"If you don't exercise or you do exercise, you'll experience discomfort either way. But if you move often and well, you'll have less pain." Jonathan Ross, ACSM Trainer of the Year (twice)
It's hard to exercise when pain is something you wake up with. Sunday I talked to a rather young woman with osteoarthritis in a hip. She is trying to keep hip replacement at arms length as long as possible. And today someone approached me about the pain in a knee needing to strengthen the muscles in the leg and thigh. The over 65 crowd that I work with is amazing not just because of what they can do, but what they continue to try to do. They don't quit! While I quite often steer older adults to the NuStep perceiving it to be the safest place to start a program, it's not a one size fits all. Some are better on a stationary bike and some on the treadmill. The most important part of a program for many at any age is to start low and gradually add time and intensity.
The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons encourages swimming or even walking in the water to help reduce joint stiffness and pain. " ...the worst thing....is inactivity as inactivity weakens the muscles around joints and makes them unstable." Joining a water exercise class is the answer for many. The water is soft, warm, relaxing and buoyant relieving a lot of the stress on the joints.
Arthritis in its' many forms presents limitations to about 45 million of us as we get older, but retiring to the couch is not the answer.
IDEA FITNESS JOURNAL Jan. 2016 Keeping Seniors Motivated by Sherry Bailou Hanson
