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LIFTING WEIGHTS WITH POOR FORM
This is a big fitness mistake no matter how old you are – poor form when lifting weights and doing exercises can lead to a huge range of injuries – but it's especially important as you age, as joints and muscles deteriorate and become less able to resist damage. We recommend booking regular refresher-courses on how to work out safely from qualified trainers at your gym.
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NOT PROTECTING THE SPINE
As we age, we progressively lose mobility in the spine, so exercises you could easily do in your youth may become more and more difficult. Crunches, for example, become progressively less safe as you age and put extra stress on your neck and back, which can cause serious problems down the road. Instead of crunches and other spinal-stressing exercises, try static abdominal workouts like planks instead.
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NOT CHANGING YOUR SNEAKERS
How old are your sneakers? If you exercise regularly, and you got them more than 6 months ago, it's probably time to change. Most sneakers are designed for 45 to 60 hours of activity, after which they become less effective at protecting your joints and absorbing shock. As we age, our joints are more and more prone to impact-related injury, so protect yourself and keep your toes in tip-top condition.
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SKIPPING THE WARM UP
When you're ready and motivated to work out, stopping to stretch and warm up first can feel like a total drag. However, skipping this vital step is setting you up for injury later down the road. Working out on cold muscles and joints is never fun, but with age, we are even more prone to wear and tear, a problem enhanced by failing to warm up. We also take a lot longer to recover from injury, so unless you want to be out of action for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle, start making it part of your regular routine!
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BIKRAM YOGA
A regular yoga practice can be a fantastic way of maintaining flexibility and strength as you age, but yoga styles like Bikram, which are practiced in extremely hot temperatures, are a recipe for disaster. Not only does the excessive heat increase the risk of over-stretching your muscles, but it also increases your likelihood of dehydrating, a common problem for those over 40.
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LONG-DISTANCE RUNNING
Die-hard running fans may hate to hear this, but long-distance running becomes less and less advisable as you age. Osteoarthritis is the world's most common joint disease, and although running will not cause osteoarthritis, it sure will exacerbate it by putting enormous stress on the knee, ankle and hip joints and throughout. For a low-impact, full-body cardiovascular workout alternative, we recommend swimming.
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HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
Super intense, high-impact aerobic workouts and training sessions are all the rage at the moment, but they aren't for everybody. Aerobic capacity decreases with age, and combined with lower joint and muscle flexibility, fast-paced workouts that involve lots of jumping around can make you more prone to injury. Swap out the intense boot camps for a slower-paced, thorough workout that lets you move through your whole range of motion without stressing your joints. You'll thank us later!
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