle to do all the things we used to be able to do. But, with exercise, we can do our utmost to slow the aging process down a little. And, it has been scientifically proven! Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, heart attack, cancer and osteoporosis. It can also reduce the daily pain from arthritic changes. It is also recommended from those suffering with chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, fybromyalgia and to a extent, help with managing mental health conditions. However, we also have to consider the different type of muscle fibres our muscles have. I have blogged recently about the different jobs that muscles do (global stabilisers, global mobilisers, local stabilisers). Yet, within each muscle are differing fibre types. We have fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres.

Fast twitch are what we use for power and explosive force. A sprinter, field athlete or a power lifter will develop and need these to perform their chosen form of exercise.

Slow twitch are what we use for control and endurance. A long distance runner will need these to maximise these to perform their chosen form or exercise.

But, don't see a muscle being either one or the other. A muscle will contain a mixture of both fibres! A sprinter and a long distance still need strong calves, quadriceps and gluteals for example. The difference or variables are you. Age is a huge factor with regards to fibre type. As we age, we tend to lose our fast twitch muscle fibres and they become slow twitch muscle fibre types. This is because most of us stop playing out, running around like children and take a more sedentary life. Now, with the correct type of exercise, we are able to retrain our fast twitch fibres but this is extremely difficult if we have not done so for many a year. To retrain fast twitch muscle fibres requires a lot of effort into explosive, plyometric exercise over a sustained period of time. for example; from a standing position, jumping onto a box of significant height. Sounds difficult right? Yes it is! But, don't get disheartened, why not utilise the slow twitch fibres we already have? They are easier to train and strengthen. This is why you find sprinters tend to be younger and the long distance runners can run for longer. Usain Bolt will not be an Olympic Champion forever. The more established ultra runners are in their more autumnal years. Take me and my running friends. without trying to sound arrogant, I have been a good long distance runner in my past, yet if you lined me up and most of my current running friends and asked us to sprint 100m, I would not be surprised if I came in the bottom 10% because I know my fast twitch fibres are not what they should be. But, my endurance, slow twitch fibres are not too bad at all. This is why we as physiotherapists differentiate our exercise types depending on our client base. If they are of more mature years, I will be directing exercise in a slow and controlled manner "You control the exercise, not the exercise control you". For those who are still in their spring years, then i tend to direct exercise to high impact, explosive work in addition to the control work. So, is it too late to exercise? I would say on a multi-faceted level it is certainly not! Not only is it good for your mental well-being, it is also excellent for slowing down the aging process, reducing the risk of life threatening conditions and a great way to meet new people and achieve what you never thought you could achieve. So, what is stopping you?